If the baby cries, go in but don t make a fuss. Pat the baby, change a diaper, without taking the baby out of bed, if possible. Don t turn on bright lights. Keep noise and conversation to a minimal. These are the years of growing independance.
Children learn to talk, walk, feed and dress themselves and master toilet skills.
Learning to fall asleep by themselves and to return to sleep quickly if they awaken during the night is an important accomplishment, too. As with walking, the first steps often are shaky. Bedtime crying and middle of the night tearful awakenings are among the most common problems brought to pediatricians and specialists in children s sleep. Parents find these problems exasperating. They often report they ve tried everything and are usually surprised to learn that their best efforts to soothe may in fact be perpetuating the problem.