Parents often have problems connected with transitioning of their newborn to a crib. It’s important, doing it in the early period of their lives due to forming associations they receive when sleeping. Why? Infants start making them when they are around 2 months. That’s why you must prepare a place for sleeping as early as it’s possible. Often, transitioning becomes a real challenge for Moms and Dads, but our tips will help you learn how to get baby to sleep in crib. Read on follow our methods for child transition to a new place.
When Should Baby Sleep in Crib?
The expert from Sleep Center in Philadelphia insists that newborn form its sleeping habits when it reaches 6 months. It’s better to start creating new conditions earlier than this period. You can even try putting your baby into a crib in the period of 2 months as it will begin associating this place with safety earlier. With our tips, you’ll learn art of getting baby to sleep in crib excellently and your child will have no problems with a new spot.
How Do I Transition My Baby from Co-Sleeping to Crib?
It may be long rest training process and sometimes it even seems impossible, but you shouldn’t ever make a step backwards from progress. Newborns need weeks or months getting used to napping separately from their parents. How to cope? Patience will help you in passing this period and save your child from sleep problems in the future. We collected the most helpful information, and it will help you cope with transitioning to crib.
Tip 1. Prepare Your Child for a Crib
You can start with sleeping sessions in a crib by dividing them into 2 periods:
- Daytime napping. You can encourage toddler staying in a cradle and tell how brave and independent your newborn is. Explain why it is so comfortable, having a personal place for having a rest. If you have a younger child, there’s no need of telling all these things. Just arrange a super cozy place for your little one and make your infant feel comfortable;
- Bedtime sleeping. Both children and adults rest the most during the night because our body gets tired in the day hours and needs a time of recreating. Start putting your baby to sleep into a crib at night when we use more hours for relaxation routine. This is how child will spend more time alone.
Tip 2. Soothe Your Baby
One of the helpful recommendations on how to get baby to sleep in crib is soothing. For babies younger than 16 weeks it’s better practicing calming procedures when fussing. Take the child out of a crib and soothe her. If your kid is older than this age, don’t pick her up and just rub her tummy, sing lullaby or soothe with words. Get rid of newborn rest problems step by step and transition process will be easy.
Tip 3. Increase the Distance
At first, you’ll stay in one bedroom with your kid. The child should get used to a new place and you should help with this mission. Where to start? Maybe, you’ll even rest on a mattress for first days, but the kid should feel comfortable and understand you’re near. Soon, depending on the behavior of baby sleeping in the crib, you can move forward and use a chair or armchair. Sit there. Make sure your little one feels ok. Of course, you can help newborn by reading books or singing lullabies. Leave the room only after the baby falls asleep and don’t have problems with a crib.
Tip 4. Be Ready for Wake-Up Calls
How to get baby to sleep in the crib if she wakes up during the night for different purposes? Usually, they include hunger, need of changing night time diapers, teething, improvement of the level of comfort. Use a baby monitor. Don’t miss any call providing your little one with everything necessary even if it’s just lullaby.
Tip 5. Adjust Your Schedule
Set sleeping routine and follow it every day, so it will help your newborn in getting used to a schedule. Usually, it includes things you do before going to bed: bathroom activities, diaper change, time for potty, etc. That’s not all. You can mix these variants and add something yours for children who reached the age of 3 months. Repeat the same procedures every day when you find the best routine for baby sleep.
Tip 6. Comfort Baby with Objects
Sooner, at the age of 12 months and older, you can put a little baby toy or baby blanket into a sleeping crib. It will increase the level of comfort and help kid feeling safer. Here’s another tip. If you feed with breast, apply some milk, creating an impression like you’re close to the child. And you can read reviews and choose the best toddler pillow for older kids, making the sleeping process in a crib even more pleasant and comfortable.
Tip 7. Give the Baby Some Time to Get Used to a Crib
It may seem strange, but you can help baby sleep in the crib by waiting for a while when she starts crying. Don’t run in the child’s room after the first sound and give her a few seconds. It will help your baby with an understanding of that there’s nothing scary in sleeping alone. But when you come there, do everything about improving the feeling of comfort: swing, sing, arrange crib, read, and kiss. If the child keeps crying after everything you’ve done, come back and try soothing her again.
Wrap-Up Process
Wrapping up belongs to the most comfortable things to help baby sleep in crib. Use warm blanket that will softly hug your child during the night. Make a triangle from it and put a newborn in the middle. Her feet must be turned to a lower corner of a blanket. Take the left side of a triangle and put on a baby’s chest and then pull bottom side over her feet. Then use the right side and cover those two sheets. Wrap newborn but blanket must not hug her too tightly.
Final Words
We hope this information will help you cope with the transition to baby sleeping cradle. By the way, how do you pass the process of separation? Do you have your own secrets on how ending up with co-sleeping? Share with us! And get more parenting tips on www.parenthoodroutine.com.
