My Baby Only Falls Asleep In My Arms

Babies are constantly crying out for attention. Thanks to physical contact, babies feel safe. Thus, it is normal that your baby can only fall asleep in your arms. 

“My baby can only fall asleep in my arms” is a phrase some mothers say when they wonder if they are doing the right thing with their baby. They then get information from specialists to dispel their doubts. If you are going through a similar situation, rest assured, you don’t have to worry.

In some cultures, grandmothers, mothers and friends with children are likely to advise mothers-to-be not to carry their babies in their arms every time they cry out for attention or cry. or at bedtime. The belief is this: a baby used to arms will be rude. In addition, he will never be able to do without his mother to fall asleep.

This popular belief is not entirely correct, but neither is it completely incorrect. Why do we say this? The education of children is a complex subject because each child is unique and therefore different.

Babies who need to fall asleep in their mother’s arms 

Some babies don’t need a lot of attention, while others are very demanding. These are very demanding babies who usually need their mother’s arms to fall asleep. Thus, the decision to hug her child to help her sleep will depend on the context and, in large part, on the instinct of the mother.

Nevertheless, it is necessary to clarify one point: a baby totally depends on its parents to survive. All babies need constant care and attention. Babies express themselves through crying. They need physical contact to feel safe.

They therefore need to feel the warmth of your arms and chest, smell your scent, and hear your tender voice. It is therefore not strange that your child wants to fall asleep in your arms.

Babies eventually stop claiming their mother’s arms 

Like all human beings, children change with age. They develop emotionally, they become more autonomous and, therefore, gradually detach themselves from their mother.

Over time, the baby’s sleep cycles change and become more regular. This means that the baby will have less and less need to be in his mother’s arms to fall asleep. Sleep will become a natural process.

Obviously, it is not really possible to influence the rate of this transformation, because each baby has its own rhythm of maturation. To accompany him on this path, you will need a good dose of patience and love.

Cuddling and crying during baby’s first months

During the first months of a child’s life, the baby’s crying expresses different things: colic, sleep, hunger, external inconveniences such as cold or heat. The best way to calm your child is to give him a hug.

According to the authors of the book “I reassure my baby”, the baby’s crying stops immediately or subsides when the mother hugs her child. However, these authors also recommend letting the child protest for a few minutes before hugging him.

The reason is as follows: Tears from fatigue are sometimes necessary for the child to fall asleep.

Hugging your baby won’t make him rude

The belief that we were talking about a little earlier which consists in thinking that carrying your child too often in the arms will cause him to behave badly later is very far from reality. If you had this fear in mind, you can now be reassured.

The authors of the aforementioned book claim that during a child’s first six months, carrying his child in his arms whenever he asks for it is very beneficial for the child, because it strengthens his sense of inner security. The authors specify that the parents do not create bad habits in the child by doing this.

The baby’s morphology is made so that he falls asleep in his mother’s arms

Another important element that will certainly reassure you is this last point: babies are made to sleep in their mother’s arms  . The specialists thus specify that the back of the newborn is still curved, as when it was in the womb of the mother.

It is thus not good for the child that he straightens up immediately, and that is why his mother’s arms are the perfect place to sleep.

Moreover, when babies are in the womb, they are not alone: ​​they constantly feel their mother through the vibrations of her heart, voice, breathing and daily movements. So, throughout the pregnancy, you rock your baby. It is therefore quite natural for your baby to try to regain that sensation he experienced before being born.

Conclusion 

Now that you’ve read the article, we hope you feel reassured. Caring for a demanding baby takes longer than expected. However, you must remember that the baby is guided by his instinct for survival. Falling asleep in your arms reassures him.

You need to be patient, especially since you cannot speed up your child’s sleep rate. On the other hand, what is certain is that your child will eventually develop his autonomy and will know how to do without you to fall asleep.

Your role is to teach your child to cope with stressful times, not just by cuddling. Remember… You must help him build and strengthen his autonomy.

However, if you find that your child is not sleeping well despite your good care, it may be a sign of a possible sleep disorder. In this case, you need to see a pediatrician to check your baby’s sleep.