Wake to Sleep-Technique

Wake to Sleep Technique

From “The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems” by Tracy Hogg

Published by Random House in 2005

p.191-192

Set your clock an hour earlier than your baby usually wakes and go into his room. Jostle him gently, rub his belly a bit, and stick a dummy in his mouth – all of which will help stir him into semi-consciousness. Then, leave. He'll fall back to sleep. This gives you the control, rather than your sitting around hoping that your baby's habit will magically go away (it won't). By waking him an hour early, you'll disrupt his pattern.

So, let's say you've ruled out other causes such as pain or discomfort. You've also eliminated hunger... Instead of lying there waiting for her to wake up, set your clock an hour earlier than her habitual waking time and you wake her (see above). She probably won't wake up completely, but her little eyes may dart back and forth under her lids, she'll murmur and move a bit, just as an adult would it you interrupted his deep sleep. Do this for three nights in a row.

I can just hear your response: “You must be out of your mind!” I realise that wake-to-sleep is a shockingly counterintuitive suggestion, but it does work! Sometimes, in fact, it only takes one night to break the habit, but I recommend that you keep it up for three nights nonetheless. If it doesn't work, you have to reevaluate whether her habitual waking is due to another cause. If you've ruled everything else out, do this wake-to-sleep technique for at least another three days.