here<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn a bed sharing situation, baby usually has access to a breast whenever they want it, and that\u2019s almost always their sleep prop. They wake up in the night, after completing a sleep cycle, and they instinctively go for the breast. Not necessarily because they\u2019re hungry, but because that\u2019s the way they know to get to sleep. (Read here about sleep cycles – LINK MAG1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grown ups do the same thing. (Well, obviously not the exact<\/em> same thing. Otherwise your husband would be banished to the couch in a week.) But we have routines and strategies that we use to get to sleep when we wake in the night. They\u2019re usually very brief and simple, like turning on our backs, taking a sip of water, flipping the pillow, or wrapping our blankets around us, but they\u2019re sleep skills, just like nursing.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSo if you\u2019re going to break that association between nursing and falling asleep, which you have to do if you want your baby to sleep through the night without waking you up, then baby\u2019s got to learn a new skill; one that doesn\u2019t involve you. That\u2019s not going to be easy when their favorite method of falling asleep is sitting right in front of their face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re determined to stay in close proximity to your baby when they\u2019re sleeping, try using a sidecar or a crib in the room, but there\u2019s just no good way to teach a baby not to nurse themselves to sleep if they\u2019re sleeping right next to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One final thought on this topic before I sign off. I\u2019ve seen a lot of people on Facebook and other social media channels, saying things like, \u201cThey\u2019ll leave your room when they\u2019re ready! Don\u2019t rush them! This time is so short! Nobody sleeps in their parents\u2019 bed when they\u2019re 18!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
gain, if you\u2019re happy with the arrangement you\u2019ve got, I\u2019m not here to change your approach. But I would like to point out that I\u2019ve seen families with kids up to eight (!) years old who are still sleeping in their parents\u2019 beds. Don\u2019t assume that your little one will get finish brushing his teeth one night and say, \u201cActually, I think I\u2019ll go sleep on my own tonight.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sleep habits die hard, especially with kids, so the day your child sleeps in their own bed, in their own room, is probably the day you tell them they have to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The good news is that once your child has moved into their own bed and learned some independent sleep skills, they will typically sleep much better, more soundly, and for longer than they do in your bed. And so will you and your partner, which means the whole family will be rested and refreshed in the morning, which comes with a whole collection of mental and physical benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n