Is it inevitable for new parents to experience sleepless nights? The answer is no! French children, as young as a few weeks old, often sleep through the night. So, what's the key to having these peaceful babies? It's all about how their parents respond to them.

Babies frequently produce sounds at night, but not all cries mean they need something. The truth is babies naturally wake up every few hours due to their shorter sleep cycles. At times their movements or whining are merely efforts to resume sleeping. Additionally, it is uncommon for babies to necessitate nighttime feedings. Digestion can disrupt their sleep, similar to how it affects adults.

In 1993, the journal Pediatrics published a study by Teresa Pinella and Leann Birch that focused on strategies for calming babies. The researchers provided three guidelines for new mothers to follow. First, they advised against using rocking as a method to put babies to sleep. Second, they suggested that feeding should be considered as a last resort after attempting gentle, rhythmic patting, changing diapers, walking around, and swaddling. Lastly, to effectively meet the baby's needs, it's important to differentiate between whimpering and real crying. When parents followed these instructions, they made a remarkable discovery: 38% of their babies could sleep soundly throughout the night within four weeks. In contrast, only 7% of those who did not receive the recommendations achieved this result.

To promote self-soothing in babies, avoid immediate intervention when they cry. Instead, allow them to drift into sleep independently. Babies frequently cry while partially asleep, so picking them up might exacerbate the situation. Yet, it's important to note that this approach doesn't entail ignoring a crying baby. Gradually extend the pause time between their cries, starting with a few seconds for newborns and slowly increasing the duration, letting them learn self-soothing skills. It takes time for babies to learn how to drift off to sleep on their own. The caregiver's function is to facilitate their journey toward developing autonomy in this aspect.