Getting your baby to sleep can be one of the most daunting things you'll ever encounter. Rocking them in your arms until they pass out, only to put them down like a ticking time bomb to have them cry as soon as they hit the mattress. It's a minefield. Parents the world over have been pondering the question "How can I make my kid sleep?" since the dawn of time. According to Lifehacker, rocking our kids to sleep might work now, but it's a dangerous road.
PREVIOUSLY: THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN BABY ISN'T SLEEPING AT NIGHT
While helping a newborn baby drift off by nursing and cuddling is what most of us do, author Alexis Dubief of Precious Little Sleep: The Complete Baby Sleep Guide For Modern Parents believes that it can be a bad habit to break. Cuddling your child between four and eight months could lead to them waking up more frequently, wanting more cuddles. "Parents are rightfully confused," said Dubief. "They think, 'This used to work. Why isn't this working anymore?'" Alexis puts it down to object permanence and the ever-growing development of your babies brain. While we were once able to cuddle them to sleep, put them down, and sneak out of the room ninja-style, they grow to an age where they can sense you're physically not there anymore.
"Now they are literally older and wiser. They remember you were there and now you aren’t. Every time they cycle through light sleep five to eight times a night, they’re crying out saying, ‘Hey, where’d you go? Come back!'" While this is all well and good, how can we combat this so we might actually get decent sleep again in our lives? Dubief says all is not lost; start putting your baby down while they're still awake. Children wake up several times in the night, usually unbeknownst to us, and the key is making everything the same as when they went to sleep. By putting your child down, saying goodnight, and leaving them to soothe themselves, they're less likely to wake up and cry out in confusion, says Alexis.
What do you think? Would this work with your kids? Let us know in the comments.