Biggest Baby Sleep Mistakes:
The 3 Biggest Baby Sleep Mistakes and How to Avoid Them, By Dr. Cathryn.
Dear Mom and Dads,
Do you really need to send your baby off to boot camp or leave him to cry-it-out to encourage healthy sleep habits?
Thankfully, the answer is a resounding no. After working with literally tens of thousands of families just like you, I’ve uncovered 3 big sleep mistakes that many new parents (innocently) make that can lead to days, weeks, months, and even years of sleep problems.
Let’s take a look at the 3 mistakes you can deliberately avoid, once you’re aware of them:
1. FIRST WE ALLOW BAD HABITS TO FORM AND THEN WE GO TO EXTREMES TRYING TO BREAK THEM
Our culture goes about sleep completely backward. First, we allow bad habits to form and then we go to extremes trying to break them!
Many adoring parents make the mistake of delaying sleep training because they think it will be easier on their baby. But here’s what I really want you to know: When you encourage young babies to develop good habits right from the start, it’s easier on them (and you) because you won’t need to break stubborn habits down the road.
2. MISSING THE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO GENTLY ENCOURAGE HEALTHY SLEEP HABITS.
The Window Of Opportunity is an invaluable and fleeting moment that occurs around 6 – 8 weeks of age. During this sensitive period, the first sleep habits your baby is exposed to are typically the ones that stick. When your baby begins to smile socially,…i.e. you smile at your little cupcake and she smiles back at you, this implies her neural circuits have multiplied and matured and she’s ready to pick up cues from the environment. This is the time to loosen ineffective sleep habits and encourage good ones. Read on to discover how.
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3. OVER- HELPING WHEN IT’S TIME TO HOLD BACK.
Babies are born with built-in self-soothing capabilities. In other words, they have the tools they need to fall asleep, they just need our direction and encouragement to use them.
What does that mean in practical terms? It means giving your baby a chance to learn to self-soothe starting at a very young age. Tiny babies need you to direct them to pick up self-calming and falling asleep skills.
But I’m not talking about sleep-training. New babies are too young and vulnerable for sleep-training…and honestly, it isn’t necessary!
Most parents assume a baby can’t fall asleep and with the best of intentions rock, jiggle, or feed him until he nods off. This is very appropriate early on, but when parents innocently continue to do this long after it’s needed, babies become dependent on these strategies to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Instead, give your baby plenty of opportunities to learn to fall asleep on his own. This means when your baby is nice and sleepy, put him in his bed or cradle and give him a few moments to try and nod off. If he fusses, calm him with your voice….”sh-sh-sh.” Say the same thing over and over. If your baby is quiet or only lightly fussing, stand back and give him the room he needs to find ways to relax and fall asleep.
Depending on your baby’s nature, it may take weeks or even months before she becomes skilled at self-soothing. But the more time she gets to practice this skill, the quicker she’ll learn.
I wouldn’t expect to boost your baby’s sleep overnight or even within a week. But if every single day, you give your baby the chance to discover ways of letting go and falling asleep, she’ll learn to sleep better and longer without crying-it-out or sleep-training.
Remember—-babies are brilliant and more capable than we think!
You can start encouraging good sleep habits that last a lifetime starting tonight!
Respectfully yours,
dr. Cathryn
About the Author – Baby Sleep Mistakes: Dr. Cathryn is a pediatrician, a trained midwife, a two-time author, and the mother of four amazing kids. She spends a big part of her day, every day, helping parents (just like you) overcome sleep problems. Her celebrated books have been translated into several languages and have benefited parents all over the world. Her work has been featured in NY Times, LA Times, Washington Post, Globe & Mail, Dear Abby, Parents, Todays Parent, Canadian Living, etc. Currently, she provides daily sleep tips on Instagram and has recently developed the long-awaited online mini-sleep course, Choose sleep! for new parents. Find more of her on www.drcathryn.com and on her Instagram page.
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