How to Teach Your Baby To Self Soothe

No parent likes to hear their baby cry. One of my friends used to sprint up the steps as soon as her son began to whimper. But, after many sleepless nights, she knew enough was enough. Her doctor suggested she start to sleep train him, in order to get him to self-soothe. Since she was a first time mom, she had no idea what he meant. So, she read up on the strategy and was so happy to say that she not only got awesome results; but her son is an amazing sleeper to this day (he’s two and a half!). Here are the step by step instructions for getting your baby to self-soothe.

Be patient. This is important. Your baby is not going to get the concept of self-soothing immediately. On average, expect it to take up to two weeks.
Be consistent When you place your baby in their crib, consistently do and say the same thing every time. A good idea my friend used to do was turn on her baby's air purifier for background noise, kiss him on his cheek, and say, “It’s time to sleep. Good night. Love you.” Then, walk out of the room.
Don’t get emotional. If your baby sees you getting angry or sad, they will get upset. If you are overly expressive and vocal when putting them down, they may run with that cue and stay wide awake. Keep your voice neutral, not sounding happy or angry; and most importantly; quiet and calm.
Wait it Out The first time your baby cries, wait five minutes before going in the room. Follow step number two, and walk out. Repeat this process for the first night. Yes, this means you may be in that nursery 10 times. But, eventually, your child will calm down and fall asleep on their own. The second night, repeat the process but wait 10 minutes before going in the room. The third night, wait 15 minutes (and so on).
No Pacifier The whole point of self-soothing is to have your baby calm themselves down without the help of anything. Once they learn they are in a safe environment and you are close by, they will accept the situation and stop crying (and sleep-woo hoo!).

***We are not doctors, please be sure to discuss this with your pediatrician before trying.