How To Teach A Baby To Sleep Through The Night

The arrival of a baby puts parents to the test, especially newbies. Sleeping through the night becomes a challenge, but the solution may be easier than you think thanks to co-sleeping.

One of the best ways to teach your baby to sleep through the night is by co-sleeping. The issue is not without controversy, since there are both people in favor and against this method, but the truth is that more and more families practice co-sleeping with their children.

In Spanish-speaking countries, there are parents who prefer to sleep with their babies, while for others it is a taboo. In countries like the United Kingdom, Sweden, China and Japan, co-sleeping is common.

But thanks to the fact that methods of teaching babies to sleep alone became fashionable, parents are now concerned about  teaching their children to sleep, as if sleeping is not a natural process of every human being.

Is it possible to teach the baby to sleep?

To teach the baby to sleep, there are the Ferber and Estivill methods. These methods fulfill the initial promise, teaching the little ones to sleep alone, without the closeness of the mother, which is what the baby naturally seeks.

The proposals of these methodologies aim at teaching the baby to sleep alone, in a room other than the mother’s, silent, in an environment that is not at all like the narrow and noisy space in which he slept while in the womb.

They also recommend leaving the little one crying until he calms down or, finally, falls asleep from fatigue. However, Rosa Jové in her book  Sleeping without tears , points out that this practice can be an  emotional shock  for the little one and is “taught” that crying makes no sense, so to speak, since the mother will not attend to her call.

Many pediatricians tell new parents, especially new parents, that they should teach the baby to sleep with methods such as those mentioned. They expose the baby to stressful nights, when co-sleeping may be the most respectful option for the baby’s sleep cycles and needs.

Why is co-sleeping more natural?

The baby spent a good part of 40 weeks of gestation sleeping inside the mother’s womb. So the little one knows how to sleep, so there is not much else to teach him; learned to sleep in a noisy and moving environment.

The mother was walking, exercising, going up or down stairs or in the car, and the baby was sleeping. The little one listened to his mother’s voice speaking or the noises of blood circulation, digestion or breathing, and fell asleep.

At birth, the child needs to hear his mother’s heart and smell her skin, so he cries if he is not in contact with her. Even when co-sleeping may be the best option to ensure the baby’s peace of mind, many mothers choose to leave it in a separate room.

Young mammals always sleep next to their mother. However, the human species, the most rational, is the only one that separates its young before it is ready to become independent. Strange paradox, don’t you think?

But does co-sleeping put the baby at risk?

There are many myths surrounding co-sleeping and letting your baby cry to help him learn to fall asleep. It is said that if the parents run every time the baby cries, it is “spoiled”, or that the baby can die “crushed” by their parents while they sleep together.

In countries like Japan or China, babies sleep with their parents until around 5 or 6 years of age. And this is evidenced by this study carried out by researchers from the University of the Republic, Uruguay. These parents do not consider either that they should teach the baby to sleep or that they will leave him alone in a room other than theirs. In the United Kingdom or Sweden, western countries, co-sleeping is also practiced.

In fact, deaths from sudden death syndrome (infants die suddenly) are very rare in these countries. These episodes are common in those little ones who sleep apart from their parents.

What do the specialists say?

Margot Sunderland says in her book The Science of Parenting  that co-sleeping favors children and helps them grow into healthy and calm adults. This child psychologist is on the governing body of the London Center for Children’s Mental Health and has published more than 20 books.

Training your baby to sleep only from the first few weeks after birth triggers stress hormones, Sunderland says.  Co-sleeping up to 5 years is the best option for this specialist. This is justified since, up to this age, children experience separation anxiety, even to later ages.

Similarly, Nils Bergman, pediatrician and neonatologist who created the Kangaroo method for the care of premature babies, agrees with the British. His thesis is that the baby needs to be skin-to-skin with his mother.

When separated from the mother, a state of anguish and despair is triggered; the hormones released by this action are harmful to the baby’s brain. Thus,  p ara Bergman, co – sleeping should be practiced at least until the first 3 years of life.

 What are the advantages of co-sleeping?

• Babies feel safer and more protected. When the little one cries in the middle of the night, his mother is by his side to give him the comfort he needs and to help him get back to sleep.
• Mom and baby rest better. Since the baby wakes up several times a night, if he sleeps in the same room, the awakenings are milder. If he sleeps in the same bed or in a co-sleeping crib, just feeling you close will make him fall asleep again.
• There are no risks of being crushed by parents. On the contrary, parents are more attentive to any needs of the baby.
• If he needs to be breastfed, he can be taken care of quickly since you will not have to stop and go to the room where he is. That is, as evidenced by this article published in Primary Care Pediatrics , it facilitates night-time breastfeeding.
• The night cries almost disappeared. The stress levels are lower ; the general well-being of the baby is much higher, so everyone in the household sleeps better.
• If you are a working mother, when you come home after several hours away from your baby, he demands your closeness. If you breastfeed it, you will see it latched onto your breast. Co-sleeping allows them to make up the time they were not together and to strengthen emotional ties.

Teaching the baby to sleep thanks to co-sleeping

Sleeping with the family is a beautiful experience ; it’s worth giving yourself a chance to experience it. Evaluate it before subjecting your child to the stress of teaching him to sleep in a different room.

You can trust that all the baby’s protective instincts will be on alert  while you sleep together. It does not apply in cases in which the parents are addicted to alcohol or drugs, since they can lose consciousness and harm the child.

By co-sleeping, you will be available to provide the security and love that your baby needs. In this way, he can grow up healthy and happy. In addition, it is the best alternative for your brain to develop its full potential.