Whether it’s sucking on a pacifier too much, always needing to be rocked to sleep or requiring silence to snooze, babies can easily fall into some bad habits. And while you may get more peace and quiet in the short term, you might later come to regret it when, say, your 3-year-old still needs you to sleep with him until he drops off. Here, how to handle five of the most common bad baby habits: Rocking your baby until he falls asleep Consistently swaying your child until he dozes off means that every time he wakes up later, you’re back on duty. And your baby won’t learn an important skill: how to soothe himself back to sleep. Starting in the first month or two, get him in the habit of drifting off on his own by putting him in his crib when you know his tummy’s full and he’s about due for a nap (usually every two hours or so in the early months).