Babies must eventually learn how to sleep away from their
mothers. This transition takes some time, and new parents can
help by establishing good sleeping habits for their newborns.
The added benefit of creating good sleep habits for the baby is
that parents also get more rest!

Most recommendations focus on developing routines and habits
for babies that encourage them to associate sleeping with
nighttime. The sooner parents can get their children to
associate bedtime with sleeping, the more likely the children
will be able to go to sleep without making a fuss.

However, the transition period, the time that exists between
being awake and going to sleep, is often overlooked in these
recommendations. Several techniques can be applied during this
period.

One technique is known as “fathering down.” Just before putting
the baby into the bed, the father should cradle his baby so that
the baby’s head lies on the father’s neck. The father should
talk to his child gently. Babies are often soothed by a male
voice because it is deeper than the female voice, and they may
fall asleep more easily after hearing the father’s voice for a
time.

Another technique is called “wearing down.” This can be
especially effective if a baby has been active all day and is
too excited to be put to bed easily. Put the baby in a sling or
carrier and “wear” him or her for approximately 30 minutes
before bedtime. Perform your usual tasks. The baby will
experience an easier transition from wakefulness to sleep
because of being close to you and being slowly rocked by your
general movements before bedtime.

If these techniques fail, you may want to try “driving down.”
This is a method of last resort and involves putting the baby
in the car and driving around for a period of time until the
baby falls asleep. While this method is somewhat inconvenient,
it is usually effective. If you need some well-deserved rest,
“driving down” is an attractive option.

Of course, you don’t want to get into the habit of driving the
baby around in the car every night! And you don’t want to
always carry the baby in sling before bed to encourage sleep.
The idea is to use these techniques and slowly ease away from
them. You should only use them during the major transition that
your new baby experiences when he or she has never slept alone
before. The baby does not know how to handle the transition, so
you must teach him or her how to go from being awake to being
asleep. These transition techniques can gradually be eliminated
as the baby learns good bedtime habits, and both you and the
baby can then have a good night’s sleep!

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