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As a mom, it can be disheartening when your precious little one finds it hard to sleep in your arms but finds solace with the dad when it’s bedtime. It is not uncommon for parents, especially first-time parents to face certain sleeping hiccups with their babies.
As elusive as it may seem, babies can exhibit perplexing sleeping patterns that parents will find rather odd. And so the resistance to sleep in the loving arms of their mother but readily surrendering to a peaceful sleep when cradled by their fathers is an interesting matter that a lot of parents would love to understand. So why does this happen?
The main reason why this happens is that the baby may have a keen sensitivity to the emotional and physical state of the mother. Another reason is the baby’s daddy has a natural calming aura or ability that the baby recognizes.
This intriguing phenomenon can be a shock, as mums are usually on the winning team in all aspects of childcare. However, it is worth knowing that, this situation is not uncommon, and many parents have experienced it, so you are not alone.
Now buckle up as we will explore all the possible reasons why babies will prefer to sleep in their father’s arms instead of their mom’s and how to help the situation so the baby can sleep for both parents. Read along.
Reasons Why Baby Won’t Sleep For Mom But Will For Dad
There are various reasons why babies will sleep for dad and will not for mum. And understanding these reasons will help come about the best approach to the issue, that being said, below are the potential reasons;
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1. Emotional Cues
Although many do not know that babies can pick on the emotional cues of those around them, it is true. If a mum is feeling stressed, anxious, tired, or overwhelmed, the baby won’t be able to relax or sleep. However, in contrast to that, if the dad’s energy depicts confidence and a sense of calmness that could effortlessly put the baby at ease and to sleep.
2. Familiarity With Dad
Babies tend to thrive more on consistency and routines. It is possible that the father has built a special bond with the baby and has discovered or developed a specific routine and a soothing trick or hack that works perfectly to ease the baby to sleep. Also, this could also be because he spends more time with the baby.
3. Mom Is Associated With Other Activities
Babies in most cases, may associate activities based on parents’ availability. Suppose the mom is always available during wake time and provides care and attention during the baby’s active hours. In that case, the baby can subconsciously register her presence for playtime, or stimulation rather than for sleep.
Plus, the fact that mum usually smells like breastmilk, the baby may be more focused on refilling their bellies instead of sleeping. However, the father’s limited availability may make his presence more conducive for restful moments and eventually sleep for the baby.
4. Parenting Style
The fact is each parent has their own style and different ways in which they both approach comforting and calming the baby. Some babies would respond naturally to the approach used by their father rather than that of the mother.
Ways To Encourage Baby To Sleep Better With Mom
Mums don’t have to wait for daddy to be home before putting their precious little ones to sleep. There are several strategies you can adopt to help put your baby to sleep when they are with their mother;
1. Create A Calming Environment
Moms should make sure that when they want to put their babies to sleep the environment should be calm, dim all the lights, get rid of any form of distractions, and keep the room in a very soothing and comfortable temperature.
Your baby can most certainly feel that you are tensed, anxious, or tired, so try to unwind and feel more relaxed when it’s time to put them to sleep.
2. Make Mum In Charge Of Bedtime Duties
When it is time to sleep, let mum take over for a while so the baby can get accustomed to mum putting him or her to sleep. Also, be sure that a consistent bedtime routine is set up so the baby automatically knows it is time to wind down and call it a day.
3. Breastfeeding And Comfort Nursing
Breastfeeding is every mum’s superpower and it can be used to put the baby to sleep. When babies have been properly and well fed they tend to feel relaxed, calm, and probably sleepy at that point. Using comfort nursing along with breastfeeding as a technique will do the trick to lull the baby into restful sleep.
4. Learn Daddy’s Hack
Hear us out! There’s probably a trick that the baby’s dad uses that you don’t, it could be that you are rocking the baby too hard or missing a little piece of information. Yes, we understand that Dad should be getting tips from you and not the other way around, but let’s not joust, give him the win, and try to learn the technique at which he successfully puts your baby to sleep.
Wrapping Up
Each baby and family dynamic is different and so it is essential to approach this situation with an open mind and try to adopt the strategies that best suit your needs.
As mentioned in this article, the potential reasons why this could be the case is that the baby senses that the mum is emotionally or physically stressed is familiar with the dad, associates the mum with other activities, and is keener to the dad’s parenting style.
Knowing exactly the reason why your baby sleeps in the dad’s arms will help adopt a lasting solution to get mum also involved in the baby’s sleeping time.
