How do you teach baby to self soothe?
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13 weeks is very young to be able to self soothe. My little boy just turned 9 months and only has just started to self soothe, prior to that rocking, singing, patting were the only ways we could get him to sleep. They actually learn to self soothe from being soothed so I would continue with the rocking etc, he will get there eventually.
Thank you for your comments. It’s really reassuring as I wasn’t sure if we were doing it all wrong 🥰.
My favourite reminder... "No one works harder than a baby sleep consult". Don't get consumed with all the BS advice
Even being fed to sleep is totally normal, that is such a beautifully soothing thing for a baby! I’m doing exactly as you’re doing and trying to let the bs go! We have so much pressure on us to train our babies faster than they can develop and it’s just too much and unrealistic. Yes it may work for some babies but all babies are different. Maybe some parents get lucky with early sleep habits, others will be lucky with other aspects. There’s no such thing as a perfect baby! The putting down drowsy thing is dubbed the golden rule so much but it doesn’t ’work’ to get them a long independent nap. I think maybe it helps for the long term perhaps but I don’t think it’s necessary this early as it often just results in distress for everyone!
I didn’t sleep train till 6 months but prime time for sleep training is 4 months. And the screaming and crying was horrible but worked by day 3. I used the Ferber method. Feed, burp, read a book, cuddles, lay down drowsy. Leave the room. Come back in 7 minutes, settle him down, lay back down walk away. Repeat till asleep. You can slowly start increasing the time between each intervention.
What helped us was to actually stimulate our baby by playing or walking to different rooms, however, each baby is different. It takes time to get to know him and what works best. You're doing great, without the pacifier it may be a bit more challenging but you're doing great mama. Best of luck!