What if the child stopped sleeping in his crib and settled down firmly next to his mother? How can you help your baby learn to sleep alone? How to "move" a child into a crib without traumatizing his psyche? A story from our reader.
Young mothers often face the problem of “moving” the baby from the parental bed to his own. And I am no exception. From about three months of age, I began to take the baby into my bed at night. It was convenient for me to feed at night in this way, and the baby fell asleep much better with me. After a while, when the child's sleep became stronger, I carefully carried him to the crib. But at some point, my baby no longer wanted to sleep in it. He used to sleep with me, and as soon as I put him in the crib, he immediately woke up. I knew that it should not be so, it was time to wean the child from sleeping together.
How to teach a child to sleep separately from mom
I began to look for information on this topic, contradicted many sites and forums. As I expected, the problem of sleeping together is quite common: many moms feed their babies on demand and often take them to their bed for night feedings. And then, when the kids get used to sleeping in their parents' bed, mothers try to wean them from it.
Question to Doctor Komarovsky: How to wean you from sleeping together?
In order for the child to fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly, many mothers are advised to perform certain rituals before bedtime. For example, bathe your baby in the bathroom, change into warm pajamas, have a massage, read a book or sing a lullaby. This advice, of course, is good, but it only works with older children, because you can agree with them. And how to come to an agreement with a ten-month-old butuz when he cries, grabs his mother and tries with all his might to “escape” from the crib?
This is exactly the reaction I have seen in my child every night when I tried to put him to sleep in the crib. And I felt sorry for him, decided not to injure either him or my psyche once again.
I began to teach my baby to fall asleep on his own gradually, from daytime sleep. After the morning or lunchtime feeding, when the baby started to fall asleep, I took him in my arms and, gently rocking, sang a lullaby to him. When the baby fell asleep, I carefully put him in the crib. I didn’t leave right away, but for some time I sat next to me, not removing my hand from the child, so that he felt that his mother was near. And only when I was sure that my baby was fast asleep, I removed my hand and quietly left the room. If at some point the child woke up, then I just gave him a bottle of baby tea or compote. Of course, not everything went smoothly, sometimes he began to be capricious, but eventually he fell asleep anyway.
Over time, my baby got used to waking up not with me, but in his crib, and this stopped making him cry. But if during the day he learned to sleep on his own, then in the evenings it was still problematic to put him to bed. It was hard for me to lay the child in my arms, so I put it next to me. But as soon as the baby started to fall asleep, I put him in the crib. If he began to cry, then I again moved him to me, waited until he fell asleep and sent him back to the crib.
A week later, my efforts were finally crowned with success: my baby woke up at night, ate a little, and then rolled over and fell asleep. Himself! I think he just got used to his crib, just as he was used to mine before. Another would be to learn how to fall asleep on your own, and the problem will be completely solved.
Of course, many mothers may decide that my method is too loyal, that the child should be immediately put to bed. But what if, having barely appeared in it, the baby immediately wakes up and begins to cry? I am sure that every mother should feel her child: to know when it is better to put the baby in a crib, and when to take him to her, when the child is ready to sleep on his own, and when he still needs to feel his mother's warmth. I felt that my baby was ready to “move out” to his own bed, and the whole process went smoothly with us, without unnecessary tears and worries.
The most important thing is not to rush things, but to do everything gradually. It can take a long time for a child to get used to their own crib. Be patient, and the result will definitely be!
- How to teach a child to sleep in his crib separately from his mother (video, real stories)
- My experience: the child should sleep separately
- Sleeping with a child - together or apart: pros, cons, tips
- Infant sleeping with mom - dangerous or not
- Sharing a dream with a child - benefit or harm
- At what age does a child need his own room
