Parenting expert Kathryn Mewes offers her advice to help you get your baby to sleep in their own bed.
Head to any toddler group or baby club and we’re pretty sure within approximately 0.321 seconds the question topic of conversation will have turned to your baby’s sleep routine. You’ll likely find yourself discussing optimum nap times, how to get them to sleep through the night and whether or not you should let them sleep in your bed.
While opinions vary over when it’s best for your baby to sleep in their own bed, there eventually comes a time for all parents when enough is enough. But getting your little one to sleep on their own at night can be a big challenge.
Parenting expert Kathryn Mewes shares her top tips on encouraging baby to sleep in their own bed at night.
How to Get Your Baby to Sleep in Their Own Bed
Make sure the Room is Dark
Ensure baby’s bedroom is very dark. If you haven’t got blackout blinds, you can try sprinkling water on the glass and line the windows with tin foil.
Create a Cosy Space
Make sure his bedroom is warm and cosy and he is not able to climb from the cot.
Establish a Routine
Give him a clear bedtime routine that involves bath, milk and a story before being placed in his cot while he is still awake.
Let Baby Shout it Out
Leave the room and accept he is going to shout. At first, he will be shouting for you. He then accepts he needs to settle alone and will shout due to not quite knowing how to do it. Listen for the pauses rather than the shouting. For as long as there are pauses he is thinking about how to settle. Do not enter the room as you are likely to disturb him trying to settle. The more you go into the room the more frustrated he will become. He is shouting because he wants to sleep, not because he needs you!
I have been guiding children to sleep for 20 years and if you can remain consistent and leave them to settle themselves after a shout you can have this resolved in three consecutive nights. Please make sure that you have someone to support you and that you feel 100% ready to make the change. You need to feel strong enough in yourself to see this through three nights.
READ MORE: How to Understand Your Baby’s Sleep Cycle
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