Sleep Training 101
It’s not an easy process but with perseverance you’ll soon have a sleeping bundle of joy.
By Nikki Temkin
Pic: iStockphoto.com
Article originally in
Parent24
This is what worked for me and trust me, it’s worth it.
- Bath baby then take her into her room, close the door (click), turn on a lullaby if you like, give her a teaspoon of Rescue Remedy and milk. If you like, you can read a story to disassociate food from bedtime.
- If she wears a sleeping bag then put her inside with a dummy (if she uses one) and a safe chain so she can find it herself in the night. Put her in the in cot, install dummy, and give her stuffed blankie/bunny or equivalent. Say firmly, “it’s sleep time, good night baby”. Kiss. Quick, firm exit, Close the door. Click.
- Wait until crying ensues.
- Wait 1 minute. Then go in. Say firmly, with a pat if you like, “it's okay baby, here’s your dummy/bunny, it's bedtime. Goodnight”. Exit. Click.
- Wait 2 minutes. Same procedure
- Wait 3 minutes. Same procedure
- Wait 4 minutes. Same procedure
- Depending on the age of your baby and your capacity, you can go up to ten minutes. I never went longer than 7 minutes.
- Whatever you do, do not pick her up.
- If she goes quiet, count the seconds. If it’s longer than 10 seconds, reset the clock. It means she’s comforting herself and you need more time for it to work.
- The other method is staying in the room while your baby cries and comforting her without leaving the room.
If you’d like to know more, try:
Into the sleepless abyss
Making sleep work
Recommended reading
Sleep Sense by Megan Faure & Ann Richardson
The Aware Baby by Aletha Solter Phd.
Which methods have you tried to get your baby to sleep?