So now that you know what not do… let me give you some tips which will immediately help your baby’s sleep
Here’s the first tip: Laugh together. No, this isn’t a joke or some weird therapy
Laugher is your most powerful ally against the main reason why your child isn’t sleeping: Tension
You see, the world is a scary place for your baby. He doesn’t understand most things and thus anxiety and tension build up during his day
And when it’s time to sleep it keeps him awake or causes terrifying nightmares. No wonder he wakes up crying!
Psychologist Dr. Laura Markham calls it the child’s “Emotional Backpack”. And nothing will help them to release the tension faster than a healthy laugh
I’ll share the best ways to make your child laugh later in this presentation
Roberta Edwards put this one trick to the test and here’s what she wrote me:
“Mary-Ann, you really know what you’re talking about with that tension relief! My 14-months-old used to wake up 6 to 7 times before midnight. But now that he gets his giggles in he sleeps up to 9 hours straight. It’s truly a miracle. You’re the best!”
The second tip is about a common mistake I’ve been guilty of myself. It’s to get your little one go to bed late
You would think he’d be more tired making things easy for you. But you couldn’t be more wrong
Because once your child is up longer than he should, his body gets flushed by stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol
And they keep him going like a double espresso right before bedtime, sabotaging any attempts to put him to sleep. Never let it come so far!
The ideal bedtime for your child depends on his age and I’ll tell you all the details in a bit
But first, let’s talk about tip #3. And many of my friends laugh at me when I tell them about it. Because it is completely counter-intuitive
And yet it’s absolutely true
Your child falls asleep the fastest not in a quiet environment but in a noisy one
I know it sounds incredible… but hear me out. Because I’m not making this up. It’s a scientific fact proven in a little-known study done by the Queen Charlotte’s Hospital in London
Now keep in mind this isn’t just any noise Dr. Daniel Moran and his colleagues are talking about here. It’s a special noise and once you play it to your little one, he’ll feel safe and protected and fall asleep almost instantly
Maureen Simons describes her baby’s reaction this way:
“My 5-months-old Tammy was so clingy and needy we thought she’s never sleep without us holding and rocking her to sleep. But when we put your miracle sounds on, it was as though someone just flipped a switch. All of a sudden Tammy was giggling and calming down within minutes and she even fell asleep soon after. I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!”