self settling

What is self settling?

Self settling is when your baby can put themself to sleep at the start of nap or bedtime. This is a great skill for them to learn because it shows confidence in their sleep space. It can also be a really helpful skill to teach if they are going to be out of their comfort zone, like on holiday or starting nursery. When babies are ill or teething, self settling can go out the window but that’s ok! Just offer support and reassurance when they are under the weather, and then get them back on track when they are better.

Here are my top tips for self settling :

• 4-6 months is a good age to start practicing self settling

• use a settling technique that suits you and your baby, use a high support method to start off with to ease your baby into it. Something like the ‘Pick up Put down’ method can work really well

• if you are currently rocking to sleep, then habit stacking is a really helpful and gentle way to introduce a new method, and then take an old method away. For example : rock your baby to sleep as usual, but add in patting and shhhing at the same time. Patting and shhhing can be done while your baby is in their sleep space. Overtime you can lessen the shhhing and patting and see how your baby reacts. Eventually they will need less and less support from you.

• using a comforter can be a really helpful way to build up your baby’s confidence around self settling. It’s also a positive sleep association that can be part of their nap and bedtime routine. If your baby is under 12 months, then the advice is to take their comforter away when they fall asleep for safe sleep.