Tips that helped our little one sleep independently in her crib, in her room.
I might be the lightest sleeper ever. I wake for every little movement and noise. Room sharing with our baby was so hard for me, I was up every hour peering over the side of the bassinet to check on my baby girl. Baby girl is a mover and she would thrash and hit the sides of the bassinet waking her self up. It was getting to be too much and I knew I wanted my baby to be able to sleep independently in her own space. I focused in on crib naps as a way to introduce her room and crib. Now at 15 weeks, our LO sleeps in her crib in her room independently. I want to note that the AAP recommends room sharing the first year of life, but you have to do what works for you and your family.
Tip #1: Playtime and awake time in the sleep space
Your baby should be familiar with the sleep space before going down to sleep. You want baby to be able to sleep in an environment in which they are comfortable and feel safe. You can have some play time in the sleep space and spend daytime in the space so that baby is familiar. If baby is put down in a new space without being familiar with the space, they will not be able to fall asleep.
Tip #2: Create an optimal sleep environment
Once a baby develops their circadian rhythm, around 8 weeks, it becomes more challenging to fall asleep in stimulating environments. By creating an optimal sleep environment you are helping your little one create the melatonin needed for sleep pressure. Black out curtains, a noise machine, and a cool temperature are all ways to create an optimal sleep environment. You want to do a scan of the space and make sure nothing is too stimulating for your baby. When a baby wakes up from their natural sleep cycle, you want them to be able to fall back asleep, if there is too much to look at and too much to hear, babies will have a hard time falling back asleep.
Tip #3: Put baby down awake and fed
I’m sure you’ve heard the statement “drowsy but awake”. The notion behind drowsy but awake, is that baby’s are exhibiting signs and cues of being tired, you may have nursed them or rocked them. You want to set your baby awake in the crib. You can stay close by or leave after you do it. Baby’s that are very tired are not going to have much difficulty falling asleep on their own. Being able to fall asleep without a prop ensures that baby has sleep associations they can do themselves when they wake up. The crib transfer will become a thing of the past. It can be very jarring for a LO when they wake up in their crib when they fell asleep in your arms.
Fed before bed. You want to make sure that your LO has had enough food to fill them up so they can sleep more soundly. Hungry babies do not nap or sleep well at all.
Tip #4: Support Gradually
You want to work your way through a soothing ladder when you notice your little one becoming fussy in the crib. I will have a whole blog post dedicated to responding to crying during sleep. You want to make sure you are utilizing the intervention that is the least supported by the caregiver/parent. You can gradually increase the support you are providing your little one. On the soothing ladder, feeding and rocking/swaying are at the end of the ladder, where as standing near your little one is at the top.
Momma to Maddox 