When bedtime is getting near, at about 7pm, for our 6 week old baby, can we keep him downstairs with us (with conversation and regular lighting), swaddled and rocking until he goes into a deep sleep, and then put him in bed?
Or do we need to take him upstairs to the darkened room by his crib, with low lights and maybe some white noise, and put him to sleep there... even if it could take an hour or two?
If you can get him to go to sleep while he's with you, and get him into his crib without his waking, more power to you. Any way you can get an infant to sleep on time is a good way.
I think if your child learns to sleep in less than perfect quiet, that is a win. Life is not always white noise and perfect conditions. If you have problems down the road, then try other methods.
Kids are so adaptable, but one general "rule," if you want to call it that, might be consistency. If you are comfortable and confident, flexible and attuned to your child's needs, that's a great start. Kids vary. Too many prevailing opinions suggest there's a right way and a wrong way in terms of baby sleep practices from cry-it-out to co-sleeping. Not all parents are comfortable with expert opinions of one strategy or another, so find one that works for you. If your child can sleep through a transfer from one sleeping spot to another, then yay! Remember, parents need sleep too!
