Baby

Getting your baby (and you) to sleep faster and more efficiently with the 5-10-15 method

Clinical case

Take Michael’s story, for example. He’s a healthy five-month-old baby, who is breastfed to sleep every night around 10 p.m. and wakes up every three hours to be fed. At 4 a.m., his exhausted mother brings him into her bed and the night ends at approximately 7:30 a.m. During the day, Michael takes several naps after being fed and when he’s taken for a ride in the car or the stroller.

First of all, five-month-old babies are ready to sleep for the entire night. In addition, keep in mind that, physiologically speaking; babies this age don’t need to be fed during the night, especially if they’ve started eating solid foods. Your baby is probably just asking to be fed because he or she doesn’t know any other way of falling asleep, but this habit needs to be gradually dissolved.

Another thing to remember is that bedtime routines are crucial and should always include a bath or thorough wash just before bed.

The 5-10-15 method

Finally, here is the big secret to a great night’s sleep. For starters, I suggest feeding your baby before taking a bath, in order to prevent him or her from falling asleep while feeding. You have to change the conditions in which your child falls asleep to make the routine easy to reproduce without you. Try replacing your physical presence with a comforting transitional object like a stuffed animal, a blanket or a piece of clothing that smells like you. 

Younger babies don’t tend to feel naturally attached to these types of objects, simply due to the fact that their parents do a far superior job at reassuring and taking care of them. However, it can still be useful to add a small toy (the size of your hand) or stuffed animal into your baby’s crib while he or she is still awake.

Avoid giving your baby a pacifier, as your child could become dependent on it to fall asleep. It won’t replace your presence and you’ll just have to put it back in his or her mouth during the night anyway. It would be better, if he or she has a big suction reflex, to place your baby’s fist next to his or her mouth.

Next, leave your child’s room and close the door for five minutes. That might seem like an eternity for parents, but remember, it’s not the case for your child.

When five minutes has elapsed, go back in the bedroom, and tell your little one that you love him or her and that it’s time to go to sleep. You can place the blanket or stuffed animal near your baby’s neck (your scent will be reassuring). Don’t stay in the room for more than a few moments, especially if your baby cries louder when you enter the room.

The next visit to your baby will be after 10 minutes, followed by a 15 minute visit until he or she falls asleep.

Variations

This technique can be used with shorter intervals, such as one, three and five minutes. The important thing is to increase the time between visits, in order to allow your child to develop his or her own strategies for falling asleep. With babies under four months, a parent can stay by the baby’s side while rubbing his or her back or sitting in a rocking chair until he or she falls asleep. The parent can then reduce the amount of intervention time every night until the baby learns to fall asleep on his or her own.


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