Getting a baby to sleep for longer stretches at night is like trying to find a movie the whole family can agree on: You’ve heard about it happening to other people, but from where you’re standing, it feels impossible. Carrie Bruno, a registered nurse who leads a team devoted to helping parents successfully feed their babies, shared a sleeping tip in a recent TikTok that might seem controversial to some but promises quality zzzzs for your little one (and you).
@the.mama.coach The trick to better baby sleep? The diaper! You read that right! Let me know what you think and somenof your favourite baby sleep hacks! #newbaby #newmama #sleepybaby #babysleeptips #babysleephacks #babysleep #parentingtips #babytips
♬ original sound – Carrie Bruno RN, IBCLC, MSCP
Her suggestion is simple. She recommends changing your child’s diaper right after a feeding. Before shaking your head, consider her logic: “Most parents look at me like I have lost my mind, but it will help your baby sleep longer stretches. Let me tell you why. If you are using the principles of effective feeding, meaning you’ve watched for those big sucks and swallows and you end the feed before your baby falls asleep, that is helping move feeding away from sleep.” In other words, your baby will stop associating eating with sleeping.
Bruno explains that putting your baby back in their crib or bassinet while awake teaches them to recognize their surroundings. When they wake up after a sleep cycle, they’ll know where they are and (eventually) understand it’s still time to sleep, not get up and eat.
“Imagine if you went to sleep in your bedroom and woke up on the front lawn. It would be very startling. Your baby is the same way. If you feed them all the way to sleep or even to drowsy (stage one of sleep) and put them in their crib, they’ll be startled when they wake. And all babies wake in between sleep cycles. So if you do the extra step—change their diaper and put them in their crib—they might need help, and that’s okay—you shush them, pet their bum, stay with them till they fall asleep, you will see your baby sleep longer stretches,” she says.
Related: Baby Sleep Coach Shares Her Top Tips for Stopping 5 A.M. Wake-Ups
At a certain point past the newborn stage, allowing a baby to fall asleep during feeding causes issues like sucking to sleep association, the inability to self-soothe, and ongoing disrupted sleep for both the baby and the infant, per VeryWell Family. This is why Bruno’s tip is essential: “It teaches your baby to feed when they’re hungry and sleep when they’re tired. I am a huge proponent of changing the diaper after feeds because it makes a difference. So try it. Try it for a few nights and see what happens,” she says. We say, why not?
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