Sleep associations are the various cues or rituals that babies associate with falling asleep. They can be categorized as positive or negative, but it’s essential to understand that this is subjective, creating conflicting perspectives that may leave you uncertain of what to do.
On the one hand, you might receive mixed messages even from sleep educators. Take this article, for example, which implies that negative sleep associations are ones where your baby depends on you to fall asleep, while positive associations promote independent sleep. However, this article says the opposite by reassuring you that it’s normal if YOU are one of your baby’s favorite sleep associations.
So, which is it?
First, let’s break down examples of sleep associations, which, by the way, we can have well into adulthood.
For all ages:
A comfortable bed
Reading, meditation, or gentle stretching routinely done before bed
White noise or ambient sounds
Cool room temperature
Darkened room
Specific to babies:
Rocking or bouncing to sleep
Nursing to sleep
Using a pacifier
There can be associations that are less healthy
If you are in the habit of scrolling social media to fall asleep by your baby, for example, the screen time isn’t aligned with healthy sleep hygiene because the light can disrupt melatonin production. However, using a pacifier, nursing, or rocking to sleep aren’t unhealthy for your baby. In fact, they can further promote things like co-regulation and reduced SIDS risk. What would make any of these a negative association is when they are simply no longer sustainable for you to do every time, but they’re not “bad” habits.
Joy’s take: Worry less about the label and tune more into, “Is this healthy or unhealthy, and if it’s healthy, is this mutually working well for baby and me?”