Why Cuddling your child/children to sleep isn’t bad.

Hello readers, hope you’re all well. Todays blog post is all about cuddling your child/children to sleep. There are so many conflicting articles out there when it comes to topics like this one, it can be hard to know what’s right or what’s wrong. Each to their own and what works for one family may not work for another, it’s all about what feels right and works for you and your family. For us, it’s still cuddling little miss E to sleep, some of you may know that we’re also expecting baby number two very soon and wondering how we plan to make cuddling little miss E to sleep and a newborn work, well just like the first time we ever became parents we will wing it and eventually find what works for us. When little miss E was a baby she had terrible reflux along with CMPA (cows milk protein allergy) she was a very unsettled baby due to this until about six months when I finally got professionals to take us seriously (not an easy task when you’re a young first time mum and dad). After every feed due to her reflux little miss E had to be held upright for at least thirty minutes, this meant she got used to being held and cuddled to sleep. Little miss E wasn’t always a great sleeper due to her reflux and allergies and the nights used to seem oh so long, but looking back and as clichè as it seems, it went by so fast. One minute we wondered if she would ever sleep through and the next those long nights feel like a distant memory. As first time parents we heard all the usual comments such as ‘You’re making a rod for your own back’ ‘She doesn’t sleep through because you cuddled her to sleep’ ‘you need to put her down awake to self settle’ ‘you need to do controlled crying’ ‘you need to do the cry it out method’ and more. You will find when you become a parent for the first time that everyone around you seems to become experts, you will receive helpful advice but also unsolicited advice too. The best advice I followed was to follow gut instincts, you know your child best. Every single child is different, some need to be held more for reassurance and comfort and others are more independent and won’t need as much. We have always cuddled little miss E to sleep after her bedtime routine and then one night she suddenly slept through, we hadn’t done anything different that particular night and she’s slept through ever since, unless of course she’s unwell or has a nightmare or something but otherwise she sleeps all night, every night. Even when we have been on holiday in hotels or when she stays over her grandparents she sleeps all night too. Some nights we lay beside her and cuddle and others all she wants is for us to hold her hand for a little bit then rolls over and puts herself to sleep. Cuddling your child to sleep can have many benefits such as your child feeling safe and secure, less anxiety and stress, able to regulate their emotions better and more. If you think about it how many adults sleep through every night? Lots of us wake for many different reasons, needing the bathroom, too cold, too hot, thirsty etc , it’s the same for children too. While it may seem like you will have to cuddle your child to sleep forever, one day they won’t need you to anymore, one day will be the last time you lay down and cuddle them to sleep or hold their hand and you won’t even realise it until you look back. Until then enjoy those moments snuggling beside them and know you’re doing your best.