Sleep by himself…or in three?

He’s so little and fragile, he inspires so much tenderness and we never want to leave him, especially at night, when we put him in his room it makes us uncomfortable thinking that he might feel lonely in a place that is unknown. So we willingly postpone the moment when he will have to get used to a night time environment that is only his, in which he can rest peacefully, where it is familiar and reassuring and will help him feel more independent.

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For now, when he comes home, right after he is born, we enjoy the priceless feeling of keeping him near us as much as possible, also because breastfeeding, often requested, or in the case of frequent feedings even during the night imply a symbiotic relationship between mother and child and closeness becomes necessary. So we can put his crib in our room and put it by our bed to reassure him with our presence at any moment and don’t have to get up often to feed or just because he wakes up.

As the weeks go by, though, the child’s rhythms are stabilized, sleeping times get longer and even night time feedings tend to give us more space. This is the right moment to transfer night time sleeping into his room, in his bed: the place where he will begin to create his first memories, that will become familiar for its colours, noises, lights, a place that he can consider all his and dedicated to peaceful falling to sleep.

To get him used to his room and at the same time also be present for any of his needs, we can at first place a comfortable armchair near his crib for some critical night. This way we can breastfeed without having to get up completely and whisper sweet words if he cries. It is best to avoid picking him up every time he complains, just like it is best to get him used to falling asleep lying down and not in our arms. Using this behaviour will help the child not to cry to have his mother hold him if he wakes up and finds himself alone in his bed. It is best to reassure him with a sweet voice, whispering a lullaby and laying a hand on his shoulder, the reassuring presence will help him get back to sleep while he is still lying down.

To encourage sleep it is suggested that we do the same things every evening, the same activities that your child will recognize as preparation for bedtime: we can delicately massage his body, dedicate a few minutes to his personal hygiene, put on his pyjamas, cuddle him, put him in bed and stay with him until he falls asleep.

A low-consumption soft light is useful to avoid complete darkness, although even an almost closed shutter will have the same effect, to create a suffused and reassuring semi-darkness. In the background there will be the noises of the house: TV, kitchen, the peaceful voices of mommy and daddy talking and the noises from the street. Waking up in the middle of the night and being alone surely will not scare him because his reassuring space for the night includes all of this.

Tips & Hints For Your Baby's Care

Is your child suffering from colic? A common disorder that lasts only a few weeks of crying fits, during which he kicks, stiffens his legs and draws them towards the abdomen and there seems to be nothing that can calm him down. This crying is, in fact, quite different from that when he is tired or hungry, and therefore easily recognizable. More info.

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