I do not consider holding, rocking or cooing to your infant as use of sleep aids. By ’sleep aids’ I am referring to something unnaturally introduced to assist your child with sleep when the sleep system is immature and unable to do its job; when, in your judgement, your child needs to sleep. I am aware that on a given day, desperate measures may seem ‘natural’. Chuckle: good luck.

Generally speaking, you want aids to be as minimally intrusive as possible, and as minimally used as possible. Your child’s brain is a receiver. Anything in your son or daughters environment presents a demand upon the brain to process ‘information’. White noise in an infants room, is ‘information’ from the point of view of the brain. I recommend refraining from automatic and regular use of white noise machines. In a quiet room, as your child is shifting from a waking state to a sleep state and vice-versa, your child is developing filters. He or she will, in time, filter out normal household noise. When the sleep system is immature, minimizing housedhold noise is helpful; turn off phone ringer, etc.

In the event help is needed, more lap time, or snuggling with parents, comforts and facilitates the kind of ‘abandonment’ of sensory attunement necessary to sustain a wakeful state. Wakling with your baby, putting your baby in his or her stroller, or swing might lull your baby to sleep. If your baby tends to wake when you transfer him or her to his or her bed, short naps in the stroller or swing can do the job.

Associative links made in early infancy are non-specific. The childs interior organization is not sufficiently developed for bad habits to develop. All associations made are, rather, linked to ‘being’ itself. Positive associations ‘color’ being alive itself as a good thing.

By all means, relax, enjoy your baby, and wing it. There is no secret formula; you and your baby will find a rhythm that works ‘as well as it can’ and that will have to do. Your child’s sleep system will develop and work more smoothly in a few months.