#sleeptraining #babysleeptraining #babysleepmadesimple
How to Night Wean Baby (6-12 months)
Are you feeding your baby several times during the night and dealing with night wakings? Or do you have to rock your baby to sleep?
Find out how to night wean your 7 month old baby. Jilly explains a gentle, No Cry approach and the Ferber/Controlled Crying sleep training method. Get tips from a lactation consultant, nurse and mom to get your baby sleeping through the night!
Learn how to wean off (or reduce) your baby's night feeds in a safe way here: [ Ссылка ]
Join my FREE Masterclass & Learn 5 Proven Steps to Start Sleeping through the Night here: [ Ссылка ]
Learn how to get your 5-23 month old sleeping all night in the crib here: [ Ссылка ]
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Transcription:
An exhausted mom asked me for help with night weaning her 7 month old, who wakes frequently throughtout the night and has to be rocked to sleep each time.
When your baby is younger, feeding or rocking your baby to sleep works and helps them sleep well. But your baby is developing. Her sleep patterns change as she grows to become more like an adult’s sleep patterns. It’s a great sign, but waking throughout the night and not being able to self-settle is often a sign that your baby needs to learn to fall asleep, and stay asleep, on their own.
Signs that your baby’s sleep pattern is changing:
• Restlessness
• Difficulties falling & staying asleep
Step 1: Set a healthy sleep foundation
The best way to fix baby sleep is by setting a healthy sleep foundation, before we fix the night wakings.
Biologically appropriate bedtime:
• If your 7 month old has 3 naps/day, bedtime should be between 7: 30- 8: 30 pm.
• If your 7 month old has 2 naps/day, bedtime should be between 7-8pm
Tip: Keep track of nap times to find an ideal and appropriate bedtime.
When babies get overtired, it causes them to fight bedtime, wake more often and wake earlier in the morning.
Peaceful Bedtime Routine:
This is a routine of consistent activities that take place at a specific time, in a specific order every night to help your baby settle down for the night.
Your baby gets consistent behavioural cues, to cue her body and her mind to relax and get ready to sleep.
Start a bedtime routine through my Exhausted Mom's Starter Kit:
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Watch Awake Times
Babies and toddlers have a biological need to sleep often during the day. Your 7 month old needs to sleep every 2-3 hours consistently throughout the day, every day. Babies are wired differently, so the better a baby sleeps in the day, the better they will sleep at night.
If the last awake time is too long, it could really affect her night sleep and make her wake more often.
Step 2: Night Weaning
A sleep association is the condition or the prop that a baby associates and so needs to fall asleep.
There are independent sleep associations like white noise, or her sleepsack. Dependent sleep associations require your assistance, like rocking or feeding to sleep, or replacing a pacifier.
Now she’s getting older, we want to slowly wean off you helping her get back to sleep. If a baby has only ever been rocked or fed to sleep, they won’t know how to fall asleep alone.
Night Feedings
Most 7 month olds can be weaned down to 1 night feed - check with your pediatrician first. Many can fully wean off night feeds.
I have a guide on my website called ‘Weaning Night Feedings’. It will help you determine when your baby is ready to wean off night feedings, and also how to do it.
How to Stop Rocking Your Baby to Sleep
A Gentle Method: Good for sensitive/affectionate children
1. Do your bedtime routine
2. Rock her until she’s drowsy, but don’t let her fall asleep
3. Slowly and quietly put her in her bed as she starts to relax and doze off
4. She will probably complain, so you will give her lots of hands-on support while keeping her in her bed. Pat her, rock her side to side, touch her head.
5. If she gets really inconsolable, pick her up, calm her down and then put her back in her bed.
6. She will start to get used to it. Wean off hands-on support and give verbal reassurance instead.
7. Wean off the verbal support and gradually remove yourself from the room
You'll get less crying with this method, but it does take 2-3 weeks.
A Quicker Method:
Similar to the Ferber method or Controlled Crying.
1. Do your bedtime routine
2. Put baby in her bed
3. Leave the room for about 3 minutes
4. Come back and give some quick comfort to your baby
5. Leave room again for 5 minutes this time (increase each time if possible)
