Sleep Through The Night

by Jodi
(Kailua, Hawaii, USA)

The best trick I found for getting my son to sleep through the night was teaching him to fall asleep on his own.

For the first month I nursed him to sleep, because I thought it was the easy way out. But he woke up many times during the night.

Allowing him to fall asleep on his own was really hard for the first 3 or 4 days, but it eventually got easier (for him). I had him sleeping through the night (from 20:00 at night to 07:00 the next morning) by the time he was 3 months old!

My son is 9 months old now and he sometimes wakes up at night, but mainly due to teething pains. I make a big effort NOT to pick him up to soothe him whenever he wakes up.

And I do not let him cry for that 5 minute rule. As soon as I hear him, I will go to him and try to soothe him. But I do not pick him up! It usually does not take long to calm down when he hears my husband's or my voice or touch.

This is usually enough to quickly comfort him and get him to fall asleep.

Bottom line is this: allow your baby to learn to fall asleep on his own early on. Be consistent and do not give in when it gets hard. The easy way out is not always the best way for you and your baby.