When a baby is small it sleeps with its parents and this is natural. There comes a time, however, when parents start dreaming about their baby finally falling asleep alone in his or her own bed. What is the best moment to get the child used to sleeping in its own room?
To understand why children do not like, and sometimes even can not fall asleep alone, it should be noted that all mammals sleep with their mothers. And you could say that man is not an animal, but there is nothing to argue with evolution. A baby sleeping with its mother feels safer, first of all. Therefore, according to many studies, until the age of 6 months, toddlers should sleep in the same room as their parents
All these stimuli reaching the child allow it to feel safe and fall asleep without any problems
The next thing you need to do for your child is to prepare him or her for falling asleep on his or her own. First of all, you should not set yourself up for anything. Every child is different and every child will be ready to fall asleep in his or her own bed at a different time. Bedding in a child’s bed should be made of soft materials such as cotton or flannel and the size of the bed should be adapted to the dimensions of the child
The first steps for the child to fall asleep independently should be implemented well before the event itself. The child should have a constant rhythm of the day, thanks to which he will feel safe. Another issue is also putting the child to sleep at the same times of the day. This will help him develop a habit, associated with a specific time and sleep
Many specialists as the optimal time for learning independent falling asleep indicates a period around 6 months of child’s life. It should be remembered, however, that if the toddler evidently does not tolerate all attempts to fall asleep alone, it should not be forced
Learning to fall asleep is best started on a normal day, when nothing special has happened in the child’s life, and all the activities have been carried out according to a set plan. After bathing, put the toddler in his bed, instead of cuddling him to sleep or carrying him in your arms. To make your baby feel more secure, you can give him his favorite toy or a blanket to reduce the stress of falling asleep on his own
When the child is already in its bed, do not leave the room right away, but gently move away from the bed, still holding its hand or stroking its head, so that it feels the closeness of its parent. Only when the child falls asleep, we can leave the room after a few minutes
It may turn out that the toddler will start to cry or get up from the bed as soon as we pass the threshold of the room. In this situation, you should consistently put him back to sleep and repeat the whole process from the beginning. At first, such getting up of the child may repeat up to a dozen times a night, but with each passing day this frequency will begin to decrease. The most important thing in all this is persistence and patience of the parent
In conclusion, learning to fall asleep on your own is best started around the 6th month of a child’s life. The process of learning to fall asleep on your own may take weeks, but remember that this is a completely new situation for your baby and he needs to get used to it
