A sturdy crib or sweet little bassinet is one of the first purchases many expectant parents make, right before or after they paint the nursery a soothing colour for sleep. Some dark curtains and maybe a white noise machine and, presto, you have the perfect retreat for baby?s naptime and nighttime slumber.
Such a lovely plan! But let?s be honest here: In the first few days or weeks (or even months), your baby sure spends a lot of time sleeping everywhere except alone in their crib. And conked out in their mama?s arms or on their dad?s chest is often the easiest route to dreamland. The delicious warmth of baby, the little tree frog curl of their legs, the constant reassurance of their chest rising and falling as they snurfle through their slumber?perfection. After hours of crying, feeding or fussing, the blessed relief of a sleeping baby in an exhausted parent?s arms isn?t something anyone wants to mess with. Transfer the baby to a bassinet" Over mom?s not-quite-dead body. The little creature is sure to wake up when you lay them down in that cold crib, away from the bodily warmth that soothes them. And so it continues, the sleep-inducing trick that child sleep consultant Alexis Dubief calls ?the human mattress.?
Feel no guilt, parents! ?Nobody puts a baby in a crib alone, especially awake, from day one,? says Dubief, author of Precious Little Sleep. ?This is simply an unrealistic expectation for most new parents. Newborns need a lot of soothing, and being held by a paren...