Methods To Help Your Baby Sleep Through

Teaching a baby to sleep is a difficult task that parents must tackle. Every child is unique and families must adapt the techniques they use to their child’s needs.

Sometimes you may even find that opposing techniques can be effective with the same child at different stages.

In general , specialists recommend introducing a bedtime technique during the baby’s fourth month of life. However, the correct time may vary from case to case.

Some babies sleep through the night from a very early age, while others have a harder time.

General advice for teaching your baby to sleep through the night

There are two completely opposite theories regarding helping your child get a good night’s sleep.

However, you should first learn some general rules of thumb that will help your child develop this habit.

• The whole family should agree on which method will be used. If a mother decides to let the child cry for a few minutes, no one else should pick up the baby.
• Set specific naps and stick to the schedule. Otherwise, your child will be too tired at bedtime and even have a harder time relaxing.
• Repeat the same routine every night before bed. This may include giving your baby a bath, reading a story, singing a song, rubbing her back, etc.
• Try to get your baby to sleep early. If you wait too long, she will be too tired and irritable to fall asleep easily.
• Avoid arguing between adults or older siblings around bedtime as little ones can sense the tension.

Experts continue to research and debate the best conditions for teaching babies to sleep and are not yet in agreement. This is because there is no one-size-fits-all technique.

Some parents get the best results with one technique, while other families are satisfied with another.

Methods to teach your baby to sleep

Sleep without tears

This is undoubtedly the most desired scenario for any baby’s grandparents. Grandparents can’t stand to see their precious grandchildren cry, no matter the reason.

William Sears is a pediatrician who came up with the slogan No-Crying Sleep Solution. He bases his ideas on the concept that babies should associate sleep with positive experiences and emotions.

If your baby manages to associate sleep with caresses and warmth, she will be able to sleep peacefully.

According to the method, you should put your baby to bed when she is almost asleep. Try to avoid even the softest noise. If necessary,  pick up your child over and over and rock her as often as necessary.

Breastfeed your baby or give her her bottle or pacifier, stroke her gently and make her feel safe. These are important parts of the technique.

Another suggestion is that the parents sleep with the baby, if they wish. The main thing is that the baby associates this moment with comfort and safety.

This method takes more time and the learning takes place at a gradual pace. Slowly, your child will wake up less often during the night and going to sleep will be a more pleasant experience.

Crying out method

At the other end of the spectrum are those who argue that you have to let a baby cry to teach her to sleep alone.

With this method, children adapt much faster to a new sleeping habit. However, the process requires a great deal of patience and discipline.

Pediatrician Richard Ferber confirms that a child must learn to calm their own fears in order to learn to sleep. To achieve this, the baby must be placed in her crib while she is still awake.

If your little one is crying, you can go over to her and calm her down with a few pats on the back without picking her up. Then you have to leave the room.

If you let your child cry for a few minutes, it will not cause any harm. When she sees her father or mother, she feels safe. After a few tears, your child will fall asleep.

The Blur Method

This method is a middle ground between the previous two. The goal is to teach the child to self-soothe, but in a more gradual way.

The child should be put to bed while still awake and a parent should stay next to her until she falls asleep.

Little by little, parents should move further away from the child or spend less time by her side. In this way, the baby gradually gets into the habit of falling asleep on its own, without needing company.

There are infinite sleeping methods and specialists offer a wide range of advice. Most importantly, though, parents should be flexible enough to alternate between one method or another as needed.

Some of these techniques may work for one child and not another. It’s a matter of seeing what works and not getting overwhelmed. Sooner or later you will see the results you are looking for.