Make your visits brief and boring but supportive. Don't stay in the room longer than one minute. Don't turn on the lights. Act sleepy. Whisper, "Shhh, everyone's sleeping."
Do not remove your child from the crib. Do not feed, rock, or play with your baby, or bring her to your bed. This brief contact will not reward your baby enough for her to want to continue the behavior.
* For crying during the middle of the night, temporarily hold your baby until asleep. Until your child learns how to put herself to sleep at naps and bedtime, make the middle of the night awakenings as easy as possible.
If she doesn't fuss more than five or 10 minutes, respond as you do at bedtime.
Otherwise, take your crying child out of the crib and hold her until she falls asleep. However, don't turn on the lights or take her out of the room.
Try not to talk to her very much. Often this goes better if Dad goes in.
* After this last feeding of the day at 9 to 10 pm, feed your baby only once during the night.
Provide this nighttime feeding only if four or more hours have passed since the last feeding. Make this nighttime feeding boring and brief (no longer than 20 minutes). Stop it before your child falls asleep, and replace it with holding only.
* Stop giving your baby any bottle in bed. If you feed your child at bedtime, don't let her hold the bottle.
Also feed your child in a different room than the bedroom. Try to separate mealtime and bedtime.
If your baby needs to suck on something to help her go to sleep, offer a pacifier or help her find her thumb.
* Help your child attach to a security object. A security (transitional) object is something that helps a waking child go to sleep. It comforts your child and helps your child to separate from you. A cuddly stuffed animal or doll, other soft toy, or blanket can be a good security object. Sometimes covering a stuffed animal with one of the mother's T-shirts helps a child accept it.
* Include the security object whenever you cuddle or rock your child during the day. Also include it in your ritual before bedtime by weaving it into your storytelling. Tuck it into the crib next to your child. Eventually, your child will hold and cuddle the stuffed animal or doll at bedtime in place of you.
* Phase out the nighttime feeding.
Phase out the nighttime feeding only after the time between daytime feedings is more than 3 hours and your child can put herself to sleep without feeding or rocking.
Gradually, reduce the amount you feed your baby at night. Decrease the amount of formula you give a bottle-fed baby by 1 ounce every two to three nights. Nurse a breast-fed baby on just one side and reduce the time by 2 minutes every two to three nights.
After 1 to 2 weeks, your baby will no longer crave food at night and should be able to go back to sleep without holding or rocking.
* Move the crib to another room. If the crib is in your bedroom, move it to a separate room. If this is impossible, cover one of the side rails with a blanket so your baby can't see you when she wakes up.
* Avoid long naps during the day. If your baby has napped for more than 2 hours, wake her up. If she has the habit of taking three naps during the day, try to change the habit to two naps each day.
* Change wet diapers during the night judiciously. Change the diaper only if it is soiled or you are treating a bad diaper rash. If you must change your child's diaper, use as little light as possible (e.g., a flashlight), do it quickly, and don't provide any entertainment.
* If your child is standing up in the crib at bedtime, you can leave her in that position.
* Try to get your child to settle down and lie down. If she refuses or pulls herself back up, leave her that way. She can lie down without your help. Encouraging your child to lie down soon becomes a game. (MTM)
