Cuddling your baby or toddler and nursing, rocking or patting her to sleep can be a comforting ritual for parents and children. While it can be sweet to hold your baby while she drifts off in your arms, her dependence on you can create problems if you eventually decide you want her to fall asleep on her own. Once she moves from her crib to a bed, she might leave her room and visit your bed when she wakes and cannot get back to sleep on her own.
Step 1
Create a bedtime routine and follow it on a regular basis. Whether the routine is elaborate or simple, sleep experts like Marc Weissbluth, the author of “Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child,” and pediatrician and attachment parenting advocate Dr. William Sears, stress the importance of regular sleep rituals like a warm bath, stories and lullabies to the development of good sleep habits.
Step 2
Stop rocking, patting or nursing your toddler to sleep. Place her in the bed sleepy, but awake. While she might initially protest, it is important that she learn to fall asleep without your help.
Step 3
Respond to your child’s bedtime crying and nighttime waking in a predictable fashion. Pediatrician Dr. Robert Needleman of the Dr. Spock website suggests either leaving your child to cry until she falls asleep or sitting beside her crib while she falls asleep without interacting with her or picking her up.
Step 4
Offer your child sleep aids to address any fears or problems that might interfere with his sleep. If your child cries out of fear of the dark, install a nightlight in his room. A transitional object such as a special blanket, pillow or stuffed animal can help your child fall asleep more easily on his own by providing him with comfort.
Tips and Warnings
- The Babycenter Medical Advisory board suggests offering your child a glass of warm milk before bed due to the sleep-inducing effects of amino acid l-Tryptophan, an ingredient found in milk that can make your child sleepy by increasing the levels of serotonin in his system. Weissbluth recommends putting your child to bed at the first sign of drowsiness to avoid him becoming over-tired and harder to get to sleep.
- Make sure everybody in the family is on board with whatever method you choose to help your toddler fall asleep. Reacting inconsistently to your toddler’s crying or night-waking can send him conflicting messages and make it more difficult for him to learn to fall asleep on his own.
