Can I Ever Rock My Baby to Sleep?
I’ve talked to moms who are hesitant to sleep train because they are worried they will never get to rock their baby to sleep again.
I’m here to tell you it’s absolutely okay to rock your baby to sleep sometimes once they have learned how to sleep. Not every single night until they rely on it, but every now and then is perfectly fine. Maybe there’s random nap during the day when your baby is calmly laying on your chest and you want to soak it up. Or there’s an event you need to be to in the middle of naptime. Or maybe, you’re letting someone else hold and snuggle your baby so you can have some time to yourself!
I recommend avoiding it during the actual sleep training process, but once they are sleep trained, it’s okay to rock your baby every once in a while — especially if they are sick.
Rocking Them Won’t Ruin Them!
If your baby learns how to sleep, occasional rocking to sleep is not going to ruin all of your hard work. They can totally fall asleep in your arms one night and then in their bed the next night. As long as it’s not a daily habit and they aren’t relying on you to get to sleep/through sleep cycles, it’s totally allowed.
Life is too short to not soak up baby snuggles when you get the chance!