Teaching Baby To Sleep

[mamamanda]

How do transition an infant from rocking to sleep to just going to sleep on their own? I have a 6mo in care. I've always bounced/sway her to sleep b/c she would literally fall asleep in under 2 minutes when she was tired. I'd stand by her bed, bounce a little, & sing a soft tune. Then just lay her down. The last week she's been taking much longer to fall asleep even when she's obviously tired. And once I lay her down I have to go back & Pat her several times before she's sound asleep. I'd like to just lay her down & let her fall asleep, but is that realistic at this young of an age? This is the same baby that cried non-stop for over a month (had UTI & acid reflux) & she's been great for 2 weeks now so I dread the thought of letting her cry for too long again.

This is hard, I have a hard time letting a baby cry ever. Unfortunately, the only way to get her to not need you for falling asleep is to let her figure it out. This is going to involve some crying but it is not like you can reason with a baby. If baby is tired, she might settle right down and go to sleep. Hopefully without much crying. If you keep soothing her to sleep things will never change and she will expect you to sooth her all the time.

[Ariana]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

This is hard, I have a hard time letting a baby cry ever. Unfortunately, the only way to get her to not need you for falling asleep is to let her figure it out. This is going to involve some crying but it is not like you can reason with a baby. If baby is tired, she might settle right down and go to sleep. Hopefully without much crying. If you keep soothing her to sleep things will never change and she will expect you to sooth her all the time.

Exactly this! The more you do things to get her to sleep the more she will grow dependent on you. 6 months is a perfect time to start learning how to fall asleep on your own.

[Blackcat31]

Originally Posted by mamamanda

How do transition an infant from rocking to sleep to just going to sleep on their own? I have a 6mo in care. I've always bounced/sway her to sleep b/c she would literally fall asleep in under 2 minutes when she was tired. I'd stand by her bed, bounce a little, & sing a soft tune. Then just lay her down. The last week she's been taking much longer to fall asleep even when she's obviously tired. And once I lay her down I have to go back & Pat her several times before she's sound asleep. I'd like to just lay her down & let her fall asleep, but is that realistic at this young of an age? This is the same baby that cried non-stop for over a month (had UTI & acid reflux) & she's been great for 2 weeks now so I dread the thought of letting her cry for too long again.

What is the parent's routine at home for sleeping?

If they rock or hold her to sleep you are never going to win this battle without a TON of time redoing everything they've done every Monday and without needing ear plugs...

I usually give this type of thing to the parents.
They need to be the one that teaches safe sleeping and if they don't, won't or can't then I won't, don't or can't keep baby.

Originally Posted by Blackcat31

What is the parent's routine at home for sleeping?

If they rock or hold her to sleep you are never going to win this battle without a TON of time redoing everything they've done every Monday and without needing ear plugs...

I usually give this type of thing to the parents.
They need to be the one that teaches safe sleeping and if they don't, won't or can't then I won't, don't or can't keep baby.

A lot of things for sure depend on what the parents do at home. I do have a baby that is rocked/nursed to sleep at home but for me she goes right down without a fuss. I know this is rare but it can happen.

[HappyEverAfter]

I have a dcg who just turned 10mths and I’ve had her since she was almost 4mths. Initially I would rock her in arms while singing until she was asleep. At about 5mths I started rocking and singing until just drowsy. Then around 6mths I started just rocking for 30 seconds or so, laying her down and rubbing her back until she was still while singing. Around 8 months I was able to just start placing her in her crib with a pacifier and leaving the room. She would sometimes sit up or stand and sometimes call out or even cry but it never lasted more than 10 minutes and then she’d be lying down asleep. Now at 10 months she doesn’t even cry. I just put her in the crib and she will lay down and sleep. Every now and then she might play for a couple minutes but again, it never lasts more than a few minutes and then she’ll lay down and sleep.

A few key things to note:
-Her parents are amazing and followed a similar, slow transition from the rocking and singing. They are big supporters of raising an independent child. She doesn’t sleep in their arms or bed, ever.
-When I used to sing, I always sang the same song and it was the only time I ever sang that song. It was a very soft version of “if you’re happy and you know it” without the motions. It seemed to teach her that when she heard that song, it was nap time.
-I learned to know what her sleepy signs were early on and knew when it was time to take a nap (my infants don’t follow a set nap schedule initially). If I waited too long, she’d be fussier and it would take more effort. If I tried to put her down too soon, she’d want to just play. I also learned when she hit that “good and drowsy” spot based off the way she’d suck on her pacifier just before she fell asleep, which helped me when I first started putting her down drowsy instead of asleep.

For her, this gradual transition worked well and she is an excellent napper here and excellent sleeper at home. For one of my other dck, I’m still struggling to get him to lay down drowsy. He’s almost her same age and he started with me the same day she did. My thoughts on why it hasn’t worked with him-his parents hold him to sleep, sometimes as he sleeps and then he sleeps the majority of the night in their bed.

[Josiegirl]

Originally Posted by HappyEverAfter

I have a dcg who just turned 10mths and I’ve had her since she was almost 4mths. Initially I would rock her in arms while singing until she was asleep. At about 5mths I started rocking and singing until just drowsy. Then around 6mths I started just rocking for 30 seconds or so, laying her down and rubbing her back until she was still while singing. Around 8 months I was able to just start placing her in her crib with a pacifier and leaving the room. She would sometimes sit up or stand and sometimes call out or even cry but it never lasted more than 10 minutes and then she’d be lying down asleep. Now at 10 months she doesn’t even cry. I just put her in the crib and she will lay down and sleep. Every now and then she might play for a couple minutes but again, it never lasts more than a few minutes and then she’ll lay down and sleep.

A few key things to note:
-Her parents are amazing and followed a similar, slow transition from the rocking and singing. They are big supporters of raising an independent child. She doesn’t sleep in their arms or bed, ever.
-When I used to sing, I always sang the same song and it was the only time I ever sang that song. It was a very soft version of “if you’re happy and you know it” without the motions. It seemed to teach her that when she heard that song, it was nap time.
-I learned to know what her sleepy signs were early on and knew when it was time to take a nap (my infants don’t follow a set nap schedule initially). If I waited too long, she’d be fussier and it would take more effort. If I tried to put her down too soon, she’d want to just play. I also learned when she hit that “good and drowsy” spot based off the way she’d suck on her pacifier just before she fell asleep, which helped me when I first started putting her down drowsy instead of asleep.

For her, this gradual transition worked well and she is an excellent napper here and excellent sleeper at home. For one of my other dck, I’m still struggling to get him to lay down drowsy. He’s almost her same age and he started with me the same day she did. My thoughts on why it hasn’t worked with him-his parents hold him to sleep, sometimes as he sleeps and then he sleeps the majority of the night in their bed.

Great advice!! My 8 mo dc baby Has been nursed and soothed to sleep forever. And I can see now how it should've been done differently a long time ago.

[amberrose3dg]

Originally Posted by Josiegirl

Great advice!! My 8 mo dc baby Has been nursed and soothed to sleep forever. And I can see now how it should've been done differently a long time ago.

I just termed that baby. It's been almost 6 months and she is 9 months. She will not sleep in a crib at all. Something is going on and mom of course says she will sleep in a crib at home but not here. I find no matter what we do at home if they aren't on same page as us it makes our jobs a lot harder.

[mamamanda]

Originally Posted by HappyEverAfter

I have a dcg who just turned 10mths and I’ve had her since she was almost 4mths. Initially I would rock her in arms while singing until she was asleep. At about 5mths I started rocking and singing until just drowsy. Then around 6mths I started just rocking for 30 seconds or so, laying her down and rubbing her back until she was still while singing. Around 8 months I was able to just start placing her in her crib with a pacifier and leaving the room. She would sometimes sit up or stand and sometimes call out or even cry but it never lasted more than 10 minutes and then she’d be lying down asleep. Now at 10 months she doesn’t even cry. I just put her in the crib and she will lay down and sleep. Every now and then she might play for a couple minutes but again, it never lasts more than a few minutes and then she’ll lay down and sleep.

A few key things to note:
-Her parents are amazing and followed a similar, slow transition from the rocking and singing. They are big supporters of raising an independent child. She doesn’t sleep in their arms or bed, ever.
-When I used to sing, I always sang the same song and it was the only time I ever sang that song. It was a very soft version of “if you’re happy and you know it” without the motions. It seemed to teach her that when she heard that song, it was nap time.
-I learned to know what her sleepy signs were early on and knew when it was time to take a nap (my infants don’t follow a set nap schedule initially). If I waited too long, she’d be fussier and it would take more effort. If I tried to put her down too soon, she’d want to just play. I also learned when she hit that “good and drowsy” spot based off the way she’d suck on her pacifier just before she fell asleep, which helped me when I first started putting her down drowsy instead of asleep.

For her, this gradual transition worked well and she is an excellent napper here and excellent sleeper at home. For one of my other dck, I’m still struggling to get him to lay down drowsy. He’s almost her same age and he started with me the same day she did. My thoughts on why it hasn’t worked with him-his parents hold him to sleep, sometimes as he sleeps and then he sleeps the majority of the night in their bed.

Excellent tips! Thank you.

Yes, mom is on the same page with doing whatever helps her here. She does currently rock to sleep at home, but she never, ever sleeps in mom's bed. She always sleeps in her crib.

Since baby has been so sick we've all babied her more than normal & I think we're going to have to be diligent about fixing that. She's better now but I can see how parents end up catering to kids that have been sick.

[LittleExplorers]

I have one similar except mom and dad do whatever to get home to sleep, swing, bottle in crib etc. He is getting better with routine here similar to the routine mentioned by someone else above. He also just got tubes so I am hoping to get him the rest of the way self soothing. He had constant ear infections so that played into it. I got him at 5 months and he is now 11 months. Good luck!