15 Jan How Do I Let My Baby Self-Soothe?
While many parents want to be able to do everything for their child and to make sure that they are always taking the extra steps to keep their little ones happy and healthy—there are certain things even new babies must learn to do on their own.
One of these things is learning to put themselves to sleep—also known as self-soothing. Some parents may think that sleep training will naturally teach your child self-soothing—but that isn’t always the case. There needs to be more of a concerted effort—and one of the first questions that parents tend to ask about this process is when they should start letting their baby self-soothe.
There is no right or wrong answer. The right age to self-soothe all depends on your child’s developmental status and how they are doing with their sleeping already. It also depends on where you are as a parent. Every parent is different and is going to be comfortable with different things, particularly the amount of crying, as you work to teach your baby that sometimes they can soothe themselves back to sleep.
There are also a few things that you need to do in order to set your child up for success so that self-soothing can happen.
The first thing to remember is that consistency is key. When teaching your baby to self-soothe, you need to make sure that you have made a set sleeping routine. This means your child has a consistent place to sleep, a regular bedtime routine, and that they are following an age-appropriate nap schedule. It will help if you put your child to bed before they become overly tired.
The key to self-soothing is letting your child learn that they can put him or herself down to sleep and calm him or herself when they wake up in the middle of the night. There will be crying involved as your baby figures this out, but it is up to you to determine how much crying you can handle and whether or not your baby is just figuring things out, or needs you to intervene.
Self-soothing is a difficult part of parenthood and one topic that a lot of parents worry about. However, if you are consistent and set a routine, you can get through it in a way that works for your family.
There are so many different parenting approaches out there and so many great ways to approach taking care of a new baby. When it comes to self-soothing there is no right (or wrong) way to approach the process. You just need to make sure you are doing what feels best for you and your family.
Here at Continuum Pediatrics, we know that self-soothing can be a difficult hurdle for many parents. And we can help you make sure that you are approaching self-soothing in the right way for you and your baby and that you are setting your child up for a lifetime of good sleeping habits. If you have more questions about self-soothing, then contact Continuum Pediatrics at 817-617-8650 and schedule an appointment today.