When baby doesn’t sleep, parents get tired. It was enough to see the emergence of a set of more or less expensive solutions promising peaceful sleep. But what really works? We asked pediatrician Dr. Anna Boctor.
“Your eyelids are heavy my child…” If you have tried everything in terms of getting your baby to sleep, perhaps you have also been sensitive to the solutions that have been flourishing in this lucrative business for several years. From gadgets that make noise to “baby sleep” coaching, it must be said that there is no shortage of possibilities.
Increasingly expensive services for babies to sleep
In its March 18 edition, the daily The Parisian has thus identified numerous solutions which abound in this niche, around parents who are exhausted and tired. Soft toys that emit white noise, story boxes inspired by sophrology, between 50 and 100 euros, but also in even higher price ranges, coaching with “consultants”, learning special massages, or there rolls, special night nannies who come to look after the child while you finally sink into the arms of Morpheus. (All this between 200 and 1,500 euros announces the newspaper).
A business that rides on parental anxiety above all
Are these solutions effective? We asked pediatrician Anna Boctor for her opinion, who sees two important pieces of information in this phenomenon: “In this theme as in others, we see above all that this business rides on the anxiety or fatigue of parents. However, we all know that desperate people are all ready to pay the price to find THE solution to their problem. It’s exasperating, but this business has a bright future ahead of it.”
The doctor also mentions another black spot “This is not always the case, but sometimes it also demonstrates a lack of doctors, who cannot therefore advise parents who have questions.” she analyzes.
On the other hand, on the inventory of proposed solutions, our expert evokes a common sense decision: “Gadgets, overall, are useless, but without calling on an expensive nanny, calling on your mother or mother-in-law to look after the baby and give yourself a good night’s sleep, you should not hesitate , we can draw inspiration from it.”
What works: a mother who is not exhausted!
Common sense is what this pediatrician reminds us, because a baby who cries, or who wakes up, or who asks for his parents, is completely normal. “But what I notice in consultation is that mothers are much more often impacted, exhausted, in “survival” mode and ready to take their child with them all night if necessary, so that he can sleep. , even if they don’t succeed.
However, the solution would be found more in the home and in the couple than in purchasing a “silent night” package from a coach. “I think it needs to be said, but when the dad also takes on his responsibilities in the evening or at night, even if he works, when the child’s sleeping load is shared, it generally works much better.” Because in fact, maternity leave or not, a single person cannot carry this load of sleep alone, the doctor confirms. “And a tired mother will also have difficulty providing a peaceful environment for her child to fall asleep.” she insists, implying the role of the father or second parent. “We must therefore team up and have a common objective”.
Getting your child to sleep, a step that takes a little time
But how can you get your child to sleep peacefully? Unfortunately there is no universal answer, or switch that allows it like on a stuffed toy. However, Dr Boctor reminds us of the fundamentals.
For a child after 6 months, the goal of both parents must be to put him to bed in a peaceful environment, and that he gradually acquires autonomy. “From this age, we can therefore show him his room, explain to him what it is and what is expected of him (two people are even better) and install a bedtime ritual. If he wakes up, we come back to see him, we reassure him, but we put him back in his bed so that he gradually becomes independent when he falls asleep. But I repeat, when everyone takes their place, and plays their role (even alternating to let the other rest) we don’t care about gadgets, it pays off in the end.”
