Sleep Ritual

Do you have a sleep ritual for your little one?

If you do, is it working well for you? Meaning, does your little one go down with minimal/no crying and stay down for over an hour?

If you don't have a sleep ritual or the one you're using now, is not working for you than this post is to help you!

Sleep is one of the biggest concerns that most parents have.

Tracey Hogg, from the book The Baby Whisperer and The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems suggests that every time your baby goes down for sleep, whether it be at night or during the day, there should be a sleep ritual.

She encourages that parents adopt the 4 Sleep Ritual S's:

1. Set the stage: make sure the environment for your baby is comfortable. This could mean: darkening the room, turning on some white noise (I use a vaporizer), ensuring she is dressed appropriately for the temperature in the room.

2. Swaddle: swaddle, swaddle, swaddle your baby! I know, some of you may be thinking - but my baby HATES being swaddled. Really? How do you know? Did the flailing arms/legs and screams tell you she hates it? That's what babies do - they flail an cry, they don't have control yet over those muscles. She is most likely flailing because she is tired. I prefer the velcro kind of swaddle so they can't get out. Some baby's like the hands tucked in, others don't.

3. Sit: After she is swaddled, sit with your baby in a calm, relaxed environment in an upright, vertical position with her head snuggled in your neck area. No jostling, no rocking, just sit still and let her body relax. Try this for about 5 minutes.

4. Shush-pat: Once your LO is in the zone, lay her down before she is asleep. If she is fussy or starts to cry when laid down, begin the shush-pat method. Pick her up (or you can keep her in the crib), and shhh in her ear while patting her back. The shhh should be like a wave not a train. Once she relaxes, place down in her crib, on her side so you can still pat if necessary.

Hogg claims that baby's can not hold more than 3 thoughts in their heads at once, so with the patting and the shhhing, she will begin to quiet.