Baby Sleep Help - Natalie's Response

Mum Zone's resident Sleep Expert Natalie of Sleep and Settle is available to answer some of your questions about settling your baby and more.

Topics include: Sleeping and settling, moving from bassinette to cot, cot to bed, breastfeeding/formula, solids, floorplay for babies and play for toddlers/children, wrapping/sleeping bags/dressing baby, behaviour/tantrums, what's normal? bedroom environments, music, lights, entertainment, mattresses, mattress protectors, sheets, unsettled babies and the 0-12 week afternoon arsenic hours, reflux/colic, teething, worms, toilet training, night terrors/nightmares, the older child issues 5-10 years and single parenting/separation/divorce.

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Reader's Question

I need some advice on how to get my 5 month old baby girl to settle herself to sleep, instead of me breastfeeding her to sleep. Thanks.

Natalie's Response

Hi,

I am happy to provide you with some tips on how to do this. Before you contemplate this however it is vital that you acknowledge that your baby has had a lovely sleep association for 5 months and likes how she is currently going to sleep.

Consider the following:

• Your baby has no idea their routine is about to change. Naturally your intelligent, sensitive human baby is going to protest by crying and or scream at the changes to their routine. As the parent, you have decided what you are currently doing is not 'working for you' and you are ready to change the going to sleep routine, your baby may not be.
  
  
• Try and reschedule the breastfeeds in your baby's uptime so they are not close to bedtime and therefore remind baby of their previous routine. This is easiest to do at the beginning of the uptime. Feeding at the beginning of uptime also gives you the longest time to fit in an efficient feed and essential playtime.
  
  
• Find a strategy you feel comfortable with that encourages you to remain with your baby when they are upset and not leave them to cry unattended for long periods of time. It is important that you feel comfortable with the strategy so you will continue with it and not give in. Try different settling strategies to find what calms your baby in their bed and remain with them until they are still whinging and then leave the room. Wait outside the door to see if baby self-settles by themselves, if they don't repeat the settling. If you would like a step-by-step self-settling manual please see www.sleepandsettle.com.au
  
  
• Once you commence your strategy it is vital that you remain consistent and persistent with the new strategy in order to continue the results. As the parents we create the habits for the children, good and bad.
  
  
• It usually takes 3-7 days to achieve your sleeping and settling goals. Babies generally take 3 days to drop a habit and create a new one. Therefore you need to be gentle, consistent and persistent in order to help your baby come to understand the new routine and learn how to self settle to sleep and back to sleep.
  
  
• Just take one sleep at a time.

Hope this helps.

Natalie

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The opinions expressed on these pages are of a general nature and are by no means a substitute for professional advice. Therefore neither Mum Zone or Natalie Ebrill of Sleep and Settle are liable for any actions pertaining to the use of the supplied information.