Help! My baby started pulling to stand & sleep became a mess
You may have spent the last few weeks sighing with relief because you finally figured out your little ones sleep that you’ve been trying to work out since they were born…..BUT wait, something has happened…… your little one just mastered PULLING UP.
Firstly this is exciting because your baby just learned how to use all of their upper body and leg strength to get themselves up – what a smart little cookie they are. Your baby should be proud of themselves – and they totally are, which we can tell because they are pulling up on everything and at every opportunity, including using those handy cot rails to practice standing instead of sleeping. Bugger, just when you thought things had settled!!
So don't be surprised if your sound sleeper suddenly becomes a night owl or has a hard time falling asleep during this time. Unfortunately when babies master any of the major physical milestones sleep disruption can go along with this. While refining and expanding on these new skills, they may wake up at night to practice or be too excited to fall asleep at all.
So what does this mean for sleep and how can you help your baby? You can’t avoid this situation but you can help your baby through it.
Here are our tips for helping your sound sleeper return, encouraging their new found skills all at the same time:
1. Now’s the time to lower the mattress if you haven’t already – we don’t want your baby toppling out of the cot.
2. Try not to feel like you need to force your baby to sleep. We don’t want to introduce new or old sleep habits like rocking or feeding to sleep to “make” your baby go to sleep – this will just make things harder for everyone in the end. Instead we want to help your baby through this stage but have them drift off to sleep in the way that they usually would.
3. Teach your baby how to get back down – you can do this in two ways;
a. During awake time each day have you baby play in their cot. Practice with them by putting toys on the mattress to encourage them to drop back down from standing position. You can also practice dropping back down when your little one pulls up on the couch etc. Practice practice practice and your baby will get there.
b. During settles and resettles help your baby back down to laying position especially when they are becoming visibly tired and upset. Repeat this until they stop standing but it’s also recommended to give your baby a bit of a chance to do this for themselves as well. You don’t want to frustrate your baby by getting into a battle of up and down so for some babies they need to be given more opportunity to stand and try and get themselves back to laying on the mattress. Other babies want help straight away and get upset until you help them.
4. When helping your baby lay back down in the cot it can be helpful to sit on the floor and pat the mattress so that you are at mattress level – this helps to encourage your baby to come down to your level and hopefully drop back down.
5. During this stage although your baby may protest sleep it’s important to keep encouraging sleep and stick to your usual routine and habits as best as you can. Consistency and familiarity is what will actually help your baby to get through this phase quicker.
6. Your baby may need more support than usual but try not to change everything up – give them some extra cuddles and reassurance if they need some support BUT if they are used to falling asleep without your help try and keep this going so you don’t have to teach your baby how to self-soothe again.
7. Be patient. As difficult as these phases can be try and think about what your baby is going through. With lots of support and practice your baby will learn how to get back down and the novelty will wear off. Until then hang in there – you’ve got this.
In need of sleep help? If your baby is still struggling with sleep or has never really settled into a healthy sleep pattern then it might be time to get some support. We will help you to get your baby going to sleep more easily, sleeping for longer periods at night, and building some predictability into your days. Click here to view our support options.
Hayley & Katie x x