Every new parent's been through the drill – you've just tiptoed away from your sleeping baby in the cot and are about to nod off yourself when the crying starts again.
Should you stay with them constantly or leave them to cry it out? It's one of the most hotly debated parenting issues there is, reports The Mirror, and even before the baby is born, expectant parents are swamped with tips and advice on how to find the right sleep technique.
However, blogger and mum Emily-Jane Clark has hit the headlines this week after coming up with some top bed-time tips which are actually achievable, to help you tackle the sleep struggles.
In her blog How to Survive a Sleep Thief, Emily outlines her 'G.O.T.O.S.L.E.E.P' method which she says worked for her children, and says she was inspired to write it because 'I believe parents need to know that it is totally normal for babies to wake up at night'.
"They will sleep alone eventually – that is a fact," says Emily.
Here are her top tips for getting baby to sleep:
1. Get yourself ready for bed
Babies can take anything up to take several hours to fall asleep, so you need to be comfortable and ready to slip straight into your own bed with your baby once you have given up trying to put them down in the cot.
2. Organisation
This is key to a successful bedtime. Before you even begin your routine empty your bladder and ensure your smart phone is fully charged.
Trying to get your baby to sleep is a good opportunity to enjoy some quality screen time. You may be trapped in a dark room with a baby but you have the world at your fingertips.
3. Transfer Ready
Is your baby drowsy but awake?
Then she is NOT Transfer Ready. Wait until she is in a deep sleep. Then wait another ten minutes, just to be sure.
Recent studies have revealed that 98% of babies believe that self-soothing is b******, says Emily.
4. Only you
If your baby refuses to sleep anywhere other than ON you, then rest assured this is completely normal.
The solution is simple. You must drink lots of coffee until the phase passes.
5. Sleep crutch
It is very useful to make a rod for your own back by creating a sleep crutch for your child. If your baby will only sleep in bed with you; let them (although, this is not advisable if you smoke, drink alcohol or sleep on a bed of nails etc etc).
If they will only settle after a feed; then feed them. If you need to rock or sing them into dreamland – do it. These popular sleep-crutches have been successfully getting babies to sleep for thousands of years.
6. Learn not to sleep
Trying to get a baby to sleep when you have been awake for THREE long days is tough, but do not fear!
Babies are highly adept at training their parents NOT to sleep through the night. Eventually your body will become accustomed to the sleepless nights and despite what Google may tell you at 4am – you will NOT die of sleep-deprivation.
7. Eye contact
It is very important that you make eye contact with your baby when settling them at night.
That adoring look they give you at 2am is often the ONLY thing that will help you make it through the night.
8. Escape
The baby is finally asleep! Sleeping babies have the ability to sense when their parent is about to leave the room.
To avoid waking the baby you must exit with extreme caution. Do not breathe, do not rush and whatever happens do NOT look back.
9. Pour yourself a glass of wine
Your work is done. Relax (for about 15 minutes until the baby wakes up again).
Repeat this method every night and rest assured you WILL enjoy a good night’s sleep again, at one point.
Emily has now put all of her parenting musings into a book, Sleep is for the Weak How To Survive When Your Baby Won't Go The F**K to Sleep, available on Amazon .
She is also the creator of How to Survive a Sleep Thief – an antithesis to baby sleep advice. She is currently writing a humorous book on survival for tired parents.
