Nowadays it is increasingly common to hear that parents learn about their children’s sleep and look for all the necessary tools to promote good habits. If you are one of those parents, you probably know the importance of implementing sleep routines; they help create healthy habits that promote security and tranquility in babies. But, unfortunately, you may be making one of the most common mistakes parents made, and you probably haven’t realized.
If we want sleep to become a habit, we must apply consistency. One of the most common mistakes when starting sleep routines is a lack of consistency. So that the little ones can predict their day-to-day activities and thus get used to going to sleep at the same time, it is necessary to maintain fixed schedules. Remember! This doesn’t mean you have to change all your plans, especially on the weekend; it is about prioritizing sleep and being flexible when the occasion arises. To maintain routines and schedules, it is necessary to know which are the sleep windows of your baby.
Another frequent mistake, which surely has happened to you, is allowing your little ones to fall asleep in the middle of the routine. When we let our baby fall asleep while feeding him or reading him a book, he will feel scared or confused about being in a different place if he wakes during the night in his crib. Your baby will don’t understand why, if he had fallen asleep in your arms, for example, then wakes up in a completely different place. It is essential to have sleep routines, but they are just as important as being consistent and finishing them every day.
Therefore, the key for children to start sleeping independently is to place them in their crib or bed when they are still awake, so they will begin to recognize that space as their safe place to sleep. Therefore, if they wake up in the middle of the night, they will fall asleep easily.
