Teaching Baby to Self Soothe
If self soothing was easy, every baby would be able to do it, right?
Teaching baby to self soothe isn’t an overnight process, but in as little as a week, you could start seeing some incredible results (like 8+ hours or more STRAIGHT!). Most doctors will agree that babies are able to self soothe by 5 months of age, however, some babies need some help learning to self soothe to begin with.
At first, I just believed that not sleeping was all part of parenthood. I thought to myself “it’s ok, I'll just wait this out for a few more months!!” And another part of me was like, “but whyyy can’t I figure out how to help my baby fall asleep by herself?!”
It's not that I hadn't tried to seek out the information....but who wants to spend all that time Googling "how to help baby self soothe" night after night? Only for it to never really work?
Well, one fine day, it all clicked. And everything changed. My baby couldn’t self soothe because I was using the breast or the bottle to get her to fall asleep. But what below might be your “a-ha” moment?
below are some ways of teaching YOUR baby to self soothe!
Get the green light from your doctor
Talk with your doctor about whether or not they believe that baby is ready to self soothe. Pro tip: Ask your doctor how long they believe that your baby can go without a feed at night, so you can respond appropriately using our Wink-a-Sleep method found in the online 5-18M Baby Sleep Training class.
Set the Stage
You’ll want a cool, dark room, with white noise running continuously in order to give baby the ideal sleep environment to self soothe. Invest in our favorite blackout shades under $50, and make sure you grab our recommended white noise machine here. Ideally, the same area will exist for naps as well.
Dress Baby for Sleep
Children sleep best while dressed in one additional layer then an adult would be comfortable in. With a room that’s between 68-70 degrees, you could try a onesie inside of a sleep sack, or under the swaddle. For babies with sensitive skin, it’s best to dress them in organic clothing while learning to self soothe to reduce chances of discomfort.
Use the CORRECT wake windows
So many clients come to me looking for help with a baby that can’t self soothe. Sometimes this is due to baby being too tired, or not tired enough when they are put down in the crib. To get the appropriate wake windows for your baby, take this free quiz for a free schedule you can start using today!
Create a calming bedtime routine
Bedtime routines can be done in 30-60 minutes, with the goal of baby being asleep within 15 minutes of the correct wake window. Ideas might be to offer a warm bath, followed by a massage with lotion, pajamas, and a last feed (or book reading for older babies). By creating a calm routine that’s repeated nightly, baby is likely more happy to self soothe on their own.
Use alternative ways aside from feeding to sleep
Begin offering baby a feed before the lights go out, instead of allowing to fall completely asleep in your arms while feeding, causing them to be unable to self soothe on their own. Most children will happily welcome a feed earlier in the bedtime routine process, and enjoy some light rocking while still experiencing some relaxation in your arms with a full belly.
Encourage baby to fall asleep independently
This can be so hard to do without help— we get it! If baby falls asleep while nursing or while in a parent’s arms (and then transferred to the crib while completely asleep), it’s understandable why they might call out for you a few hours into the night to help them fall back asleep. Wherever baby falls asleep, is where they expect to still be once they pass through any sleep cycle, that repeats every 1-3 hours at night. While teaching baby to self soothe, you’ll want to make sure they are waking up at night in the same place they fell asleep to begin with for the fastest results.
Have you tried to teach your baby self soothe but nothing seems to be working?
Here’s the good news: Babies over 5+ months are capable of self soothing, and sleeping 11-12 hours, like on the nightly.
If your baby is over 5+ months, and you’ve got the green light from your doctor to begin sleep training, start with my Wink-a-Sleep program, designed for babies 5-18 months of age (newborn & toddler programs available too).
Signs that your baby may be ready to sleep train at 5+ months include:
Baby is unable to sleep 8+ hours straight
Most naps that only last 45 minutes or less
Baby will cry when put down for sleep while drowsy or awake
Baby is still waking for a feed every 2-3 hours at night
Baby needs to be rocked or fed to sleep (or back to sleep) frequently
Baby sleeps well at night, but takes short naps (or vice versa)
Uses a pacifier that falls out all night and needs to be replaced
I’ve been there….and I can help!
“This is my baby sleep bible!! I literally don’t leave home without it! ~Shelby C.”
Great baby sleep is not reserved for the rich, or the lucky.
With a few small fixes, your baby could be sleeping 10, 11, or 12 hours straight, like on the daily. Find your answers in my 5-18 month self-paced online sleep class, with DIY guide option, and I guarantee you’ll start seeing results with your baby within 14 days (can you imagine??) Designed for families that bed-share, co-sleep, or want to move baby into the nursery (or are already there), there is a solution for every family! Download now and use code INSTAMOM at checkout for a little surprise from yours truly, xo.
