Sitting Brings Sleeping

I was reminded today of the value of sitting with Baby before nap time. "Sitting" is included in The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems' recommended bed time or nap time routine for good reason. This is a wonderful time to cuddle with Baby and for him to begin settling for sleep.

The routine that Tracy Hogg recommends begins with "Setting the stage." To do this, I carry Baby to his room repeating the same phrases like "let's go up the stairs.... around the corner... and into your room." You can also do things like close the blinds, straighten his blankets in order to swaddle, or read a book.

Next comes "Sitting." This is when you sit holding Baby against your chest, perhaps with his head nestled into your shoulder or neck. The nestling is particularly valuable for little babies who can be too stimulated by looking around. The important thing about sitting is that you not jiggle or rock Baby. Just sit still and wait for him to relax against you. I sing a song while I do this. Our son usually begins to yawn or say "boo" or rub his face. That's just how he gets ready for sleep. Some babies may need to cry a little. Usually the time needed for sitting decreases as Baby learns the routine and gets better at getting ready to sleep. Hold Baby only until he's relaxed, but not actually asleep.

Then there's the "Swaddle." This is wrapping Baby up tightly and confining the arms of a small baby. Our son is nearing 7 months so we don't wrap up his arms as that would impede him going to sleep at this point. We do still wrap him below the arms because I think it's kind of like "tucking in" and helps send the "sleepy time" message. Some people drop the swaddle between 4-6 months, which is OK too. With a young baby it's very helpful though because Baby could startle himself with his own movements.

The last step is only if Baby isn't able to drift of on his own yet. It's called the "Shush-Pat." Hogg recommends saying "shhh" in Baby's ear while patting or rubbing his back or tummy. Young babies (under 3 months) can't think about very many things at once so the combination of the shush and the pat will often help him shut off the rest of his brain and fall asleep. Hogg doesn't recommend the Shush-Pat for babies over 6 months. Our son (7 months) is usually able to get to sleep on his own now, but I think the Shush-Pat would have helped when he was younger.

That "Sitting" step seems to help the whole thing go better. If Junior has had the chance to blow off his steam by fussing or zoning out for a while before I put him in his crib to get the rest of the way to sleep, he often drifts off sooner. My advice is not to rush that "sitting" step.

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