Mission “put the baby to sleep” – which method to choose?

In the first year of a child's life, parents lose 44 nights of sleep , according to research conducted by Dr. Kelly Sullivan from the College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University . Women sleep less and less often, as they bear most of the responsibilities related to the care of newborns and infants - about 5 hours a day in total. This is far too little, and mothers feel exhausted. "I think these results can be reassuring to women who still feel tired," said study author Dr. Kelly Sullivan. This doesn't mean they can't cope or plan their day. It only means that caring for a newborn baby - and in the following months of its life - is exhausting ¹ .

White noise, stroller and car as methods of putting babies to sleep.

Desperate parents are looking for an effective method that will help them quickly put their baby to sleep. Some people swear that " white noise " has a great effect on their children, i.e. the noise of a hair dryer, a set of monotonous sounds that are supposed to remind children of the prenatal period (i.e. sounds from the mother's belly that are simply soothing for them). So they download commercially available phone applications or buy humming teddy bears , which also have the advantage of being equipped with a "crying sensor." This means they turn on immediately when the baby starts crying, wrapping it in soothing noise and allowing it to fall asleep again.

For more "resistant" children , riding in a stroller or car works because it is easier for them to fall asleep while moving and swinging. Some parents claim that this is the only way to get some much-needed peace while the baby sleeps.

Daily routine as a way to sleep.

Still other parents realize the importance of routine and the importance of rituals that introduce a specific rhythm to which the child gets used to. The consistency and repetition of rituals give children a sense of security - even the little ones. Therefore, it is worth building the day, and especially the evening, in such a way that they become a part of our lives.

What might this look like? For example, we get the child used to playing at a certain time , but then we gradually start to calm down , get ready for a bath, and then put on pajamas or a sleeping bag and immediately go to bed/crib . Then it accepts it as something known and natural , and over time it begins to calmly accept what is happening. This is a proven method that thousands of parents have proven to be effective. Rituals work, and they give both children and parents a sense of peace . Additionally, they create a sense of control over the situation , which is sometimes difficult for adults to achieve with small children.

The Ferber method as a way to put children to sleep.

Fortunately, the Ferber method reached its peak of popularity some time ago, but there are still parents who use it. It basically involves letting your baby cry it out . The child is left alone in the bed and does not respond to its crying for the first 5 minutes, and then looks into the room. You need to show yourself to your baby every 2 minutes, but without taking him in your arms. Even if he's still crying. Then we come to the child after 10 minutes, then after 30 minutes, and so on until he falls asleep. The method is effective, but cruel . When children cry, cortisol levels increase and they learn that their needs are not important to their caregiver. We do not recommend it. We have written extensively about the harm that similar methods can cause here .

Tracy Hogg's method for putting babies to sleep.

Another concept of putting a child to sleep was developed by Tracy Hogg, called, according to the title of one of her books, the "baby whisperer" ² . It is about learning to fall asleep on your own, but in a slightly gentler form than Ferber proposed. Hogg recommends putting your baby to sleep as soon as you notice he or she is getting sleepy . If the baby cries, you can pick him up , but when he calms down, put him down . And this is roughly what the whole process looks like. Tracy Hogg swears that the method works, although the entire process initially takes up to an hour . But: desperate parents will try anything, and ultimately the goal is to get the baby to fall asleep faster.

The method of gradually increasing the distance as a way to put a baby to sleep.

Quite similar to the previous two. We put the baby in the bed and we sit next to it , but with the understanding that when it cries, we do not soothe the baby by taking it out of the bed , but calm it down by holding its hand or stroking its back. Over the next few days , we increase the distance until we finally leave the room. This method is more time-consuming , but also less drastic compared to the previous two.

5S method by Dr. Harvey Karp as a way to calm down and put a child to sleep.

This method seems to be the most "democratic". The more effective it is, the sooner we start using it. The author of this method is pediatrician and child development expert Dr. Harvey Karp. He claims that every baby can be soothed and put to sleep by combining 5 simple actions : swaddling, stable position on the side or tummy, humming, rocking and sucking (breast or pacifier). He described his method in more detail in his best-selling book " The Happiest Sleepyhead on the Block " ³ . The author argues that this way you can put your baby to sleep in just a minute .

What if all methods of putting your baby to sleep don't work?

It is worth remembering that our children are carriers - they feel best in our arms, carried and cuddled, in the presence of a parent. Also: the exhausted parent. So if you feel that for some reason none of these methods suit your little one, there is no point in tormenting yourself with the question: "What is wrong with my baby?" Some children need such close contact with their parents that the only proven method for a good night's sleep is sleeping together (you can read more about sleeping with a child, its advantages and risks, in a separate article .

However, in some cases, sleep disorders in infants may be a signal of deficiencies in the body, diseases or developmental abnormalities. If your child, despite using various methods, does not get the appropriate amount of sleep for his or her age , it is worth reporting it to a pediatrician who may order diagnostic tests.

Bibliography:

1. LIVING WITH CHILDREN MAY MEAN LESS SLEEP FOR WOMEN, BUT NOT FOR MEN, American Academy of Neurology, aan.com, February 26, 2017
2. Tracy Hogg, "The Baby Whisperer", ed. Helion.
3. Harvey Karp, "The Happiest Sleepyhead on the Block," ed. Mania.