How to wean a child to sleep in his arms: 6 ways

Well, what kind of mother can deny her child hugs and motion sickness when the baby cannot calm down? To hold a child in her arms is inherent in a woman by nature. She soothes the baby, gives him a sense of security. Next to my mother’s breast, the baby is warm and comfortable. In addition, close physical contact is simply physically necessary for the baby during colic, with teething, with various ailments and just a bad mood. But time goes on, the baby’s weight is growing, and carrying it on your hands is becoming increasingly difficult. In addition, children who are too sensitive simply do not allow their mother to put herself in the crib - they immediately wake up. This leads to the fact that the young mother can not do household chores, and she can’t relax herself. Therefore, sooner or later, every woman comes to the decision that we need to wean the child to sleep in her arms. But how to do it without tears and tantrums?

Is it necessary to wean

Some pediatricians advise not to run up to the child at his first call, but to be patient a little. Over time, the baby will get used to sleeping in his crib and unlearn his mother’s hands. But psychologists do not support this method, and they say that close bodily contact is, above all, the emotional component. It is proved that a child who was often picked up in childhood, psychologically more balanced, complexes are less likely to appear in such people, they are more self-confident. No need to abandon the frequent motion sickness of the child, at least until 4-6 months.

If you can’t carry the child in your arms for health reasons, find some alternative. It is not necessary to leave the baby crying in a cold crib. You can just be there. Do not lift, but hug. Do not download, but pat on the head. In fact, this is the replenishment of the same missing contact with the mother. It is very important not to establish strict discipline in the behavior of the baby in the first months of life. For him, there are no laws of society, he lives according to the laws of nature. And in this nature, no mother will force her baby to sleep separately. Therefore, until the baby is six months old, let him enjoy your intimacy.

Weaning a child to sleep in his arms

But what should a young woman do if, in addition to caring for a child, there are household chores and responsibilities? If there is an older child, then when to devote time to him? What to do if dad is tired at work and wants to come to a clean house and eat a hot dinner? If there are no assistants in the form of grandmothers, then the problem becomes really serious. With this state of affairs, you need to solve the problem as soon as possible. But we will not wean the child from sleep on our hands, but try to make up for the lack of bodily contact with the mother in other ways.

1. Joint dream. This is a natural condition for the normal functioning of the child and mother. In order for the baby to allow mom to do business during the day, you need to make up for the lack of bodily contact at night. If you sleep with your baby, he will stop worrying that you might suddenly disappear. If he gains this sense of security, his sleep will be strong and long. In addition, joint sleep helps mom sleep. After all, this is a real torment - to get up at night, take a child in her arms, feed, lay back, fall asleep again and so on 3-4 times a night, or even more. Such a night is not a rest. And if the child is at hand, you can just give him a chest and sleep on. When the baby is full, he will let her go and fall asleep again. No need to worry that with a joint sleep, you can not subsequently wean the child from this habit. Sooner or later (most often after the end of breastfeeding), the baby will begin to sleep in his crib.
2. Tightness. In the womb, the child was in a very cramped and enclosed space. In the arms of his mother, he experiences almost the same sensations. But when we leave the baby on the mattress (especially orthopedic), the child wakes up, because it is tough and too spacious. Therefore, try to cover this with a blanket or pillows, creating a close imitation of mother's hands. In this position, the probability of waking up the crumbs after falling asleep on the hands is sharply reduced. In addition, it is advisable to swaddle the child of the first month of life before bedtime. The kid still does not know how to coordinate his movements and can easily scare and wake himself with arms and legs.
3. Smell. Sometimes the baby wakes up because he does not feel his mother nearby. At this age, the sense of smell is much more developed than other senses. The baby can recognize her mother among thousands of women, and he does not like when she uses perfume - for him it is an extraneous smell. Therefore, when you shift a sleeping baby to a crib, it is very important to leave your little thing nearby, preferably underwear. It will seem to the child that his mother is nearby, and his sleep will be calm.
4. Sling. This piece of cloth device allows you to hold the baby next to the mother. Wear the baby in a sling the first months of his life when he is awake. This will make up for the lack of contact with the mother. In addition, with a sling your hands will be free, you can perform some household chores.
5. Be close. If you put the baby in your crib, be always there and resort to every squeak. By this you make the baby understand that the mother has not gone anywhere, she is always there and, if necessary, will immediately come to the rescue. When you shift the baby to the crib, hum your child sweet songs - mother’s voice will calm and allow you to fall asleep even more firmly. To the last (until he finally falls asleep), pat the baby on the head, touch the cheeks - the child should feel your presence.
6. Helpers. Sometimes a child can act up with his mother, but he behaves absolutely calmly with his grandmother or dad. To teach a child to sleep in a crib, you need to connect assistants. The main thing is that at this moment you are not in the room or in the apartment at all. If you have a good family and have someone to rely on, sign up for an evening fitness group. This is not only a way to wean a child to sleep with his mother in his arms, but also a great opportunity to put his body in order, to have an emotional rest from everyday life.

These simple ways will help you teach your baby to sleep on their own. But sometimes the baby is naughty and wakes up every time as soon as you put him in the crib. In order for a child to sleep “without hind legs”, he needs to be properly prepared for bedtime.

How to prepare your child for sleep

Proper preparation is to tire the baby. So that he did not have the strength to fight with a persistent mother, and he slept as his parents wanted. To do this, every evening you need to carry out a set of activities that the baby gradually remembers. Within a couple of weeks, the baby will know for sure that a certain algorithm is a preparation for bedtime and at the end of these actions you must definitely fall asleep.

The first thing you should pay attention to is the amount of sleep. If a child sleeps only in his arms, then he doesn’t really want to sleep, but in his mother’s hands it’s a sin not to take a nap. If the baby sleeps three times a day, try to switch it to two dreams, if twice, perhaps one day's sleep will save you. And further. You need to know how long the baby was awake. Do not put your baby to bed if less than three hours have passed (if he is not a baby, of course). For the baby to fall asleep in the crib and in any other place, the child must be tired!

The first thing to do before going to bed is a massage, it will allow the baby to sleep well all night. In addition, massage is very beneficial for the body - blood circulation in the tissues improves, the baby grows better.After the massage - a cool bath. It will force the child to move a lot, so that the baby will spend the remnants of "unspent" energy. After the baby’s bath, you need to change into clean clothes and give him plenty to eat, what can be a dream on an empty stomach? After such manipulations, the child will not only sleep in his crib, but will fall asleep in general in any position - he will be so exhausted. Only, of course, if his tummy or teeth do not bother him.

Remember, the time when the child will constantly ask for your hugs ends sooner or later. The kid grows up and understands that everyone should have their own crib. A couple of decades will pass, and you will remember with warmth and trepidation this time when the child could not do without his mom. Be patient, and the solution to the problem will surely come by itself!

Video: how to wean a child from motion sickness