Stevie Trujillo
Sleep Shaping How to establish healthy sleep habits for baby
Sleep shaping, sleep hygiene and sleep conditioning are terms for essentially the same thing: establishing a healthy sleep routine and environment from the start that support a good night’s rest for baby and parents. The goal with each is to create sleep associations that babies have throughout development, helping them fall asleep independently from the beginning. Your baby may want to nurse or rock to sleep, but baby will need to be weaned from those things at some point. Don’t get me wrong, rocking is a necessary and recommended way to soothe your baby, but it should be used as a tool, not a crutch. If you rely on this method every time, it’s the only way she’ll be able to fall asleep. Habits are very easy to start, but much harder to break. Sleep conditioning, shaping and hygiene are not to be confused with sleep training, which comes into play when healthy habits haven’t been established from the start and it’s necessary to break unhealthy habits. Start baby (and parents) off on the right foot with the following tips. Consider the use of an overnight doula for additional support, if needed.
12 • SanDiegofamily.com • Baby & Toddlers Guide 2023
Rules for Healthy Sleep Habits when Baby First Comes Home: • Allow baby to fully wake up before trying to soothe or pick her up from the crib or bassinet. • Do not use feeding as a way to calm baby down. Feed baby if she is hungry or because it is feeding time. Overfeeding can cause baby challenges in the long run, such as digestive issues or dependency on food to calm down when stressed. • After feeding, baby should be fully satisfied and should not need a pacifier. Very rarely do babies need a pacifier after a full feed. If baby is still rooting after a feed, it’s possible she has discomfort and needs to be burped, she is still hungry, or she is tired and is relying on suck to sleep. If this happens, try to burp baby first, then try to offer breast or bottle again to see if she is still hungry before offering the pacifier as a last resort. • Put baby to sleep for naps and bedtime without a pacifier. Use pacifiers as a way to soothe babies; do not make baby dependent on the pacifier to stay asleep. If baby needs a pacifier to soothe to sleep, that’s OK, but if the pacifier falls out, let it be. Don’t keep putting it back into baby’s mouth.
