Comfort settling

Transcript

Narrator: Before attempting any responsive settling technique, it is important you follow SIDS and Kids guidelines by always placing your baby on their back to sleep.

This video shows the steps for using the comfort settling approach. This strategy promotes a baby's ability to settle to sleep independently. It allows babies to discover their own way of settling to sleep. This method is suitable for babies of all ages.

To develop the skill of self-settling, your baby needs the opportunity to practice and the support of their parents to keep practicing until they learn how to master the skill. Working out how much support your baby needs takes time but it's important to remember that the less you start doing for your baby as they are settling, the more they will learn to do it for themselves.

Many parents find it very challenging to persist and be consistent with implementing any settling method that results in their baby crying and themselves as parents separating from their baby. Parents are encouraged to respond to their baby's cries when they feel they're needed.

As with every responsive settling technique, the first step is to look for your baby's tired cues.

Nurse: Alyssa's looking as though she's getting ready for bed there. She's been showing you some tired signs compared to her normal bubbly self. What have you been noticing?

Mum: Yep, her eyes are starting to look a bit glazed, she's going a bit quiet.

Nurse: That's great. That's great. She's having some lunch so that's good. We'll fill her up and when she shows a few more tired signs, a little bit of rubbing, pulling of the ears and things like that, well maybe a little bit of a winge, we'll take us straight up from here and get a comfortable nappy change and pop you into bed.

Hey, darling shall we do that?

Let's move forwards

Nurse: Okay Melinda, we're finished with lunch and everything now. We know that bub's had plenty to eat and drink so we've come back to the room. She's shown us some tired signs and it's now time to put her to bed. So what we're going to do is to dress her in some clothes appropriate for the temperature of the room and we'll lie down and put on a sleep suit and get started with the settling process.

Narrator: It's important to create a calm and comfortable sleeping environment and ensure your baby's needs have been met before attempting to settle them.

Nurse: I know and that's it, she's had enough and truly ready for bed. That's a very tired little bub there so how about we just pick her up and give her a nice cuddle and then we can have a quick story and pop her back down on the bed. Wonderful. Good girl. That's the way.

Mum: Okay darling. Let's read this book, then it'll be time for bed. This is hold and touch bedtime lesson teddy.

Let's move forwards

Nurse: So now we've finished the story, what we'll do is we'll just, very quietly without too much stimulation, get her up into the cot. We're going to just put the cot sides up. Make sure that she's safe. Give her a couple of pats. Reassure her that you know sleep time now and then we'll just slowly leave the room and see how she goes.

Okay, good girls. Night.

Just a little bit of a pat, just on the bottom there okay. We will just leave her and come back in a minute.

Okay she's settling now so how about we just give her a chance to go off to sleep on her own or step back.

Good girl, shhh shhh.

Melinda, that was fantastic. She's gone straight off to sleep. For us we couldn't have asked for anything better, so now we can get a little bit of quiet time and go off and get a coffee. Sounds good however if she does cry what we're going to do is have a listen to that cry and see whether she needs us to go in and help her go off to sleep or not. And if she's going to self-settle that's brilliant but otherwise if that cry escalates, we might need to go in and just reassure her and give her a little bit of pat or something. Okay, well done honey.

Let's step back

Narrator: If your baby doesn't settle straight away, don't rush in, instead listen and wait.

Mum: She started crying, should I go in?

Nurse: Just give it a minute. Sometimes that cry goes up and down and then up and down. If the cry stays up, we can go in and see what she's up to but it gives her a chance to self-settle, if we just stay out for a few minutes and listen.

Mum: Okay.

Nurse: I think she might be putting herself off to sleep so that's fantastic. Shall we leave her? Let's do that.

Let's step back

Narrator: If you've given your baby time to self-settle but their crying escalates, they may need some more reassurance.

Mum: She seems to be crying more now.

Nurse: She is staying up at that high level, isn't she? I'd be happy to go in and just give her a pat if you want to do that. Give her a little pat. Reassure her. Yeah and just for a few minutes and we'll come out again, okay.

Narrator: For daytime settling, if your baby wakes after less than one hour's sleep during the day, reassess and consider resettling them for no longer than 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the age of your baby and how you are both coping. If your baby has been in the cot sleeping for one to one and a half hours, do not attempt resettling.

For nighttime settling, if your baby is awake for longer than 30 to 60 minutes overnight, check if their nappy is clean consider feeding them or offering a drink of water, give them a cuddle and then start the settling process again. Try your best to calm the environment by keeping light levels low and minimise conversation.

Remember this method is only a guide. When you are trying to teach your baby to settle by himself or herself, it is important to be persistent and consistent. Consider how you and your baby are coping as it is okay to use another method at times when you are finding it difficult to persevere.

There are advantages to using the comfort settling method:

• It enhances your baby's ability to settle independently.
• It will help your baby sleep for longer periods by teaching them to transition through sleep cycles independently.
• It therefore reduces the frequency of night time awakenings.
• Brief periods of separation help your baby discover their preferred way of self-settling, whilst being reassured that you are nearby.

This method gives parents permission to respond to their baby as often as they feel is necessary.

As with every settling method there are also disadvantages you should be aware of;

• Comfort settling can cause increased crying in the short term.
• If your baby has learned to rely on your help to fall asleep, you may feel more anxious in the short term because you are separated from your baby and they are crying.

The comfort settling method is suggested as a guide only. Each time you begin to settle your baby, consider how you and your baby are coping. If your baby doesn't settle to sleep, you may need to have a break from trying to get them to sleep. Always ensure your baby is safe.