How to wean off yaolan?

Question

Hi, my bb is now 2.5 months. Previously I had no choice but to put her in yaolan after 1 month, as once shes put down  in cot she will be awake or sleep for very short while. Sometimes even if I carry her to sleep, she will be awake with my slight movement. Now that shes slightly bigger, I have tried to put her to sleep in a non-moving yaolan. I will manual bounce until shes drowsy, and stop bouncing and and pat her butt to slp and she manage to fall asleep. when she stirs, I will pat her again.I have also tried putting her in cot and pat her but she fusses and cry. Night time after she fall asleep, we will transfer her to cot. Daytime mostly she naps in yaolan.My concern is that Im afraid she wont be able to fall asleep without it if we go out, or short staycay. Anyone has experience? When do they start to learn to fall asleep on their own or when is a good time for them to wean off relying on motion to fall asleep? Any one has experience?

Sabrina Florentina · Answer

Honestly, 2.5 months is still quite early so don't stress yourself too much, most babies naturally start to self-settle better somewhere around 4 to 6 months when their sleep cycles mature a little. What you're already doing (stopping the bounce and patting her to sleep in a stationary yaolan) is actually a really good middle step, so you're on the right track without even realising it. My friend weaned her firstborn off the yaolan at around 4 months just by gradually reducing the motion each nap, and she said the key was consistency over a few days rather than going cold turkey, because cold turkey just led to a lot of crying with no real progress. For outings and staycays, honestly most babies are more adaptable than we think once they're slightly older, the unfamiliar environment sometimes even works in your favour because they're too tired to protest. Just keep doing what you're doing, and if she's settling in a still yaolan now, the cot transition will likely be less painful than you expect in another month or two.