When you bring a new baby home, she may wake up every couple hours to eat. However, at about 6 months of age, infants start developing normal sleep cycles, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Sleep training, which requires putting your child to sleep drowsy and teaching her to fall asleep without your assistance, is beneficial to an infant. After practice, she will learn how to fall asleep unassisted and stay asleep through the night.
Step 1
Wait unit your infant appears tired. Signs of sleepiness may include rubbing the eyes, sucking a thumb or pacifier or increased irritability. Waiting for signs of tiredness make it easier for her to fall asleep unassisted, according to Parenting Science.
Step 2
Use a bedtime routine. Even babies as young as six6 months benefit from a soothing bedtime routine. Include 20 minutes of quite activities, such as taking a warm bath, reading stores and quite play. Your infant will learn that once the bedtime routine starts, sleep time is coming soon.
Step 3
Wean a child from needing your attention to fall asleep. At first, you might stay in the room until your baby starts to nod off. Slowly shorten the amount of time you stay in the room until the child no longer needs your presence to fall asleep, according to Parenting Science website.
Step 4
Wait a few minutes before rushing into your child's room in the middle of the night. This is difficult for most parents. However, if you wait a few minutes, she may go back to sleep without your assistance. If she continues to cry after a few minutes have passed, check on your child for potential problems, such as a soiled diaper.
Step 5
Talk with your doctor about giving up night feedings. Some children wake up at night to feed. Talk with your child's pediatrician to determine if this is still necessary. Children may be waking up for feedings when the body doesn't require it any longer. Cutting out this feeding may assist with sleeping through the night.
Tips and Warnings
- If your child cries when you leave the room, try a slower method for moving out of the room. For example, you might sit in the child's room and gradually move the chair a little farther from her crib each night. Eventually you will be out of sight to the child.
- Sleep training is difficult for most parents. It's against a parent's natural instincts to listen to a child cry. However, the child will learn how to self sooth and return to sleep on her own. Learning this skill will result in uninterrupted sleep for the child.
