If your little one is a newborn, or even a few months old, plan to wake up at odd hours to cater to her needs. She may be afraid, hungry, or uncomfortable and needs you to soothe her back to sleep. If she's a little older, there's a good chance she may have grown used to having you there to soothe her. It's time to train her to fall back asleep on her own.
There are many approaches to helping your baby get a good night's slumber without waking at night. In this article, we'll provide a few tactics that have worked for millions of parents. Fair warning: not all of them will be easy and each tactic has both proponents and critics.
Tough Love
This is likely to be tougher on you than it will be on her. The goal is to allow your baby to cry without consoling her when she wakes up. You'll naturally want to rush into her room and pick her up from her crib. But, if you can withstand her crying for four or five days, she'll eventually learn to fall back asleep without your help.
One of the reasons this strategy seems to work is because by the time babies reach six months, they have realized that crying brings mom or dad. So, they cry. By allowing them to wail without addressing their call, you'll eventually teach them that crying is no longer a reliable tactic for them to use.
Scheduling Her Slumber
Babies often wake up during the night because their internal sleeping clock is off. They might be overly-tired, which can actually hamper their ability to sleep peacefully. Or, they might not be sleepy because of several naps they've taken during the day. Moms and dads can "fix" their baby's clock by establishing a slumber schedule. The key is to stick to it as closely as possible.
Keep in mind every infant's sleeping needs is a little different. Your little one might need four hours during the day and twelve hours at night. Other babies may need more. You'll need to watch her throughout the day to identify when she gets tired. Before long, her internal clock will take over and help her sleep peacefully until morning.
Wean Her From Your Current Routine
Parents often train their babies to have poor sleeping habits. For example, moms and dads will grow accustomed to giving their little ones a bottle before going to bed. Or, they might read to them or hold them until they fall asleep. The more you do these things, the more your baby will expect them. She'll eventually be unable to fall asleep without them. Gradually wean her from relying upon these activities. Start by doing them with her an hour prior to her normal bedtime.
The ease with which your little one falls asleep - and remains asleep until morning - is largely in your hands. While the strategies above may be difficult in the beginning, they will help your infant learn how to soothe herself into slumber.
There are many approaches to helping your baby get a good night's slumber without waking at night. In this article, we'll provide a few tactics that have worked for millions of parents. Fair warning: not all of them will be easy and each tactic has both proponents and critics.
Tough Love
This is likely to be tougher on you than it will be on her. The goal is to allow your baby to cry without consoling her when she wakes up. You'll naturally want to rush into her room and pick her up from her crib. But, if you can withstand her crying for four or five days, she'll eventually learn to fall back asleep without your help.
One of the reasons this strategy seems to work is because by the time babies reach six months, they have realized that crying brings mom or dad. So, they cry. By allowing them to wail without addressing their call, you'll eventually teach them that crying is no longer a reliable tactic for them to use.
Scheduling Her Slumber
Babies often wake up during the night because their internal sleeping clock is off. They might be overly-tired, which can actually hamper their ability to sleep peacefully. Or, they might not be sleepy because of several naps they've taken during the day. Moms and dads can "fix" their baby's clock by establishing a slumber schedule. The key is to stick to it as closely as possible.
Keep in mind every infant's sleeping needs is a little different. Your little one might need four hours during the day and twelve hours at night. Other babies may need more. You'll need to watch her throughout the day to identify when she gets tired. Before long, her internal clock will take over and help her sleep peacefully until morning.
Wean Her From Your Current Routine
Parents often train their babies to have poor sleeping habits. For example, moms and dads will grow accustomed to giving their little ones a bottle before going to bed. Or, they might read to them or hold them until they fall asleep. The more you do these things, the more your baby will expect them. She'll eventually be unable to fall asleep without them. Gradually wean her from relying upon these activities. Start by doing them with her an hour prior to her normal bedtime.
The ease with which your little one falls asleep - and remains asleep until morning - is largely in your hands. While the strategies above may be difficult in the beginning, they will help your infant learn how to soothe herself into slumber.
