Can Rocking Your Baby to Sleep Make Them Dependent?
Why does your baby like being rocked to sleep? Think about it: Baby just spent 40 weeks in the tight space of the womb. Itâs the only home theyâve ever known, and little one has gotten used to the lifestyle there...complete with constant jiggles and sounds! Amazingly, all this commotion doesnât upset babies. Instead, they find it soothing.
Babies Need a Fourth Trimester
After years of caring for fussy babies, it dawned on me that babies cry because they leave the womb three months too soon! Compare human babies to cows, camels, and horses who can walk, even run, on their first day of life. Our newborns canât do any of that. They arenât totally ready for this world yet! And thatâs why itâs almost unfair to deprive babies of the soothing womb sensationsâlike rockingâthat theyâve always depended on for calming and sleep. So, instead of shunning rocking, give your little one a virtual fourth trimester and watch their crying lessen and happiness grow.
Is rocking your baby to sleep bad?
The answer is No. When your baby is fresh out of the womb, they crave rocking to help them stay calm and sleep. Rocking your baby is a good thing!
When Parents Need Help Rocking Baby to Sleep
As a new parent, itâs not really feasible to be a walking uterus for your baby! You simply canât spend 24/7 holding, feeding, and nurturing your baby just as the body automatically did for nine months! And the truth is, as hard as youâre working, from Babyâs POV, even 12 hours a day of cuddles is a dramatic reduction from what they got âon the inside!â
And thatâs one of the reasons we created SNOO Smart Sleeper. Our smart bassinet gives babies the sensations they craveâwhile also giving parents a break. In SNOO, your baby is swaddled and calmed by that snug feeling they loved in the belly. Theyâre also soothed by white noise and SNOOâs gentle womb-like rocking motion. The result? SNOO helps babies drift off to sleep faster...and for longer stretches than other bassinets. And regarding Babyâs dependance on rocking...SNOO actually teaches your baby to self-soothe and gradually weans them off sound and motion by 6 months.
For even more insight into rocking Baby, check out Why Rocking Bassinets Soothe Babies.
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