Sleep Methods

There are several known methods devised by the experts on dealing with the sleeping problems that may occur in your developing baby. But, remember to do what you feel can be the best choice for you and your baby, as the baby's nature differ from one baby to another. So you never would know what can work for you and not for others or vice versa.

The Ferber method says to let the baby cry her and she will sleep soon; if you're firm about the bed time, she'll learn to comfort herself to sleep. This never means that you just plunk the baby down in her crib and walk away. It differs from what you may already be doing that it encourages you to put the baby in her crib while she's still awake, so she gets used to falling asleep without you. But this might also mean letting her cry it out for a few weeks. This can be stressful for everyone in the household.

Another method is to "control the crying" method. Again, this involves your usual bedtime rituals of taking a bath, perhaps a snack and a story, rocking and cuddling. Put your baby in her crib and deliver her a good night kiss; If she starts to cry, wait 10 to 15 minutes before going in to comfort her. Resist in picking her up immediately, just shush her quietly and pat her on the back. Some experts suggest to not to talk, as this can reinforce the waking and crying behavior and you want to reassure your baby that you’re there, but you still want to encourage sleeping.

If you see that she is crying for about 30 minutes, increase the intervals before you check on the baby by a few minutes each time, up to about 15 to 20 minutes between checking. This can take some time and can even clench your nerves, but your baby will learn in time that you're not going away and that you're nearby. In the end your baby will not only learn self-comforting herself, but this will also give her the confidence and security that you're there for her.