Teach Babies to Soothe Themselves to Sleep - Put your baby down when she is awake. After you feed your baby, play with her for a while, and when it is time for a nap or for bed, put her down when she is awake. If you let her fall asleep while nursing, when she wakes up to find the breast or bottle gone, she will probably start to cry because she uses the nursing to put her to sleep. If you put her to sleep awake, she will teach herself how to self-soothe herself to sleep.
Use the Ferber method. Introduced by Dr. Richard Ferber in the 1980s, many people associate the Ferber method with simply letting the baby cry himself to sleep. While that is part of the method, it is not that simple. There is more to the Ferber method than simply putting your baby in a crib and leaving him there to cry.
Teach Babies to Soothe Themselves to Sleep
Choose to start the Ferber method when your baby is at least 3 months old. Also, pick a time when it is not crucial that you get a good night's sleep for up to a week or two. This method is time-consuming at first, and if you feel you must get up the next morning, you will be tempted to give up and continue with your old habits, which will put you back to square one.
The first night put your baby to bed when she is tired, but awake. After you leave the room, expect your baby to start crying. Allow this to go on for five minutes. Come in the room just to check on your baby. This will provide some comfort for both of you. Do not linger in the room or pick up your baby, just come in, maybe rub her back a little and leave.
Wait 10 minutes. After you leave the room for the second time, wait10 minutes before going back in. Repeat what you did the first time you came in, and leave.
When you bring a new baby home, you have two choices; you can cater to the baby's schedule, or you can teach the baby how to fit in with yours. Parents who want to go to their baby every time he cries may be encouraging a fussy baby. If your baby is not getting a good night's sleep, this may lead to fussy daytime behavior too. The solution is to get your baby on a schedule and stick with it as best as you can. The Ferber method is one way to teach babies how to soothe themselves to sleep. - by eHow
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