I caught a segment of a programme on TV this morning where they were exploring all the new baby gadgets available for parents to buy. The innovation is amazing (as were the price tags!), but it made me think about how vulnerable we are as new parents to unintentionally establishing sleep crutches in our children, when all we want to do is our best!
There is nothing wrong with cuddling, rocking, snuggling, singing, patting, stroking or feeding a newborn to sleep. They are your baby and they’re only little for a matter of months – ENJOY THEM!
The issues only start later when those methods – crutches we call them – become the only way in which your child will sleep. As a Sleep Consultant, the youngest age at which I’ll offer a sleep plan is 18wks – before that you can sleep shape, but there’s no real benefit in teaching a baby to self-settle any earlier.
And so the things that show was exploring – a Ewan the Sheep that restarts whenever your little one starts crying, or a device that jiggles the pram to keep your little one snoozing – are all brilliant for helping your newborn baby get all the sleep they need for happy, healthy development but do be wary if you’re rushing out to buy that that they don’t become the obstacle to quality sleep as your little one gets older.
For more advice on how to sleep shape or sleep train your baby, get in touch – I’d love to help!
Lucy Barker Sleep Consultant 