I’ve shared some of the tips and products I used to help calm my momma nerves back when Theo was just a few months old. Back then, he was either sleeping in the bassinet in our bedroom or co-sleeping in the Dockatot. Now, months later and little dude has been sleeping soundly in his crib without much disruption during the night. But that wasn’t always the case.
When we made the transition to the crib, we were ready to implement all the sleep tactics to get Theo to sleep through the night without much fuss. We were ready for him to start learning to self-soothe himself to sleep. From our experience with Remy, we knew that self-soothing would enable longer stretches of rest during the night, so we got to it and started our own little method of sleep training. Because I was recently asked about how we got Theo to be such a good sleeper, today I though I’d share some of the basic methods we used, and hope that they help your baby learn to fall asleep on their own too.
The Importance of a Routine
Two kids under my belt and one of the most important lesson’s I’ve learned as a parent is that babies/kids find comfort in a routine. I highly suggest finding a routine that works for both you and your baby. For example, ours goes a little like this: family dinner, down time/play time, bath time, get ready for bed, bottle and finally bedtime. Because we’ve set this routine and follow it every night (except the bath that only happens twice a week), Theo knows what to expect and feels comforted and safe being left in his crib.
A product that has really helped us in our sleeping soundly journey is our Nested Bean Zen Sleep Sack. We had the Zen Swaddle up until Theo was about six months old and then he grew out of it. Luckily Nested Bean also makes a sleep sack (which I really recommend!) and it has been key in our going to bed routine. Like the swaddle, it has a weighted center that mimics touch. It seriously works wonders!
Choose & Stick to One Method
Swapping methods in the middle of a method could really confuse your baby, so I recommend choosing the method you feel most comfortable applying and sticking to it. I know there are so many different sleep training methods out there but switching from one to another can only cause chaos to the whole situation and throw your hard work out the window.
Let Them Lie Awake in Bed
It is really important to teach your little one to fall asleep on their own, and by letting them lie awake in bed by themselves they are more likely to do so. We don’t do this as often as we should but have successfully applied this method in the past. The association of being alone in their crib will teach baby that it is sleep time.
Be Patient and Wait to Go In
Another great lesson I’ve learned in this journey called motherhood, patience. And in this case I suggest waiting a little while before going in to check your baby. When Theo wakes up during nap time, or in the middle of the night, I try to wait a minute before I go to check-in on him. More often then not, he realizes its still time to be sleeping and self-soothes himself back to sleep. Other times he just lays there quietly until someone comes in. The thought is that he learns to be okay alone in his crib.
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I also wanted to share this guide to how long your baby should be awake between naps (that I found on Pinterest) that might really help you figure out how to plan your day and create a routine:
Newborns (0-12 weeks): 45 minutes of awake time
3-5 months: 1.5-2 hours of awake time
6-8 months: 2-3 hours of awake time
9-12 months: 3-4 hours of awake time
13 months to 2.5 years: 5-6 hours of awake time
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A shout out to Nested Bean for gifting us the Zen Sleep Sack! They are actually offering FabAve readers 15% off with code PR-JOANNE15. Enjoy!
As always, all opinions are my own. I only work with companies and brands I truly love and support.
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