It's nice to hug your own newborn baby on a dark night. The baby knows that nothing will happen to him, he feels the warmth and care of his mother. But now your child grows up, becomes older and stronger, and you understand that it is time for him to sleep in a separate bed. But the baby does not want to, he refuses to sleep alone and strives to crawl under the covers to mom and dad. What to do?
Usually the child is taught to sleep separately at the age of 8-9 months. But it's okay if your baby is much older. It happens that up to three years old a child sleeps with his parents. Most often this arises due to the weakness of the parents themselves, who indulge their child and allow him to "crawl" into the parental bed.
If the baby flatly refuses to sleep alone, find out the reason for this. Maybe he is afraid of the dark or afraid to be alone. In the first case, you should leave the night light on. In the second, the mother should sit next to the baby in the crib until he falls asleep. If the first time it is long enough, the child may not fall asleep for an hour, then these periods will become shorter and shorter.
Before going to bed, it's good to come up with some kind of ritual. For example, reading books or singing songs, a short story, lulling your favorite toys. The main thing is to put the child to bed at the same time, so that he has a habit of falling asleep.
At first, mom or dad can fall asleep side by side, in the same crib, unless, of course, the bed is not with high sides. However, for the first time, such a solution may be a good option: the baby falls asleep in the crib with his parents, and then he is transferred to his bed.
If a child wakes up at night and calls his parents or wants to get into your bed, then these attempts must be resolutely stopped. You need to sit next to the baby, cover him, say a few sweet words, bring milk, etc. But in no case should you take it in your arms and, moreover, transfer it to yourself under the barrel.
A soft toy can be a good help in teaching your child to sleep in a separate bed. Leaving the baby alone, "entrust" any toy - a dog, a pussy or someone else, to guard the crib. Soon your child will learn to sleep with a soft toy and will feel parental warmth through it.
