https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:58:45 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1156617 Thu, 17 Oct 2013 18:25:27 +0000 banana 1156617@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The way I understand it, patting eventually becomes a sleep cue. So you have to do it every time they're falling asleep at first. So it doesn't really "work" in the beginning because you're working on having them associate patting with sleep. But once they do, I hear it works really well. It definitely works on both of my kids. But we patted them to sleep every night since they were babies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1154078 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 22:51:31 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 1154078@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@shopaholic: I rubbed his back and stroked his hair. It never worked to get him to sleep, because it was too much movement, but it did help get a screaming cry down to a just a little moan. I'd stop and he would lull himself to sleep very son after. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1154077 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 22:49:43 +0000 googly-eyes 1154077@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Patting doesn't work but rubbing does, but only as a routine thing, not a calming thing. </p> <p>I have done naps at a center with kids who LOVED being pat to sleep, infants and toddlers alike. I think if you don't do it early on (like when they start rolling onto their tummies) it won't really work (for most kids.) They get into their routines! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1153518 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 15:58:33 +0000 dolphin 1153518@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>patting or rubbing dont work over here either </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1153512 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 15:55:03 +0000 blackbird 1153512@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>E doesn't like to be patted! She turns her body, looks up at me, and cries even more, like WTF mom?! So i usually pick her up and bounce her just a few times to calm her and then I pet her eyelids and rub her head....it's usually enough to get her to close her eyes. It's like....a one minute routine. Then i can lay her back down and she's usually ok. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1153495 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 15:48:40 +0000 rachiecakes 1153495@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@shopaholic: never worked for us either. I have a coworker who it did work for but her DD took forever to fall asleep with patting and she would often pull out a mat so she could lie down on the floor next to the crib and pat her back for hours. (?!?!?) um, that solves nothing, IMO, lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1153320 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 14:33:53 +0000 shopaholic 1153320@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Elderberrygin: LOL! That's K exactly. Like WTF are you patting me for crazy woman? Pick me the F up! *Wild eyes*</p> <p>@mrsjyw: Yes, I can see that. But "they" say just to pat and not pick up. haha. joke's on me. </p> <p>@shinymama: Ditto. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1152858 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 12:04:43 +0000 shinymama 1152858@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Patting NEVER worked for us...not initially, not drowsy, not anything. All it did was remind him that we were there, and not picking him up, and that just made him angrier. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1152852 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 12:03:00 +0000 Freckles 1152852@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Patting works now as a toddler. When she was younger, it only worked the way @mrsjyw describes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1152848 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 12:01:33 +0000 banana 1152848@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Patting works if they're already sleepy/drowsy. It doesn't work as the first step. But as the final step (to get them from 50% sleepy to 90% sleepy) works really well for us! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1152359 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 08:33:48 +0000 mrsjyw 1152359@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Patting only worked for us as step two AFTER we'd already picked him up and calmed him down. NEVER worked for us as a first step remedy! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1152271 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 08:10:15 +0000 Alivoo01 1152271@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I pat DS's butt to put him to sleep, but once I lay him down in his crib, the patting doesn't work. Inserting the pacifier helps him go back to sleep though.</p> <p>For my nephew, the patting thing worked. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1152172 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 06:46:30 +0000 heartonastring 1152172@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Never ever works for us either. Glad to hear it works for some babies...I was beginning to think the people who offered that advice were insane :p </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1152149 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 06:27:09 +0000 Adira 1152149@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Patting doesn't get Xander to fall back to sleep, but if he's crying, it will often soothe him just to know mommy or daddy are around and care about him. Then we abandon him again to fall asleep on his own.</p> <p>BUT Xander's always been good about falling to sleep on his own, so take what I say with a grain of salt! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1152113 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 05:19:20 +0000 Smurfette 1152113@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Never works for us! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1152092 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 04:11:46 +0000 mjane 1152092@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Patting her bum gets her to fall asleep in the ergo. Doesn't work in her crib or my bed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1152062 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 02:12:58 +0000 Kemma 1152062@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Patting only works for us if LO is 90% asleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1152046 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 01:33:32 +0000 SugarplumsMom 1152046@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I pat her behind and it used to work when we co-slept. I'd have to do it to calm her down before. Since she's gotten older and transitioned into her own room, I've noticed that she gets worked up when she sees me! So instead of having a bedtime routine where we'd read to her, it works best if we quickly put her down, turn on her night lights and quickly walk away. If I attempt to read to her, there's a big chance that she'd wake up! But we're only able to do that recently. Before I'd read to hear each time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1152016 Wed, 16 Oct 2013 00:02:42 +0000 MrsScallop 1152016@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Patting only works for us if she is really drowsy and not terribly upset. Once she stands, it is game over! I often rub her arms and legs instead of a full on pat, though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1152008 Tue, 15 Oct 2013 23:43:40 +0000 Elderberrygin 1152008@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I tried patting to sleep one time when LO was a newborn and she looked at me like I was wearing crazy pants and cried hysterically. </p> <p>Now, at 8 months, I can go in and rub her back or pat her belly if she wakes up in the middle of the night and it works great but I thought the 'pat to sleep crowd' were nuts before that. Up until a month or two ago bouncing on the fitness ball was the only thing that worked. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1152002 Tue, 15 Oct 2013 23:32:00 +0000 lemondrop 1152002@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sometimes it works for us. Other times he doesn't want to be touched, so I'll pat the mattress in front of him to get him to lay down. That one has helped him to fall asleep fairly often too. </p> <p>Mostly I pat him when he's upset and needs to be soothed. It's really cute that he does it back to me when he's ready to go to bed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1151993 Tue, 15 Oct 2013 23:21:51 +0000 dojo 1151993@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've never tried it with my LO but back when I worked at a daycare we would pat the toddlers back to sleep if they were stirring from their naps. Most of the time I think rubbing their backs in a circle and light pats worked. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1151992 Tue, 15 Oct 2013 23:20:41 +0000 RubyCali 1151992@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Seriously! Patting never worked for me, it just made DD more worked up! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1151991 Tue, 15 Oct 2013 23:18:54 +0000 HLK208 1151991@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Haha, all babies respond differently to different sleep solutions! With B, I could pat his little bum and he'd fall asleep. Unfortunately, he would only sleep if he was next to me. E has been much more independent and she hated the pat. She would fall asleep by herself usually with her pacifier (until she was 6 months then she had problems and we tried a few other solutions). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1151988 Tue, 15 Oct 2013 23:16:32 +0000 T-Mom 1151988@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My DD really responded to patting on the butt.. but only when my DH did it. Eventually we just abandoned the patting when we did CIO but for a while it did help a lot. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1151986 Tue, 15 Oct 2013 23:13:59 +0000 Ms.Badger 1151986@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I always read "pat" as soothing touch without picking up. For my LO, for whatever reason, it is allowing him the grab my hand and move it to his face. I think you should do anything that comforts your LO. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/patting-back-to-sleep#post-1151981 Tue, 15 Oct 2013 23:09:44 +0000 shopaholic 1151981@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>In all my numerous searches for sleep solutions, I keep coming across the advice to "pat" your baby, not to pick up. That the patting should be comforting enough to get them to fall back asleep? wth? I've tried this tip many times and it's never worked. K freaks out, gets pisses, curls up, and slams her legs back down, or rolls all over the place. What is up with this "patting" business. Does it work for anyone? I'll gently put my hand on her, pat her, stroke her tummy... Am I patting her wrong? </p>