Get Your Baby To Sleep Through
The Night
By Elizabeth Geiger
Having trouble
getting your baby to sleep through the night? Elizabeth Geiger of The Baby
Corner tells how she got her baby girl to sleep through the night on her own.
One of the hardest tasks in the first year of a baby's life is getting him to
sleep through the night. When my husband and I brought our daughter, Cassi,
home from the hospital we expected sleepless nights. Well, we lucked out. All
she seemed to want to do was sleep. In fact, I couldn't keep her awake long
enough to finish nursing her. But I 'm sure you don't want to hear about how
lucky we were. Cassi slept on my chest every night for the first month. I
wouldn't have had it any other way. She was part of me for 9 months and I was
not about to tell her to go sleep by herself.
The tough part was when it was time to move her to her
own bed. As she became more comfortable with her new home and surroundings we
tried to get her to sleep in her crib. Well, she didn't want anything to do
with that! She was hurt. She felt abandoned. For all she new, we just fell off
the earth. Babies do not understand that the world is a big place. When Mommy
and Daddy are not in sight, they do not realize that they are coming right
back. It took a couple of days for her to accept this new arrangement. During
that time, Scott and I read everything we could about getting a baby to sleep
on her own. Here's what we found:
1. Give Your Baby A Routine Babies learn best though
routine. Every night, right before bed, we would conduct this little
"going to bed" ritual. Scott gave Cassi a bath, I got her dressed in
her jammies, We read her a story, and then I nursed her until she went to
sleep. I would then place her in her crib. At first she cried, so I continued
nursing her until she was better and tried to put her down again.
As the months went by, I would end the nursing earlier
and earlier until she was comfortable being put in her crib, before she was
completely asleep. Cassi is now almost one year old. We continue this ritual
every night, except she now tells me when she's ready to be put down.
2. Put Your Baby To Sleep In The Same Place Every Time
This one is difficult for women who work, and put their babies in day care. It
is best to have you baby go to sleep in the same place. Including naps. This
way when he is put down in his crib or bassinet he will understand that it it
time to go to sleep. If he is sleeping in a variety of different places, he
could get confused.
3. All Pre-bed Activities Should Be Spent In The
Baby's Room As your baby gets older he will learn through association. If
every night you go into her room to get ready for bed, she will understand that
it's time to go to sleep. Her bedroom should be for sleeping only. The last
thing you want is for your baby to associate her bedroom with play time.
4. Tell Your Baby Every Night "When It's Time To
Go To Sleep" Even in the early months, if you say this every night,
your baby will associate you saying "it's time to go to sleep" with
sleeping. Of course he wont understand right away, but when he does, he will
not argue. Now when I tell Cassi, "It's time to go go to sleep", or
"It's time to take a nap", she crawls up into my arms, puts her head
down and waits for me to lay her in her crib.
Of course every baby is different. Some babies need more
sleep than others. Some babies need more attention than others. I do not agree
with letting a baby cry themselves to sleep. Doing so may be interpreted by the
baby as you are not there for him. If you are spending sleepless nights,
rocking and carrying you baby - trying to get her to sleep, she is not ready to
go to sleep on her own. Try letting her sleep with you and try again in a
couple months. Many parents are finding the concept of Attachment Parenting
preferable. Attachment Parenting is a concept adopted by DR's William and
Martha Sears, who have had eight children together. They have found that this
works best and eliminates some unnecessary sleepless nights.
Elizabeth Geiger is a Stay at Home Mother of two
children. She is also the
Editor and Founder of The Baby Corner (http://www.TheBabyCorner.com),
and
MommyCorner.com (http://www.mommycorner.com)
which she runs out of her home with her husband Scott. Together they enjoy
spending time together as a
family, cooking, and offering advice and support for new Moms and Dads.
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