Allowing a baby to self-soothe is crucial in the first year. There are so many ways a baby can self-soothe. Its thumb, to fingers, pacies, lovies, mom's nipple, bottle. Allowing them access to their fingers while they sleep is a great way to help them learn how to sleep on their own. Pacies are also a helpful tool. Babies need non-nutritive sucking in the first year to help regulate their nervous system. A paci, a thumb, fingers all accomplish that. Sometimes babies like to eat and then to suck afterward to help their digestive system, so giving them a paci after a bottle is a really helpful tool. Letting them suck their thumb, letting them suck their finger. Lovies are a great way to self-soothe as well. A transitional object like a soft, small blanket, especially one that has mom's smell on it, will help them to regulate their nervous system, will help them to fall asleep at night, and will help them to separate from you when you can't be there. Self-soothing in infants increases over time. Very little babies struggle to self-soothe and they get better and better and better as they go along. When babies become between three and six months, they're able to find their thumb or their fingers or their lovie and use it to soothe themselves. Very tiny babies still need their mom and dad to help self-soothe.