Is Rocking Toddlers to Sleep Bad?

The soothing motion of rocking back and forth is almost guaranteed to put your baby to sleep. But experts differ on whether or not you should continue to rock a toddler to sleep. Time spent cuddling with your toddler is not harmful, so it's not correct to say that rocking your toddler to sleep is bad. Still, she may develop a flawed sleep association if that's the only way she can fall asleep.

  1. Sleep Association

    • Sleep association is a term used to describe a series of behaviors that a person, usually a child or toddler, associates with falling asleep. For some, the association may be so strong that the toddler honestly feels like she can't fall asleep without the behavior. Sometimes, the association is linked to an object. For example, the toddler might need her special blanket and to be rocked to sleep. Rocking is actually a common sleep association. Sleep associations can be beneficial, as they signal to the toddler that it is time to slow down and get ready for bed. It's only when she relies on the sleep association all the time that problems arise.

    Rocking

    • Rocking your toddler to sleep occasionally is fine. If you have to rock her to sleep every night, however, it can be a bad thing, especially if it takes an exceptionally long time for her to fall asleep. Not only that, but when she wakes up in the middle of the night, as most toddlers do, she won't be able to fall back asleep on her own without being rocked again. This makes for an exhausting night for both toddler and parent. For this reason, it's important to teach your toddler how to fall asleep on her own.

    Retraining

    • It's best to gently train your toddler to fall asleep on her own, according to Dr. Laura Markham of Aha! Parenting. To help her do this, start rocking her almost -- but not completely -- to sleep, and then gently put her in her bed. If she protests, pick her back up, rock her in your arms briefly, and they lay her back down. Continue until you can place her in her bed without protest. You might even lay a hand on her back so she can feel your touch until she falls completely asleep. Over time, shorten the routine until you can place her in her bed without rocking. Then, when she does want to rock, it will be a special treat and not a crutch.

    Bedtime Routines

    • Bedtime routines are a good way to help your toddler develop healthy sleep associations. You can even incorporate rocking into the routine, but just make sure you don't do it to put her to sleep. For example, you could cuddle and rock her while you read a bedtime story and then follow that up with a warm bath to make her sleepy. Then, tuck her into bed with her favorite stuffed animal or blanket.

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