Baby's Sleep

One thing that really has credence is the idea of "sleep training".

Sleep training sounds a bit harsh but essentially it helps exhausted parents by giving them the tools to use to actually get their little one to sleep through the night, take a nap and self-soothe so that when he awakens during the night he will be able to soothe himself back to sleep. It is really more or less about training the parents not the child. Parents are sometimes actually the problem when it comes to their little one learning to fall asleep and sleep through the night.

It is important to remember to establish a bedtime routine as soon as around 3 to 4 months of age. There should be a quiet time before bed like story time, perhaps a bath or a relaxing baby massage. It should be a time for baby to unwind with mom and dad or whoever is putting baby to bed.

It is also key for grandparents and babysitters to adhere as closely as possible to the bedtime routine as well. If you like to rock with baby make sure that when you put baby in his crib he is sleepy but still awake. Remember that baby will get used to falling asleep in some one's arms and then will want to do this as his routine.

It is my belief that when baby cries for more that a couple of minutes after being put to bed, someone should check on him to make sure he is alright and then leave him alone to go to sleep. Personally, I am not a fan of the "cry it out method", unless it is used when a parent is trying to correct a situation where perhaps baby has been falling asleep being rocked or held and you are now trying to establish a new routine by teaching him to self soothe.

It is well worth the effort to establish a bedtime routine early so that both parents and baby are enjoying some healthy sleep habits and happy wake times together.

Happy Sleeping!

; ) Nana