Teaching your little one to self settle can often be perceived by many parents as just letting your baby cry it out until they fall asleep.
This act of non responsiveness has developed a not so good reputation for itself and I absolutely understand why. As parents its 100% natural to want to respond to your little one when they are upset or are showing any kind of emotion. So the thought of saying goodnight to your little one and then shutting the door and not returning until morning can feel utterly wrong.
The good news when it comes to teaching your little one to self settle is that these methods are so outdated and there are now alot of hands on and responsive settling methods you can use to teach your newborn, baby or toddler to self settle.
So how do we do this?
Self settling or independent sleep is taught through repetition and consistency. Its not just a matter of choosing a settling method and sticking to this though, we also want to make sure our little ones routine is age appropriate, their sleep environment is conducive for good sleep and that any external sleep associations/props that may impact sleep have been addressed.
With all these factors inline it will help to ensure that any changes we make when teaching self settling will be as seamless as possible. If you were to go ahead and introduce a settling method without considering the above factors, it would not be fun.
When introducing a settling method we always like to start with the bedtime settle first as sleep pressure is highest here, which will ensure the settling process doesn't take too long and it also helps to set the scene for the overnight settling expectations.
When choosing a settling method we want to choose one we are A) comfortable with and B) one we feel our little one will respond too.
I suggest using the same settling method for around 2 weeks to ensure we keep things consistent. Remember, its taking a short amount of time for your little one to learn what they know and it will take a short amount of time for them to learn a new way to fall asleep. Consistency is KEY.
In terms of settling methods, these can vary from very hands on in the room methods, to more check and console style methods (which actually do work very well for bubs who are easily stimulated). You can find all our settling methods in our sleep guides here or by booking a 1 on 1 consult with our amazing team here.
Our team have helped over 30 000 families worldwide and can help take the overwhelm out of teaching your little one to self settle.
