Every mother has their own style of putting their baby to sleep either by singing a lullaby, rocking your baby to sleep, humming, walking around and patting your baby. The methods are endless. And some are really weird but actually work wonders!
But where do you make your baby sleep?? Well, here is my take.
New born babies have to sleep with their mothers. Share the bed. It makes feeding, changing diapers and soothing your baby very easy. It’s also advisable, as the baby needs her mother the most, especially if breastfed.
Once the baby grows about one month or so you can make them sleep in a palna. Also known as a cradle. So all mid day naps the baby can be put in the palna so that even if she wakes up in between you can rock her back to sleep. Please don't make your baby get used to sleeping on your lap. It would be very difficult for you to manage later on. When your baby sleeps that is your time. There would be a million things you would want to do. Don't screw yourself by making your baby a godhi baby. But at night I would suggest you to share the bed again. It makes feeding much easier. Babies usually feed 3-4 times at night. So, it would be easier to put them back to sleep if you are sharing the same bed and easy for you to go back to sleep too.
This is exactly what I did with my daughter. It was very convenient because sometimes she sleeps in the cot and sometimes on the bed. She would wake me up when it was feed time. So, I would feed her and put her back to sleep and just cuddle up next to her and sleep. When she was sick it was easier to look after her. Because the slightest movement would wake me up. Everything like her medicines, change of clothes, wipes were all within my reach. We mothers hardly sleep when our babies are sick. So, it was very convenient to co-sleep with my daughter. I feel it gives a sense of security to your baby.
My mother felt a cot was needed because it used to be me, my husband and my daughter on one floor and my in laws on another. I always used to wonder how I would manage all by myself when I’m alone upstairs? But there was my mother to the rescue as usual! So, after I had Reya, my mother gifted me a cot.
So, when I used to be in my room with Reya it used to be very easy. Leave Reya in the cot.
She would play with her toys in the cot. She would look at her books, jump around. She would sleep in the cot in the afternoons. Which made things very easy for me.
My hands were free!! I could easily finish up all my work and had a lot of time to do other things. But of course she was never left alone in the cot. She was always under my observation. And whenever she wanted to come out of it she was carried out.
And frankly speaking she turned out to be more independent and happy! She didn’t turn out to be a clingy baby even after having me at her beck and call 24/7.
So, after your baby grows about three months plus you can move her to a cot which should be placed in your room. Have the cot placed next to your side of the bed. So if she cries at night you can easily pick her up feed her/soothe her and put her back to bed. Don't force your child to sleep in the bed or in the cot. Once you put her to sleep shift her wherever you want and see how the night goes. Eventually, if things go as planned your baby would want to play in the cot and sleep in the cot. The cot would become their space. Which makes your baby more independent and would make it easy for you to do more things.
So, go ahead! Try whatever is best for you and your little one.
And yeah, good luck getting them to sleep on time! :]
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