Want to Teach Your Baby Independent Sleep?
I wanted to check in and share an experience I had yesterday.
I was talking to a mom struggling with sleep and she said:
“I don’t know how to get my 2 month old baby to fall asleep independently. If I leave her on her own, she screams! But if I feed her to sleep, I feel like I’m forming bad habits. What can I do?”
First, I want to be very clear. Sleep training does not mean you need to leave your tiny baby alone to figure it out. In fact, I recommend being there every step of the way!
Sleep training means you TEACH your baby how to sleep with love and support. If they’ve been relying on feeding to fall asleep, it’s important to separate eating and sleeping to help promote better sleep.
But what does this look like?
Feed your baby before the bedtime routine so you know they will be awake and full when it’s time to sleep.
Gently hold and rock your baby to help them feel calm and safe without the feeding they’ve been relying on up to this point.
When your baby is drowsy but awake, set them in their bed and rest your hands on their sides and chest. This lets your baby know you are there for them and they are safe.
Continue this process until it becomes comfortable for your baby. This could take a few weeks, and that’s okay! Once they seem content with falling asleep outside of your arms and in their bed, practice putting them in bed without resting your hands on their chest and see what happens. You’ll be surprised how quickly they can learn:)
Are you out of the newborn phase but ready to teach your baby independent sleep? Check out my 4-12 month mini-course that will give you everything you need in order to have predictable days and 11-12 hour nights.