I have a 3 month old and I'm just wondering at what age I should start putting her down at night without rocking her to sleep? And what tricks should I use to "wean" her from being rocked to sleep? She still seems pretty young to self-soothe, but I want to avoid all the problems I hear about with people who have older kids who won't go to sleep by themselves.
2007-01-18 05:03:13 · 8 answers · asked by Ski_grl 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
right now! you can rock her to relax her, but put her in bed before she's actually asleep. try a pacifier, it helps babies to self-soothe and relaxes them. if she cries, give her about 5 minutes and if she's still crying, go in and sing to her, rub her belly, but don't pick her up. you may not get much sleep, but in a few nights she will be able to get to sleep on her own. i suggest you buy the What To Expect The First Year book. it was my instruction manual for 12 months and is fantastic!
2007-01-18 05:09:00 · answer #1 · answered by stephanie 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Most books recommend putting a child to sleep by herself between 3 and 4 months, but it is really up to the personality of the parent and the child. Some children will be able to soothe themselves earlier and others will wait. My daughter, now almost two, was rocked to sleep until I stopped breastfeeding and put her in her own room at about six months. By that time she was developmentally ready to be by herself and not as dependent on us for comfort so we had no problems at all getting her to sleep on her own. Children who are comfortable and confident in themselves and their parents will transition easily to self soothing. Just continue letting her know you love her and spending as much time as possible with her during the waking hours and everything should be fine. Follow your own instincts and the cues of your baby and you can't go wrong.
2007-01-18 13:28:08 · answer #2 · answered by DreamGirl 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I started to let my son put himself to sleep about that age. I also bought him one of those things that light up and play music that attaches to the crib. It helped to soothe him to sleep. He is now 5 months old and doesn't have to be rocked to sleep
2007-01-18 13:09:59 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
My daughter is 4 months old and I have been putting her to bed on her own since the beginning. I guess I just didn't want to fall in the bad habits as some, and started from the beginning. Its hard once they depend on you to fall asleep, its hard to break them. I put my little one in her crib and play the mobile and shes down for the night. I guess Im blessed with a great baby. Good luck though, stop rocking now though, cause its only going to get harder to break later.
2007-01-18 13:11:15 · answer #4 · answered by Proud Mother 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
you should do it from day one so start now i did it from day one and she sleepted through at 8 weeks and got her self back to sleep .
2007-01-18 14:38:14 · answer #5 · answered by noot 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
don't fight her. it just takes time.
letting her cry won't help and will just tear you apart.
It all works out by the time she is 14-18 months old.
good luck!
2007-01-18 13:10:56 · answer #6 · answered by assaf_76 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋
u can try putting her down while she is very drowsy and lay her down.
2007-01-18 13:46:52 · answer #7 · answered by Miki 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
start now they do get spoiled well they really just get used to you doing that
2007-01-18 13:16:23 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋