What To Do If Your Baby Will Only Fall Asleep In Your Arms

Written by Mitha Shameer
Last Updated on

Babies live in the mother’s womb for nine months. The uterus acts as a cocoon by providing protection and comfort for the growing fetus. The womb hence becomes their first home, and as they are born, the mother’s arms become their second. The reason why babies love being in their mother’s arms is because of the warmth and love they get from the mother’s touch. They find it hard to get the same level of comfort in a crib, which could be probably why they don’t wish to sleep anywhere else.

Who Is At Fault?

Can we blame the baby for not sleeping comfortably in the crib? It might look like it’s the baby who is not ready to cooperate but it’s important to be patient and find what works for your little one. The baby puts all his trust in the mother and relies on her for comfort. The baby gets adapted to the arms of the caretaker. Hence the parents must understand that the baby should be put to bed from time to time so that he/she can find comfort in the crib as well.

Try A New Method Of Sleep Training

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Try to put your baby to sleep on the bassinet once he/she feels drowsy and is not completely asleep. They might begin to cry as soon as they are laid on the crib, but that’s okay. You can always pick them up, rock them to sleep, and lay them back to the crib. This might require a lot of patience and time, but the baby will eventually adapt to the new spot for sleeping. You can put your child to sleep in the crib and be around so that the baby knows that he/she is not left alone. You can pat the baby’s back to make them feel comfortable.

Make The Environment Baby-friendly

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Decorate the child’s room with colorful toys. Put bed sheets that are soft and cozy. Make the crib extraordinarily warm, so the baby feels that it’s still in the mother’s arms and hence sleeps comfortably. As the baby grows, he/she will get attracted by the different colors around them. This will also make them comfortable and used to being in their room.

You just need to be extremely patient with your child and understand that this is something that won’t happen overnight. The baby will get cranky, he will lose some sleep, but after a point, he will learn to find comfort in the new spot offered to him.

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Mothers might find it comfortable and joyful to keep their babies in their arms all the time, but eventually, they will get tired and will need to rest as well. Hence in such cases, the baby needs to learn to sleep in the crib. This will help the baby to adapt to an environment other than the mother’s arms. This practice will help the child to adjust to changes, and as the child grows up, he/she will be able to sleep in their room, all by themselves.

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Babies should not get neglected by their parents. But putting the child to bed doesn’t mean that the child loses the time he gets from his parents. The child’s social, cognitive, and emotional development will happen in an organic and healthy way when he/she gets love and attention from the parents. This will help them to form a strong bond with their family. Therefore having a balance is essential to help your child have a healthy growth.

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