Bringing a new baby home from the hospital is a beautiful 
experience, but it can also be filled with a multitude of 
anxieties and frustrations.  One of the major sources of anxiety 
is figuring out how you can get your baby sleeping through the 
night.  When will your baby be sleeping through the night and 
how long will it take?  When are you going to finally get the 
rest that you so badly need?  Well, this article can begin to 
help you to unravel the mystery behind getting your baby sleep 
through the night, and get you started on a gentle, easy path 
that will have everyone in your house getting a good night’s 
sleep.

The biggest secret to getting your baby to sleep through the 
night is to teach your baby how to fall asleep without you.  
Instead of rocking or nursing your baby to sleep, or doing 
whatever it is that you do to put your baby to sleep, start 
trying to get your baby to fall asleep without your help.  You 
can do this primarily by trying to put your baby down for a nap 
while your baby is still awake.  You don’t have to do it every 
time; just try to do it as much as you can.  If your baby is 
crying or extremely fussy, it’s not a good time to try get your 
baby to fall asleep without you.  Instead, pick the times when 
your baby is quiet and peaceful to try it out. 

Once you put your baby down to sleep while your baby is awake, 
see if he/she can fall asleep without your help.  If your baby 
gets fussy and you cannot soothe him/her while your baby is 
still lying down, then pick your baby up to comfort him/her.  
You do not have to make your baby cry it out in order to teach 
him how to sleep independently of you.  Just realize that 
each time you put your baby down for a nap, it’s a brand new 
“opportunity” for you to teach your baby how to fall asleep 
without your help.  So, do it as often as possible.  Given 
enough of these opportunities, your baby will begin to fall 
asleep without you.  Once your baby can sleep independently, 
then as soon as your baby is physically ready to sleep through 
the night, he/she will do so.

The earlier you begin the process of teaching your baby how 
to fall asleep without your help, the quicker your baby will 
be sleeping through the night.  If you start the process of 
teaching your baby to sleep without you when your baby is an 
infant, the process is simple and gentle.  Starting early 
ensures that you can accomplish your goal without having to 
make your baby cry it out.  As soon as you can teach your baby 
how to sleep without you, then you can get some rest, too.

If you do not teach your baby how to fall asleep without you, 
your presence will be required for every sleeping occasion 
around the clock.  You will understandably grow progressively 
exhausted, and months of this will make you, at best, downright 
irritable.  Your baby will pretty cranky as well.  If you don’t 
teach your baby how to sleep well, then your baby won’t take 
good naps and will be up all night demanding your presence.  
Your baby simply won’t sleep when he/she is tired, and the 
whole house will suffer from your baby’s irritability.  All 
because your baby never learned how to sleep on his/her own.

Teaching your baby how to sleep without you does not in any way 
make you a “bad” parent; rather, it simply enables you to get a 
little bit of breathing room, and allows you to have the energy 
left over for other aspects of your life.  It’s important to 
consider your own needs, as well as your new baby’s.  In your 
strive to be “super-mom”, it’s all too easy to forget anyone 
else’s needs, including your own!  You need to try to maintain 
a balance in your new and chaotic life, and try to keep everyone 
happy, especially yourself.  This will make you a much better 
parent than if you are tired and cranky all the time. 

Saving time for your partner is also important, and ever so 
easy to forget.  Failing to save energy for your partner fosters 
resentment and allows distance between you to develop much 
quicker than you can ever believe. By saving time for yourself 
and your partner, you will help to maintain the balance and 
allow love to flourish throughout your house.  The best way to 
achieve that balance is to make sure that your baby learns how 
to sleep without you.  You can tend to your baby’s every need 
and have an incredible, loving relationship with your baby; but 
when it’s time for your baby to sleep, it’s time to separate and 
get some time for yourself and your loved ones. 

This article was furnished by Tammy Hussin, J.D.  Ms. Hussin is 
the, author of the parenting book,  Sleep Baby Sleep, former 
corporate attorney,  and mother of three boys (all of whom were 
sleeping through the night by eight weeks old).  Sleep Baby 
Sleep can be purchased at http://www.SleepBabySleep.com