A baby's ability to self-soothe is very limited before four months because the are not developmentally ready to self-soothe. Between four and six months, it's a bit iffy. Sometime they are able to, sometimes they are not, depending on their maturity. After six months, every child is able to self-soothe. The easiest way for them to learn to self-soothe is allowing them the time to be able to self-soothe. It is like crawling. You don't put your child on the ground and they are able to crawl around. They need time on the ground. They need time to play around. It is the same with self-soothing. They need time in the crib. They need time to learn how to self-soothe. Some things you can do are a bedtime routine. A bedtime around 7:00 or 7:30 is ideal for a baby, so they get a good twelve hours of nighttime sleep. The easiest way to get your child to self-soothe is by holding them in the beginning, after you have fed them at night. Hold them for a good five minutes until they are calm, the are almost asleep, and they are getting drowsy. Then you put them in their bed. You can stay next to their crib. You can hold their hand. You can pat them or you can leave the room, whatever you feel most comfortable with. You start off by doing this for three minutes, then two minutes; then you leave or stay beside them and don't touch them. You can touch them, but you don't do as much comforting. You can pick them up, at that time as well. You do three minutes, six minutes, nine minutes.