Sleep Props

Have you ever met anyone who needs white noise to fall asleep? Maybe you take your best naps riding in the car (hopefully someone else is driving!). What pregnant woman hasn't heard the tip about putting the baby's carseat on the dryer to get him to sleep? All these are sleep props.

A sleep prop is anything a parent or caregiver does to help a baby fall asleep that inhibits his ability to self-soothe. Rocking or nursing a baby to sleep or giving him a car ride are all common sleep props.

The problem with these practices is that when Baby wakes prematurely, he can't re-create that soothing scene on his own. Parents in search of continuous nighttime sleep or good solid naps must have as their goal teaching self-soothing. Thumb or finger sucking is an example of self-soothing. This is something the child does for himself, so if he wakes early or has trouble drifting off, he can help himself.

Other self soothing methods include a blanket or lovey that the child adopts or a pacifier that the child is able to replace on his own.

By all means, continue to sing, rock, read to, and cuddle your baby before bed or nap. Just remember to put him to bed still awake so that he can figure out the drifting off part of sleep on his own.

RESOURCES

Babywise

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer (see for more on pacifiers)