How to teach a child to sleep alone

Sleep is one of the most important components of human life. Perhaps, only food intake can be compared in importance with it. In a dream, the body recovers from what it has experienced during the day, it rests and prepares for the next day. The sleep of a child is even more important than that of an adult. Children have a lot more events and stress during the day than their parents. Therefore, it is important to know everything about proper baby sleep. A frequently encountered problem that requires careful consideration is the question of young mothers about sharing and separate sleep with their baby.

Up to what age is it normal to sleep with a child?

Mothers who put their toddler in bed with them do so for a variety of reasons. Someone does not want to get up several times a night to feed the baby, while someone is worried about the emotional state of the baby. No one can give you an unambiguous answer to the question of the benefits or harms of sleeping with a child. You must decide for yourself what is best for your child and what is worse.

However, there are some generally accepted rules to speculate about.

• The first couple of months of life, the baby does not understand that he is a separate person and thinks that his mother and he are one.
• From two months to six, the baby cannot make independent movements. He does not eat anything except his mother's milk and is very attached to her.
• After six months they start cut teeth, complementary foods are introduced. The kid can become moody. He can wake up many times at night and suckle.
• After 1 year, many mothers do not stop breastfeeding their baby. This often lasts up to 2 years. During this period, too, it is not yet worth weaning the baby from sleeping with you.

After weaning, you can transfer the baby to your crib overnight. It won't be a huge stress for him. However, after the baby stops eating mother's milk, many parents leave him to sleep with them, since 3-4 years old is a time of night fears.

If mom and dad are satisfied with a joint dream with a child, then there is no need to prevent this. Let the baby enjoy the embrace of loving parents. There is no scientific evidence for the dangers of sleeping together. On the contrary, there are research results according to which children who come to their parents' bed at the age of 6-7 years due to lack of attention, affection, did not sleep with their mother in infancy.

How to stop a child from sleeping with their parents

The ideal option for young parents would be if the baby himself wants to sleep separately. But, if this did not happen, then you need to be prepared for a carefully thought out process of weaning. He should not injure the immature psyche of the crumbs.

First you need to try to interest the baby in a new, his own bed. Today there are a huge number of options for baby beds. There are in the form of cars, locks. Instead of a ladder, there is a slide. In general, the more interesting the crib is, the more likely it is that the baby will happily sleep in it.

Another good compromise can be a crib moved to the parent. You only need to remove one wall and adjust the height. Over time, you can move the crib to a distance that is comfortable for you and your baby. Gradually, he will wean himself from sleeping together.

You and your child should have a certain ritual, after which the baby goes to bed. These actions will tune the baby to a restful sleep and give him confidence.

When the baby moves to another room, it is better for mom to sleep with him for a while. Because he may develop fears. Most often, a child at this age develops a fear of the dark, which can be dealt with with the help of a night light.

You can use another option: to put the baby with you, and then transfer to the crib. If the baby's sutra reacts calmly to this, then everything is in order.

For some children, it is enough that the mother will sit next to him until he falls asleep. Children feel the smell of their mother and, if it disappears, then the baby begins to get nervous.

The child does not want to sleep in his crib - what to do

If the child does not want to sleep in his crib, then he is not ready for this yet. His fragile psyche can be disturbed if you force him to sleep alone. Let the baby enjoy the embrace of his beloved parents for some time. After a while, you will try again to wean the baby from sleeping together.

The main problem because of which children do not want to sleep in a separate bed is fear. If the fear of the dark is easy to eliminate using a night light, then the feeling of loneliness is more difficult. The child needs to be explained that the parents are always there, and even more so at night. That is, the baby needs to be reassured. This is facilitated by the observance of the daily regimen, the ritual before bedtime, fairy tales, calm music, airing the room, hugging beloved parents.

However, you can take actions that may interest your child. In addition to a beautiful bed, a children's bed also plays an important role. For example, you can choose bed linen with your favorite heroes of the baby and tell the baby what they protect during sleep, and if the child sleeps with his parents, the heroes will be bored.

Before going to bed, it is important to calm the child down, explain that mom and dad will be there and he can come at any time. Even if the baby sleeps in the crib for only a few hours, it will be a big breakthrough for him, and over time he will get used to it and will be able to sleep alone.

Parents should always listen to their feelings. If they believe that it is too early for the child to sleep, then it should be so. Children want to feel the support, care of their parents, and when, if not at such a young age, mom and dad can enjoy such sincere emotions of their child.