By 8 or 9 months of age, the baby can begin to sleep in the crib, without having to stay on his lap to go to sleep. However, in order to achieve this goal one must accustom the baby to sleep that way, reaching one step at a time, because it is not suddenly that the child will learn to sleep alone, without strangers and without crying.
These steps can be followed one each week, but there are babies who need more time to get used to it, so it is best for parents to see when they feel safe to move on to the next step. There is no need to reach every step in a month, but it is important, be consistent and not return to square one.
6 steps to teach baby to sleep alone in crib
Here are 6 steps you can take to teach your baby to sleep alone:
1. Respecting the sleep routine
The first step is to respect the sleep routine, creating habits that should be kept at the same time every day for at least 10 days. For example: Your baby can take a shower at 7:30 p.m., eat dinner at 8:00 p.m., nurse or take a bottle at 10:00 p.m., then the father or mother can go to the room with him, keeping a low light, calm and tranquil environment, which favors sleep and change the diaper and put on pajamas.
You should be very calm and focused and talk to the baby at all times so that he is not too stimulated and becomes more sleepy. If the baby is accustomed to the cervix, you can initially follow this routine and put the baby to sleep on your lap.
2. Put the baby in the crib
After the sleep time routine, instead of holding the baby in his lap for him to sleep, you should put the baby in the crib and stand by him, looking at him, singing and babbling the baby so that he is calm and quiet . You can even put a small pillow or a stuffed animal to sleep with the baby.
It is important to resist and not pick up the baby if he begins to grumble and cry, but if he cries very intensely for more than 1 minute, you can rethink whether it is time for him to sleep alone or if he will try later. If this is your choice, keep the sleep routine so that it is always used to it because it will feel safer in the room and go to sleep more quickly.
3. Comfort if he cries, but without taking out the crib
If the baby is only mumbling and does not cry for more than 1 minute, you can try to resist not picking it up on your lap but you should stay close by, stroking your back or your little head, saying 'xiiiiii', for example. So the child can calm down and can feel safe and stop crying. However it is not yet time to leave the room and you should get up to this step in about 2 weeks.
4. Get away gradually
If you no longer need to hold the baby on your lap and if he already calms down in the crib, only with his presence nearby, you can already advance to the 4th step that consists of moving away gradually. Every day you should go further away from the crib, but that does not mean that you will put the baby to sleep already in this 4th step, but that every day will meet steps 1 to 4.
You can sit in the breastfeeding armchair, in the next bed or even sit on the floor. The important thing is that the baby notice your presence still in the room and if he gets up, he will find you looking at him, and ready to go if necessary. So the child learns to have more confidence and feels more secure to sleep without the lap.
5. Show safety and firmness
With step 4 the baby realizes that you are close but far from your touch and in the 5th step, it is important that he realize that you are there ready to comfort him, but that he will not pick you up whenever he grunts or threaten to cry. So if he still starts grumbling in the crib, still far away you can very calmly just do 'xiiiiiii' and go talking to him very softly and calmly so he feels safe.
6. Stay in the room until he sleeps
Initially you should stay in the room until your baby is asleep, making it a routine that should be followed for a few weeks. Gradually you should move away and one day should be 3 steps away, the other 6 steps until you can stay against the door of the baby's room. After he sleeps, you can leave the room in silence so he does not wake up.
You should not leave the room suddenly, put the baby in the crib and turn your back on him or try not to comfort the baby when he cries and shows that he needs attention. Babies do not know how to talk and their biggest form of communication is crying and when the child cries and no one hears it, he tends to become more insecure and frightening, causing him to cry even more.
So if you can not do these steps every week, you do not have to feel defeated or angry at the baby. Each child develops in a way and sometimes what works for one does not work for another. There are babies who are very fond of a lap, and if your parents see no problem in holding the child on their lap, there is no reason to try this separation if everyone is happy.
See too:
- How to Make Your Baby Sleep Through the Night
- How many hours do the babies need to sleep?
- Why do we need to sleep well?
