It is common that many parenting behaviors are instinctive. but, putting your baby to sleep and forming solid sleep habits for him/ her is not one of them. Thinking that your baby’s sleep habits will get on the line by time is a totally wrong belief.
Keep reading if you are curious about the mistakes you should avoid as a new parent in order to be able to put your baby to sleep and keep him/her asleep like an angel during naps and nighttime.
1- Rocking Your Baby to Sleep Every Time
Rocking your baby to sleep may be effective if your baby is fussy or crying. But, this practice won’t do you or your baby a favor in the long term.
If you always rock your baby to sleep or hold him/ her always before bedtime, he/ she will always rely on you for the mission and he/ won’t learn to rely on himself/ herself. Your baby needs to learn how to soothe himself/ herself to sleep.
For this exact reason, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends putting the baby in his/ her crib when they are drowsy and not when they are totally asleep.
2- Running To Baby Directly When They Cry
As a mother, you probably won’t be able to hear your baby cries without responding. It is important to respond to your baby cries at night, but you shouldn’t respond to him/ her directly when they wake up.
Doctors say that it is approved to wait for a few minutes and see if your baby can get back to sleep by himself/ herself. Your baby may be able to soothe himself/ herself back to sleep without your help. Yes, they can do that mama! Just give them a while.
3- Turning lights On and Off
It is recommended to use a nightlight that will give your little human some company and will guide you through the nursery at night. What you mustn’t do is to keep turning the light On and Off.
In order to help your baby build solid sleep habits, the nursery should always look the same with the same amount of light during bedtime.
4- Missing Your Baby’s Bedtime
Putting your baby to sleep late doesn’t mean he/ she will sleep longer. It is true that your baby’s bedtime usually depends on your schedule and your baby’s needs. But, if you miss the clues and you put your baby to sleep too late, your little bundle of joy may be too exhausted to soothe himself/ herself to sleep. If your baby is rubbing eyes and yawning then it is probably time to put him to bed.
5- Not Having a Consistent Bedtime Routine
It is important to build a consistent bedtime for your baby. Having an inconsistent bedtime and putting your baby to sleep in a different environment each time means that your baby won’t be able to recognize that bedtime is here.
Doing the same things everytime will help your baby sleep better. You need to keep the place, the lighting, the noise always the same in order for your baby to have a good nighttime schedule.
