Many parents rock their babies to sleep, however the approach differs significantly among parents. For example, some parents will rock their baby until she is sound asleep and only then try to move her to her crib. Other parents prefer letting baby fall asleep on her own in her crib and will rock the baby for a little while before taking her to bed. There are many different tips and suggestions and each parent will need to figure out what works best for their family.
Just Until Groggy
The just until groggy approach really only works well for babies that don’t have persistent personalities. That’s because they will be content to be rocked and then put down in their cozy crib to sleep. Infants with persistent personalities on the other hand are not going to tolerate this approach and will scream and cry until there are hoarse or vomit, or both. That is not an effective approach for getting baby to sleep and parents with these types of infants must be creative and find other ways that work.
Same Place
You should rock your baby to sleep in the same place every night. That way the baby will associate sleep with that particular rocking chair. Sleep associations are good and habits are too because babies truly are creatures of habit.
No Talking
It’s best not to talk while rocking your baby. You may consider singing some lullabies or whispering to your baby on occasion, but in general being quite is the best signal to your little one that it is time for sleep.
Remember, it takes time to figure out what works best for each child and not all children will react in the same way. It can be a challenge to find the method that will work for your little one and help him go to sleep peacefully. Parents should anticipate some sleep problems and come up with ways to handle them so that everyone in the family is as well rested and happy as possible.