How to train your baby to sleep in his crib?

To teach a child to sleep in his own crib, you need to do it gradually. You can’t just send the baby to another room. He will cry, stress hormones will destroy neurons – brain cells, and the baby will grow and develop worse. Therefore, you need to choose a good moment to teach the baby to sleep separately from his parents. We will tell you more about this.

Gradualism is an important method

There are things that you absolutely must not do with your baby. For example, taking him away from his mom and dad when the baby is sick or not feeling well or has recently been stressed or if the mother has just recently weaned him. Putting the baby in a separate crib at these moments means endangering his fragile psyche.

To form new sleep habits in a child, gradualness is needed. The best method is to place the baby's crib next to the parents' and move it a few centimeters each day. Until the crib is in another room. This will reduce the stress and worries of separation from the parents, to whom he is very attached.

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The best time to get used to your own crib

It can start from the day the baby is born - then you won't have to teach the baby to sleep on his own. If the child has been sleeping with his parents or mother practically since the day he was born, it will be more difficult to wean him off this and you need to choose the age at which it is best to do this. Psychologists and pediatricians advise starting to accustom the baby to his own crib from about 6-8 months. At this time, there are almost no night feedings and the child sleeps at night without waking up (unless he has other peculiarities).

In addition, at this age, the baby can roll over at night without risk to health and this process can be uncontrolled. If it happened that the child was not accustomed to his crib at 6-8 months, it is never too late to start accustoming him to this at any age. The main thing is to be consistent and firm in your convictions. The method when today the child is sent alone to his room, and tomorrow you feel sorry for him and take him to the parents' bed will not work. The child will get confused in your requirements and will not understand whether it is possible or not to sleep with mom and dad, as before.

When is a baby ready for his own bed?

• Breastfeeding is finished or reduced to once a night
• A child's night sleep lasts on average up to 6 hours
• The baby has already cut his first milk teeth and he has no fever or concerns about this.
• The child is not sick or suffering from any serious stress (for example, the parents' divorce, or a recent move, or the birth of a second child)
• The baby can spend time in the room alone and play with himself for at least 10-15 minutes in a row

How to properly accustom a child to a crib?

First of all, you need to follow the principle of regularity. According to this principle, the child should be put to bed at the same time. Then the child's body will get used to the fact that at 9 p.m. he needs to go to bed, and will begin to prepare for this process in advance.

The principle of traditions is also very good

Before going to bed, you need to establish some pleasant habit for both mother and child. For example, sing a lullaby, read a book or give the baby a light massage. This action will prepare for sleep. With this action, the baby will calm down and relax. His body will understand that soon the same pleasant time of sleep and rest from everyday worries and impressions will come. Do not delay this process - it can take up to 15 minutes on average.

There is another good way - to make the child feel safe, the mother can sit next to his crib until the baby falls asleep. This way the child will feel calm - the mother is nearby.

The principle of calming a baby

It is needed when it is uncomfortable for the child to stay in another room, he cries and is afraid. This principle is based on the fact that the mother, having put the child to bed on time and having performed all the necessary rituals before bed, leaves the room, hugging and kissing the baby. But when the child starts crying, you need to go to him, calm him down and, without taking him out of the crib, again wish him good night and go out. Unless, of course, the reason for the baby's crying is wet diapers that need to be changed.

Keep in mind that when you accustom your child to a crib at a fairly conscious age (after one year), he may cry and be capricious up to 10-15 times a night. At this time, it is important not to give up and continue to make it clear to the baby that mom is not abandoning him, she is nearby, in another room. Over time, the child will be capricious less and less and will be able to sleep in his crib all night. But this may take from one and a half to two months.

Method of parental replacement

This method works great when the child already begins to understand something and even joins in a conversation with the parents. Then you can put a favorite toy next to the child - it will protect him. You can explain to the baby: "Mom is tired, she needs to get some sleep, Mom will be nearby, in the other room and will always come to you if you call. In the meantime, your favorite bunny Kuzya or Mishka, or doll will protect you. She will look after you and help you if anything happens." A conversation of approximately this content will calm the baby and create confidence that he is doubly safe - both Mom is nearby, in the next room, and his favorite toy is with him.

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Creating a comfortable environment

The room where the baby sleeps should have comfortable conditions for him. This means that the temperature in the room should be from 18 to 22 degrees. The room should be well ventilated before bedtime, the blanket and pillow should be comfortable. The child's room should not be hot, because in the heat it will be very difficult for the baby to get a normal sleep. And a very important aspect: if the baby is afraid of the dark, then you do not need to turn off the night light in his room. Soft diffused light is quite acceptable in the child's room.

Falling asleep in a state of half-sleep

This is another method that will help accustom the child to the crib. The mother puts the baby to sleep in the crib in a state of half-sleep, when he is sleepy. This makes it easier for the child to come to terms with the idea that he now has a separate crib.

New beautiful crib

When a child has grown up and wants to seem more grown-up (this happens at about 2-3 years old – the process of asserting one’s own “I”), he can be compared with adults. So you can tell the child that now he is big and can sleep in a new beautiful crib, like mom and dad. When a child sees that new beautiful linens are put in his crib, his favorite toy is placed next to him, and the crib itself is new and beautiful, he happily lies down in it and sleeps all night. He will not throw any tantrums at his parents, because his crib is the best.

Then the process of accustoming your child to his own bed will not only be stress-free, but even joyful.

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