Self-soothing - When is it the right age?

mirage · January 28, 2013, 8:20pm

Re: Self-soothing - When is it the right age?

It also didn’t help that I had her sleep in bed with me :hinna: But after she would keep me up for hours, I was desperate for sleep and would just let her sleep with me so that I could get some rest at night. My sister’s older daughter (she was only 12 months older) was sleeping in her room and if she had both of the babies with her, it would have been a full bed.

It took about 2 weeks to change her habit and get her used to sleeping in the crib (as opposed to the bed) and from there, we worked on sitting in the glider to get her to go to sleep as opposed to having to walk her to sleep. It also helped that she was getting older and wasn’t as physically needy.

The only reason we even broke that habit was I was moving away and my sister was exhausted just by the idea of two babies under 30 months sleeping in her bed and waking up throughout the night.

LOL! As it was, her husband used to end up sleeping on the ground in their room until the girls started to sleep on their own.

how about the daddy? didnt he also help soothing her when the sister and you were tired? And your sister was lucky indeed to have you around to help her take care of the baby. It does drive you nuts when you have to manage it on your own. Or with the help of none else but your mom, which rather adds to your guilty conscience and stress :hinna:

Lusi · January 28, 2013, 8:23pm

Re: Self-soothing - When is it the right age?

Did you guys use a pacifier for the baby to help him calm down and help him sleep?

Sehrysh · January 28, 2013, 8:26pm

Re: Self-soothing - When is it the right age?

The daddy did his part. But because the baby slept in my room, I hated to wake the parents up, especially at 2am. But on the worst nights when the baby wouldn’t go back to sleep, I’d knock on their door and hand the baby over to them and then they would have 4 in the room - mummy, daddy and two babies

I’m not complaining about it, in fact out of all of the babies, this one is especially close to me and especially like me. She is m’A 10 years old and my BIL laughs and says I must have done something in those first 15 months because of how much she is like me

Confucius · January 29, 2013, 4:13pm

Self soothing isn’t working for me

Gemini_the_Great · January 29, 2013, 5:14pm

Re: Self-soothing - When is it the right age?

5-6 weeks is too young for self soothing so why do it? seriously it didnt even cross my mind at that time to let him comfort himself.. at 4-5 months, he has started sucking his finger (yes not thumb but index finger) and at 15 months he still does that when its bed time…its his sign for us that yes I am ready to go to sleep or to get myself back to sleep while sucking on my finger. We are okay with it.. we tried pacifier in the beginning, he hated it.. you can introduce that at 6 or 8 weeks and go from there!

I started establishing routines, time outs, warnings etc after he turned 1..he is much more understanding of the consequences now than ever before.. yes we baby’ed him for 12 months and no regrets there.

Lusi · January 30, 2013, 2:29am

Re: Self-soothing - When is it the right age?

When your baby is ready for self soothing, his behavior will show that. I strongly disagree that children should be forced into self soothing. Trying self soothing when they are not ready is not only unfair to the baby but you are also draining yourself by making your baby more cranky for you to later put them to sleep. I also don’t believe in adatein kharab ho jaiyen ge theory.