Can Rocking Your Baby to Sleep Make Them Dependent?

Why does your baby like being rocked to sleep? Think about it: Baby just spent 40 weeks in the tight space of the womb. It is the only home they have ever known, and little one has gotten used to the lifestyle there...complete with constant jiggles and sounds! Amazingly, all this commotion does not upset babies. Instead, they find it soothing.

Babies Need a Fourth Trimester

After years of caring for fussy babies, it dawned on me that babies cry because they leave the womb three months too soon! Compare human babies to cows, camels, and horses who can walk, even run, on their first day of life. Our newborns cannot do any of that. They are not totally ready for this world yet! And that is why it is almost unfair to deprive babies of the soothing womb sensations—like rocking—that they have always depended on for calming and sleep. So, instead of shunning rocking, give your little one a virtual fourth trimester and watch their crying lessen and happiness grow.

Is rocking your baby to sleep bad?

The answer is No. When your baby is fresh out of the womb, they crave rocking to help them stay calm and sleep. Rocking your baby is a good thing!

When Parents Need Help Rocking Baby to Sleep

As a new parent, it is not really feasible to be a walking uterus for your baby! You simply cannot spend 24/7 holding, feeding, and nurturing your baby just as the body automatically did for nine months! And the truth is, as hard as you are working, from Baby’s POV, even 12 hours a day of cuddles is a dramatic reduction from what they got 'on the inside!'

And that is one of the reasons we created SNOO Smart Sleeper. Our smart bassinet gives babies the sensations they crave—while also giving parents a break. In SNOO, your baby is swaddled and calmed by that snug feeling they loved in the belly. They are also soothed by white noise and SNOO’s gentle womb-like rocking motion. The result? SNOO helps babies drift off to sleep faster...and sleep better than in other bassinets. And regarding Baby’s dependance on rocking...SNOO actually teaches your baby to self-soothe and gradually weans them off sound and motion by 6 months.

For even more insight into rocking Baby, check out Why Rocking Bassinets Soothe Babies.