When it comes to baby sleep, I love this saying by Dr. Aubrie DeBear:
"Babies get used to, what they're introduced to."
Meaning, if your baby is used to falling asleep in a certain way, for example by feeding, rocking, a dummy or cuddling, that is simply what they're used to.
It's not that they hate their crib or cot, or that they hate sleep or hate bedtime or darkness. They just aren't yet used to this unfamiliar way of falling asleep and are therefore "alerting" you by crying.
There is no "right" or "wrong when it comes to how babies fall asleep, in my opinion. There is - whether something is working for you and your little one - or whether something isn't.
And if it isn't, it's perfectly ok to make a change and improve sleep for the better. Especially if it is affecting your mental health and your ability to parent and live life in the way you want to.
Sleep training is that period of getting babies "used to" a new way of falling asleep; falling asleep independently.
By teaching babies to fall asleep independently we are then able to help them to learn to fall back to sleep independently when they naturally stir between sleep cycles throughout the night.
And just like your little one might cry when they are having their nappy changed, or when you're getting them out of the bath, or when you're putting them into their car seat, we as parents are going to comfort and reassure them through the "change" of falling asleep in their own sleep space, rather than falling asleep in the way that they are currently used to.
And by having an exact sleep plan to follow (rather than winging it!) you as parents are able to do that comforting and reassuring in a calm, confident way and with a less frazzled nervous system!
Happy parents, happy baby.
Grab our free Extending Naps Guide below and let’s get those long, predictable naps happening on the daily:
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