If you’re reading this right now, you’ve probably got eyes that feel like they’re filled with sandpaper and can’t remember the last time you had uninterrupted sleep. You feel like you will never sleep again and are desperate to find any tip or trick that will help you and your child get a visit from Mr. Sandman. You could have a newborn, a 6 month old cutting teeth or a 2 year old hitting a wonder week. Either way, sleep has not been your friend lately. There are tons of articles on how to get your little one to sleep, but we’ve come up with a list on ways that YOU may accidentally be preventing your child (and yourself) from getting the rest they need. As a parent, we are sometimes at a loss for handling certain situations, so we hope this will help get you through the night, and back to sleep.
1. Responding To Every Cry
If you’re a first time parent, the sound of your baby crying can feel like your heart is breaking. By the time they get older, you just want to find something, anything, that will get your child to stop crying. Most of the time that ends in you rousing from a deep sleep and tending to every cry and whimper that emanates from the nursery. If you are sleep deprived, you start hearing your child when they aren’t even crying! Without realizing it, YOU wake THEM up. Babies and toddlers make a ton of noise in their sleep, even deep sleep. It takes time to learn the difference between a cry that needs your attention, and one that’s the result of a dream or just an involuntary moan. Learning to self-soothe is a vital skill that everyone needs to learn, and even infants can do it if given the chance. Allow some crying before you rush into their room- you’ll be surprised that they don’t always need you to soothe them!