This is a really interesting tip about eye contact.  When you’re trying to get your baby to sleep - whether it be for an afternoon nap, or during the night - be careful not to lock eyes with him or her.  When you are trying to get your baby to sleep, experts say that the less eye contact you make, the better.

 

“Why is this?”  You might be asking yourself.

 

Well, it turns out that for your baby, every time you make eye contact, it’s like a jolt of caffeine runs through his or her body.  Said another way, eye contact is a stimulant for babies, and the last thing you need when you’re trying to get a sleepy baby to actually fall asleep is to do anything that will stimulate them.

 

The science behind this “no eye contact” idea is pretty simple and rooted in a baby’s biological survival instinct.  For babies, one of the key things that takes place early in their development is forming attachment bonds to their caretakers.  A overly simple explanation of attachment bonds would be to describe them as the “mental programs” that tell a baby that a person (you in this case) is safe, and will take care of them.

 

When a baby is first born, they do not distinguish between their caretakers and strangers, in part because these attachment bonds have not had time to fully form.  However, in a baby’s early development, figuring out who is a safe caretaker and who is a stranger is a very important task.  As a result, every time you look into your baby’s eyes, their brain kicks into overdrive as attachment bonds are reinforced and continue to form.  That is why, if you are trying to get your baby to sleep, it is best to limit your eye contact with him or her, because looking into their eyes acts to stimulate their interest and in many cases may jolt them awake.

 

So, as much as you enjoy gazing into your baby’s eyes, it’s best to save that for when you want them to be awake, and limit your eye contact with them when you’re trying to get them to sleep.

 

Andrew Dolbin-MacNab

Pediasleep LLC

 

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     About the Author:

 

Andrew Dolbin-MacNab is a father, sound-engineer, and the founding member of Pediasleep LLC, a leader in the production of white noise and other soothing sounds to aid the healthy sleep of infants, cosleepers, and parents. Having successfully survived his daughter's early sleep problems with the help of white noise, he is also an expert on infant sleep problems and their solutions. Pediasleep can be found online at http://www.Pediasleep.com.