Infant Sleeping

                 In the first few months of life, moms feed, rock or hold their tired infants until the baby is asleep. This works well at first, but results in a baby who can only go to sleep under those same conditions.  That means a time will come when it is time to teach your baby a new sleep habit.

     Having the baby sleep with you is dangerous; allowing him to sleep in the infant seat isn’t good for him and driving him around the neighborhood all night isn’t good for anyone. Sleeping in the crib – preferably in another room from mom and dad – is the goal.  But, as with all habits, it has to be taught and abandoning old habits while learning new ones is tough for all of us.

     Once you know for sure that a fussy baby is dry and not hungry, it’s time to sleep. You can do a little of the old habit – feeding or rocking until the eyes are closing and baby is relaxing, but then it’s time for the new habit. I like tummy-patting while I’m holding baby because it can be continued as a means of quieting even after a baby has been laid down in the crib. Soft singing or talking works well, too. You can sit alongside the crib and maintain touch or verbal contact until the shock of being laid down wears off and your baby settles down again.

     Remember you are not abandoning your baby, you are just teaching him a new habit. Avoid the guilty feelings. Also remember that few of us learn something when we first try it. Expect your baby to wake up soon after being laid down even if you were successful at first. No problem. Have a diaper nearby to change him, if necessary, without taking him out of the crib. If you see eye-rubbing and sleepy behavior, tummy-rub again and give him some time to fuss a little to see if he’ll go back to sleep. You will probably need to do this multiple times, but each time he falls asleep in the crib, you are getting closer to your goal – even if he only sleeps a short time. Don’t get discouraged.

     Hover, sometimes Junior will be really tired and crabby and no degree of calming will keep him from crying in the crib when laid down. If he is dry and fed, let him cry for as long as you can stand it. I usually say at least 5 minutes and you need to watch a clock because 1 minute of listening your baby cry feels like 30 minutes.

     Your baby will learn to get himself to sleep in his crib if you just keep up the practice. He’ll also do better at staying asleep during the night because then, when he wakes up in light sleep, he’ll be able to fuss until he goes back to sleep again. Life will be better for both of you.