Each of my babies was so different! I started out with the most difficult when it came to sleeping. I know I was a new parent and didn’t really know what I was doing. But I really do believe that she had a harder time sleeping than my other kids.
Starting out from the beginning, make sure you swaddle your baby. Babies like to feel secure when sleeping. Some babies like a pacifier and some do not. All of my babies loved having a vibrator chair during the day to nap in.
Before the age of 6 months, babies need to eat at regular times throughout the day and night. At nighttime, it is ok for them to sleep from 4-6 hours at a time. But if they wake up hungry, they do need to be fed. This can be so challenging and exhausting! But hang in there; someday, you will wish your growing child could be held and rocked to sleep.
Once your baby reaches 6 months old, she doesn’t need to be fed in the middle of the night anymore. She probably thinks she does because that is what she’s used to. But with time, she can learn that when she wakes up in the middle of the night, she just needs to learn to go back to sleep.
There are a few methods you can try to help your baby learn this.
1. Cry it out
This is the method we used on my first and it was so, so hard, but it worked! It only took 3 nights and she learned to go back to sleep. I had to tell my husband to hold me down in the middle of the night to keep me from running to our daughter! It took 2 nights of her crying at 2 am for about an hour. On the 3rd night, she cried for about half an hour and then the 4th night, only 10 minutes.
After that, we never heard from her at night. She realized she didn’t need to be fed in the middle of the night and she learned to go back to sleep on her own. Sleep is a beautiful, beautiful thing!!!
2. No Tears
In this method, you can go to your child when she cries but not pick her up. You can sing to her and let her know you’re there. Rub her back or squeeze her hand. Before bedtime, have a routine that baby gets used to and know it’s time to calm down. Give her a bath, read a book, sing a song, swaddle her, rock her gently. But put her in bed before she falls asleep so she can learn to fall asleep on her own.
3. Somewhere in between
You can combine your favorite parts of these 2 methods into something that works for your baby. Since every baby is different, some things will work for her and others won’t. Most of all remember that you are her mother or father. You know her best. Go with your instincts and do what you feel is best.
Remembers The 5 S’s
- Swaddling
- Side or stomach position (this is for calming, not sleeping)
- Shushing
- Swinging
- Sucking
Everyone needs their sleep and when you do get to that point, it will feel amazing. Don’t give up, keep trying different versions of these methods and find what works for your baby. Believe it or not, someday, likely when they are teenagers, you will wish you could rock your baby to sleep again!