One of the hardest things to master with babies is the pause. What do I mean by that? We have to learn that it is not always necessary to rush in for a night feeding at the first sign of fussing.
Sometimes, you have to just pause…and let your baby get back to the business of sleeping. This is not the same as “crying it out,” let me explain…
Holding Your Baby to Their Personal Best
If your baby has slept for a 4 – 5 hour period without eating, she’s proven that she is capable of sleeping longer without a feed. Once your baby is able to go to sleep on her own and sleep for a longer stretch of time, hold her to that standard; you know she can do it, so give her the opportunity to put those sleep skills to use! Sleep Coach Tip: When it’s time to offer a middle of the night feed, be sure to do it with minimal interaction and stimulation to ensure the baby can get right back to sleep.
When to Practice The Pause
If you find your baby waking an hour and a half after bedtime, but she’s proven that she can sleep for four to five hours in the past, dont rush in. Is she really hungry, or is she simply transitioning between sleep cycles? Your first instinct will be to rush into your baby’s room at the first sounds of fussing, but make yourself pause; wait five minutes to see if she can get herself back to sleep.
Pause to Build Healthy Sleep Habits
This pause is crucial to the development of your baby’s sleep habits – if you don’t allow her to practice the skills you’ve been working on, she won’t have the opportunity to execute the techniques she’s learned.
You’ll know that your hard work is paying off when the initial nighttime stretch of sleep is longer than others. It’s typical for the first period of nighttime sleep to last between 4 – 5 hours, with shorter stretches for the remainder of the night. Don’t be alarmed, this is a great sign! This sleep pattern is the consolidation of the nighttime sleep process. The initial, longer stretch of sleep is what you are working on developing and making longer right from the newborn phase (usually at week 6).
What to do if your baby wakes often at night?
Well, depending on the age of your little one, this might be normal and expected (think newborn. But if your baby is over 6 months old and still waking multiple times a night to feed or receive help getting back to sleep; this is a clear sign that they may be lacking good sleep skills to help them transition independently between sleep cycles. This is a whole different topic that I’ve written about previously.
