The Importance of Self Soothing Techniques

As a parent, it can be really frustrating when you do not know how to soothe the baby and get them to sleep. Some of the common methods that you can use include rocking a baby, nursing them, and rubbing their back. Is it possible to get the baby to sleep on their own? Yes, there are some self soothing techniques that you can teach your baby at an early age. When you have a baby that learns to self-soothe, it is quite a huge milestone. This gives you an easier time when the baby wants to sleep.

Always remember that your baby is different and as such, there are some solutions that would work and others may not. Just as is the case with the other things that you teach your baby, this also requires a lot of patience and practice. We have put together a few tips that you can try for self soothing techniques baby. With consistent practice and determination, your baby should learn to self-soothe in a short while.

Self-Soothing Techniques for Babies

One of the things that you should take note of is that the self-soothing techniques may work differently depending on the age of the baby. Let us explore some of the options by age.

Self-soothing for Newborns

Ideally, at this tender age, babies can hardly self-soothe and as such, you can start with sleep training. Some of the self soothing techniques baby that you can try include:

• Placing the little one in the crib at a consistent time every night
• Establish a bedtime routine that you can follow
• Snuggle the baby and be affectionate at bedtime
• Limit daytime naps to 3 hours max

These are effective techniques that can work and you can also choose the 4S soothing techniques namely, swaddling, stomach position holding, swinging, and shushing. With newborns, you will have to keep exploring until you can come to the best technique that works for them.

Self-soothing techniques for Toddlers

As your little one keeps growing, they are able to learn self soothing techniques baby. Some of the tips that you may want to give a try include:

• Get a separate space for the baby to sleep in
• Put the baby in bed when they are drowsy and not entirely asleep
• Use soothing methods that do not involve picking up the baby like shushing them or rubbing their back
• Once the baby wakes up do not be too quick to go pick them up; give them some time
• Find a security object that the baby can sleep with like a soft toy or even a swaddling blanket

When your little one learns to self-soothe it will be easier for both of you. Even when they wake up at night, it will be very brief and they will fall back to sleep almost immediately.

Conclusion

As babies get older, self soothing techniques become a natural thing. Parents or caregivers should start encouraging this from an early age. Trust your parental instincts and if you are struggling with this, you can consult an expert.