Learning self-soothing techniques for babies is a crucial aspect of parenting. Children usually wake up many times during the night with or without reason. Sleepless and restless nights trigger stress and depression levels of the caregivers. Self-calming techniques enable them to go back to their sleep without creating much fuss. Kids learn this skill after when they have attained a certain cognitive level.
The Right Time to Start Self-Soothing Training
Babies differ greatly in their ability to self-soothe themselves. Newborns don’t exhibit a regular sleeping or feeding pattern. So they deserve to be treated accordingly. When they reach about six months of age, their sleeping pattern becomes organized. However, you can initiate self-soothing training when the baby is about 3 to 4 months.
How to Teach Self-Soothing Skills to Your Child?
Think of yourself as a sleep-deprived parent. At 2 a.m., you notice a wriggle or squirm in the baby cot. You lean forward to see your baby's wide-open mouth, about to burst into tears. By some stroke of luck, the baby chooses to postpone his plan, closes his eyes and mouth, and returns to sleep. What would be the magnitude of your happiness while going to your bed?
Children don't learn to pacify themselves; you have to put effort into making them learn.
1. Pre-Sleep Routine
Some sleeping preparation helps the baby enjoying the bliss of sound sleep enriched with calmness.
● A happier pre-sleep routine like gentle oil massage, lullaby, bed-time shower, an eye-catching storybook helps to pacify the baby before and during sleep.
● Prepare a cozy, comfy sleeping place in a cozy corner of the room with a calming night light.
● Follow a consistent sleeping timing that matches with the child’s age and circadian rhythms (body’s clock).
● Put your child to sleep before he is over-exhausted.
● For breastfeeding babies, exclude the nursing schedule from the pre-sleep routine so that child learns to resume sleeping without being nursed.
● Introducing the child to a pacifier, stuffed toy, or sleep prop could be an effective addition to the pre-sleep pattern.
2. Cry-It-Out Method
Also known as the extinction method, the method works best for the child who becomes more demanding or aggressive on seeing the parent. The parent lets the child cry for a few minutes and then pacifies him later. The left-out time increases gradually until the child learns to fall asleep unattended. The proponents of this method argue that excessive pampering spoils the kids. However, few researchers consider the method very tough on the child and that the parents should seek medical advice before pursuing the method.
3. Gentle Methods
If you find the extinction method way too hard on baby, try out other gentler methods as the chair, camping out a pick-up, put-down methods.
4. Consistency is the Key
The initiation of self-soothing could be quite vexatious. Whatever tactic you adopt, the process demands considerable time and consistency. Stay away from disappointment and stay tuned.
5. Bed-Sharing is Not Caring
Bed-sharing makes the self-pacifying task much harder. If you don’t want to leave the baby unattended, a comparatively better option is to put the crib in your bedroom.
6. Low-Key Activities
Pacifying ambiance would lead the child towards relaxing. Dim light, calm movement, and soft voice would enhance the phenomenon of self-calming.
7. Self-Soothing Techniques for Young Kids
● Like adults, toddlers or preschoolers also experience stress though they might not be able to express it. Young children imitate their adults. One way to teach them about self-calming techniques is by showing them how you deal with your stress. So they can learn self-pacifying methods that are easy for children.
● Take deep breaths. Inhale through the nose. Hold for three seconds and breathe out from the mouth. The best time to teach this is while playing with them.
● Stressed out; squeeze a ball, stuffed toy, or clay dough; it releases your tension.
● Exercise releases endorphin, a happy hormone. So move, shake, run, jump, jog, dance, and chill.
● Your favorite chill-out songs and dance.
Don’ts of Self-Soothing Training
Self-soothing training could be hazardous when
● The baby is sick or underweight.
● The baby is born prematurely.
● The child is on medication.
● You are on vacation.
● The child is under jetlag.
● You have recently shifted to a new place or routine.
Conclusion
Young children are often unable to fall back to sleep once interrupted and rely wholly on their caretakers. This habit, though seems harmless, robs the parent of much-needed sleep. Adopting a few self-soothing practices may provide some relief to the parents.
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