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Does your baby still wake you in the middle of the night,
demanding a breast or bottle before
drifting back to sleep?
If your little one has reached the 6-month mark, you can bet
that he's
waking not because he needs to eat during the night,
but because it has become a habit for him—and that can take
a toll on everybody in the house. Doing the zombie shuffle from
your
bedroom to the nursery night after night to tend to your crying baby isn't practical or even
possible for the long term, and it ultimately deprives everyone of a good night's sleep. The time
has come to stop being your baby's personal sandman and nip his night-waking habit in the bud.
How do you begin? Well, there are a number of ways to sleep-train your baby—and all of them will likely involve some tears: yours and your baby's.
Here is how I advise my clients to get their baby to sleep through the night:
Establish a bedtime routine.
Make sure your baby is getting enough food during the day.
Establish a schedule.
Make a commitment to sleep training and stick to it.
After putting your little one into his crib, if he cries, let him cry for five minutes before going in to check on him. Then when you go into his room, you can pick him up and rock or hold him, you can pat and shush him, but stay no longer than three minutes and do not let your baby fall asleep on you, as this will defeat the whole purpose. After you put him down, leave the room immediately, even if he is still crying.
If your baby is still crying, let him cry for another 10 minutes before going in to check on him. Then go into his room, pick him up and rock or hold him. You can pat and shush him, but stay no longer than three minutes and do not let your baby fall asleep on you, as this will defeat the whole purpose. After you put him down, leave the room immediately, even if he is still crying.
If your baby is still crying, let him cry for another 15 minutes before going in to check on him. You can pat and shush him, but stay no longer than three minutes and do not let your baby fall asleep on you, as this will defeat the whole purpose. After you put him down, leave the room immediately, even if he is still crying.
I think you know where this is going!
Keep going into your baby’s room every 15 minutes until he is asleep.
Now, keep in mind that this process could take up to three hours on the first night. I know it is going to be very difficult, but it is worth it—trust me!
Crying is how babies communicate. With this bedtime crying, your baby isn’t saying, “I am hungry,” “I am in pain” or “I don’t like you anymore.” He is simply saying, “Mommy, I don’t know how to do this; please help me”—and with the above described check-ins, you are helping him.
Some of you won’t like what I have just said, but it works—and in my opinion is the best thing to do for your baby. The reason I say it is the best is because it is the quickest way to help your baby get the sleep he needs.
Get your plan together and take action tonight! If you follow my ABCs of sleep training, you'll be sure to catch up on some much-needed zzz’s before you know it.
Kathy Sinclair, CNCS, CPD, CLE, CHBE, graduated from Australia’s prestigious Charlton Brown Nanny College and began her professional career as a nanny in 1993. Kathy developed her specialty with infant sleep while working as a newborn care specialist in Los Angeles. Currently the founder of Baby Sleep Solutions, Kathy provides one-on-one individualized sleep consultations, leads Mommy & Infant groups for new moms, and lectures on sleep in and around Los Angeles. She lives in Ventura, Calif., with her husband and three dogs. She may be contacted through her website at www.babysleepsolutionsla.com.
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