For new parents, coaxing babies to sleep is definitely a technical job.
Take my baby, when he was first born, it was very difficult to sleep, obviously he slept sweetly in his arms, but as long as he leaned forward with his body, the little guy would immediately feel something was wrong and immediately open his eyes.
Encountering such a "high demand" baby is really worrying.
Although it was really tired, in order to let the baby sleep well, we still insisted, until more than 4 months, directly put the baby on the bed, feeding and sleeping is no problem.
In the process of coaxing the baby to sleep, I believe that many mothers have similar situations, and it is inevitable that they will worry: the baby will hold and fall asleep at such a young age, and will he develop habits later, and will he be able to get down?
In fact, the need for babies within 3 months to sleep is a completely normal physiological need, we should try to meet, rather than force correction, otherwise it is easy to cause big problems.
Why does a baby need to sleep in a hug for 3 months?
Before the baby is born, there is warm amniotic fluid protection around, and when it suddenly comes to a strange world after birth, the baby will be very insecure and feel nervous and anxious.
Especially in sleep, if you can be held in the arms of the mother, the baby can get a feeling of being wrapped up, as if still living in the womb, warm and comfortable.
In addition, from the perspective of developmental psychology, babies within 3 months are in the "mother-infant symbiosis period", at this time they have absolute dependence on their mothers, and they cannot even distinguish between the two individuals.
It is precisely because the baby has a strong emotional need for the mother, if you can be held by the mother to sleep, the baby's sleep quality can be greatly improved, and the communication between parents and children will be closer.
And once the mother forcibly corrects and stubbornly puts the baby on the bed to sleep, it is easy to further destroy the baby's sense of security.
Not only is it difficult to establish a healthy attachment relationship with parents, but it will also make the baby become sensitive, and the personality is more likely to be inferior and introverted when he grows up, leaving hidden dangers for the future.
Will there be dependence when you sleep with your baby in your arms all the time?
The answer is of course no, the baby's sleep habits can be gradually adjusted, as long as we grasp the timing, while holding the sleep, consciously guide the baby to make changes, there is no need to worry about him "spoiled".
The concept of "sleep props" is mentioned in the book Clinical Guide to Pediatric Sleep: Diagnosis and Management of Sleep Problems, co-authored by sleep experts Jody Mindel and Richard Faber.
The so-called "sleep props" refer to the baby's various external help at a certain point in time during the process of falling asleep, such as pacifiers, mother's coaxing, feeding and so on.
In the process of baby growth, these "sleep props" are not static, different sleep props will appear in different sleep situations, parents take the initiative to guide, baby habits change, can change the original sleep props, and this is also one of the basis for the baby to establish a good sleep.
In other words, in the process of baby growth, we can gradually reduce the baby's dependence on "hugging sleep" through the adjustment of sleep props, develop better sleep habits, as long as we do a good job of guidance, holding the baby to sleep in the first 3 months is no problem.
How to develop good sleep habits for your baby?
1. Sleep in moderation
As your baby grows older, we should slowly try to get her to sleep less and settle for falling asleep on its own.
For example, after the baby sleeps deeply, gently place it on the bed and give companionship on the side, so that the baby can get used to sleeping alone, but also get enough security, and develop good sleep habits for the baby by constantly shortening the time to sleep.
2. Create a good sleeping environment for your baby
In addition, we must also adjust our sleep habits and create a good sleeping environment.
For example, falling asleep with the baby every day, adjusting the temperature and humidity of the room, keeping quiet, giving the baby comfort, etc., will help the baby calm down and fall asleep faster.
3. Establish some "bedtime rituals"
Finally, we can also appropriately establish some bedtime rituals, such as turning off the lights, pulling the curtains, singing some gentle children's songs for the baby, etc., and gradually adjust the baby's "sleep props" from "hugging" to these bedtime rituals.
In particular, it should be noted that in the process of establishing a bedtime ritual for the baby, we must not float on the surface, in addition to the change in form, we must pay attention to connecting the baby's emotions and soothing the baby's emotions.
Just like some mothers may be more impatient, coaxing the baby to sleep is very loud and anxious, often playing a role in half the effort.
epilogue:
For small months of age, a good night's sleep is far more important than establishing sleep habits early.
Therefore, everyone can rest assured that holding the baby to sleep, as long as you learn the scientific sleep principle, gradually do a good job of guidance, do not have to worry about adverse effects on the baby's future sleep.
Today's topic: Did you sleep with your baby in the first place?