Understanding your child’s temperament will help you choose a sleep coaching technique that is well suited to your child and may give you an idea of how to implement your plan in a way that help her learn sleep skills easier and faster.
- Does your baby take a long time to get used to changes? (may need to take gradual steps)
- Is your baby very sensitive or clingy? (Baby may need help feeling confident at bedtime and comfortable with crib and room first)
- Is your baby extra alert, social or curious? Does your baby show intense reactions? Is he highly distractible when nursing or feeding? (may not do well with a face to face technique, may need extra help to quiet his busy mind)
- Is your child fairly easy going? (will likely do well with any technique)
- Is your baby very active? (may be very wiggly and futz about in the crib more before falling asleep. May need more of a wind down time before bed. May be easier to put down asleep or very drowsy for younger babies)
- Is your baby slow to warm up to new situations or is he clingy or pulls back when faced with new people or situations. (May need longer bedtime routine or last steps in his room to give him time to get used to the idea of falling asleep)
- Is he very persistent and remain focused on a task or learning a new skill? (You may see that he continues to practice new skills such as rolling, crawling or sitting at night, causing frequent night disturbances. Offering lots of opportunity to practice in the daytime will help)
- Do changes cause your baby to get upset, clingy or protest? (May need to be nursed or comforted for a long time before he can settle at night and have a calming and predictable bedtime routine. May cry when he wakes if his environment or location has changed)
- Is your baby very sensitive to sounds, textures, lights as well as your mood? (More sensitive babies may have more disturbed sleep when teething. You will need to read her cues to determine what makes things better and what worse. Environment must be just right in order to fall asleep and stay asleep. Make sure you calm yourself before bedtime so you can download that calm into your baby. She will pick up on your relaxed and positive attitude and get the message from you that it is safe to sleep)
Posted in: 12 steps