We wanted to take some time to talk about how your little one’s sleep may be impacted as they hit their gross motor milestones. I mean let’s face it, we don’t want anything to impact their sleep, especially if it is going to impact our sleep!
We get so excited when our little one’s learn how to roll and sit and stand but the attainment of these skills can have an impact on their sleeping.
The first challenge most parents face is their little one learns how to roll onto their belly while in their crib/bassinet. This means that they can no longer be swaddled (which is another whole challenge). On a side note, if you are looking for a swaddle, this was hands down my favorite! When the baby rolls onto their belly they don’t know how to roll back off and they wake up and get frustrated. A few things to consider:
- Your baby may be ok to stay sleeping on their stomach since they are now rolling (always talk to your pediatrician about this)
- Don’t just pick them up and place them back on their back, help them roll to their back. Yes this may take more time in the short run but it will save your sanity in the long run
- Be aware of when it becomes a ‘game’ to them and they are rolling because they know you will come in (these little ones are smart!)
Next comes sitting generally. They learn how to sit up in the crib – and getting into standing isn’t far behind. For both of these time frames, I recommend just ‘ignoring’ them. Like mentioned above, it can become a game where they know if they sit up or stand up you will come in and put them back down, and then they get right back up again. While there were a few days that it took way longer for my little one to fall asleep because he was sitting or standing, he eventually did and within a day or two he was getting himself out of these positions so that he could sleep. While you are playing with them and they are awake, we recommend working on teaching them how to get out of sitting, and how to get down from standing! This will make life easier. And, like mentioned above, if you don’t want to ‘ignore’ them, we recommend going in and helping them lie back down rather than picking them up and placing them in the position. It eventually makes them more independent and sound sleep can be restored!