KEEP YOUR CHILD’s DOOR OPEN and MAKE NOISE!For adults, we often need complete silence for us to be able to fall asleep. Many of us where ear plugs so that we don’t hear the sounds of the house or our partners breathing. You would think that it would be the same for our sweet little ones BUT they actually prefer hearing the noises of the household. They feel comforted knowing that Mom and Dad are still nearby and that they haven’t “been locked away and abandoned”. I know it’s nerve wracking, but trust your child that they can either sleep through noise or perhaps wake up but then go back to sleep on their own. With time and practice, they will.
The same applies with white noise machines, fans and lullabies. It’s best not to use them as they can prevent your baby from learning strong sleep skills – to be able to fall asleep independently and then to get into the deeper stages of sleep.
My goal is that your sweet little ones perfect that this beautiful skill so that when the pressures of life start bearing down on them, such as starting school, it won’t affect their sleep. My other goal is that you will also have confidence that they will “sleep anywhere and for anybody!”
Please honour your children’s sleep but also your own life too by turning on the radio, banging around in the kitchen and talking on the phone. It’s all possible! Please share your comments and questions below.