Before getting started just think about the training the baby to fall asleep on their own, make sure that following a regular schedule and putting them to bed at a consistent time each night. starting at about two months old, it’s a good idea to try to put them down drowsy but awake whenever they can, just to get them used to it, even if they fusses a bit as stated by the best Infant sleep coach, Vidhi Beri.
1. Check and console (also known as the Ferber method, graduated extinction, progressive waiting or the interval methods):- there are many variations on the check and console methods, but the general principles are the same. To continue on the baby at preset intervals but never feed or rock them to sleep, as that would mean they aren’t falling asleep on their own. After going through the bedtime routine, put the bay in their cribs, leave the room and wait a specific amount of the time.
2. Extinction or cry it out: - the idea behind the extinction is that you want to extinguish the behavior by not responding to it. as with the check and console method, go through the bedtime routine, put them in their cribs awake, say good night and walk out. This is certainly the most controversial sleep training methods, and even experts disagree on what you should do next, it all depends on what stage the baby is at developmentally, as well as what works for the parents.
3. Chair method: - this is a very gradual sleep training method and require a lot of discipline on the part of the parents. Again the prep the baby for bed, but instead of leaving the room, sit in the chair next to the crib. When they fall asleep, leave the room, but every time they wake up, sit back down in the chair until they fall back asleep. Every few nights, move the chair further and further away until the reaching out of the room.
4. Pick-up and put down shush pat: - for babies younger than seven months, garden prefers an approach where the stay in the room without giving them too much help to fall asleep. For e.g.; it could stand over their cribs and shush them, pat their tummy or apply pressure to calm and reassure them.
5. Bedtime routine fading:- with the fading techniques, continue with whatever methods you were using to help the baby fall asleep, but decrease the amount of time you spend doing it until, in theory you do not have to do it all.
6. Bedtime routine fading:- not to be confused with the bedtime routine fading techniques described above, bedtime hour fading involved putting the baby in to the cribs at the time they usually end up dozing off, and making that their new bedtime for a couple of nights, and then gradually moving it to an earlier time. For example, say you always put the baby down at for the night at 7:30 p.m., they tend to fuss or cry in the cribs for 20 minutes or more, until they finally nod off around.
Vidhi Beri is a renowned Global Educator and Specialist in the fields of Holistic Health, Lactation, Maternal Health Wellness, Child Nutrition, and Children's Milestone Development with effective and well-structured maternity wellness programs offered to the new wave of freshly home-grown Indian mommies and babies, with her desi tadka of Ancient Indian sciences in her latest book, Decoding Motherhood, one of the best Maternity books India. Visit Vidhi Beri’s official website to know more- https://www.vidhiberi.com/.