Whether or not to sleep train your baby is an issue that has divided parents for ages. Depending on which camp you fall into, training your baby to soothe himself to sleep is either critical to your sanity or an evil method of torture. But if you decide to use the self-soothing technique with your baby, you should know that there are things you could be doing to sabotage the entire process. Which is why you need to know the tiny things keeping your baby from self-soothing.
According to Psych Central, self-soothing is the process of allowing your child to calm himself down when he is distressed. When it comes to sleeping, a baby who learns to self-soothe can use techniques such as sucking on fingers or toes to calm himself down until he is asleep. According to Dr. Sears, babies can begin to learn to self-soothe between 6 and 9 months of age.
But babies are not born knowing how to soothe themselves, which is why parents play an important role in the process. Establishing a consistent bedtime, dressing baby in comfortable clothing, and resisting the temptation to rush in every time the baby cries can help make the process much smoother than everyone involved.
If you are dreaming of the day when your baby can soothe herself to sleep, make sure you're not letting any of these things get in the way. And soon you should be able to enjoy a decent night's sleep — until she starts teething.