Are you tired of staying up at odd hours with your baby? The first year of your child’s life is always the most difficult one, especially between managing yourself and the baby. Sleepless nights seem to be a rite of passage for new parents, but don’t worry, it isn’t all that hard to convince your little one to sleep through the night. Here are 6 baby sleep tips to keep in mind for a good night’s sleep for your baby:
Getting your little one to doze off isn’t always as challenging as it seems.
Encourage Good Sleep Habits
Even though night feedings are sure to interrupt your baby’s sleep, and disrupt yours as well, here are a few baby sleep tips you can follow to help your baby be a good sleeper. Stick to a consistent calming routine, and don’t overwork yourself or the baby in the evenings. Let your baby associate their bed with sleep by putting them to bed still awake, by placing them on their back and clearing the crib of all objects. A nice bath, good feed and calming lullabies can be a routine you create for your baby to get used to. After a while, they’ll know when it’s time to settle down.
Always give your baby time to settle down – your baby might create a fuss before finding a comfortable position to sleep. Offer comforting words and soothe your baby to give it a reassuring presence. Another thing to do is to adjust to your baby’s preferences – if your baby sleeps late or quite early, adapt to their routines rather than forcing your own! Don’t worry about naps – yes, we all prefer babies to be asleep in their beds or cribs for hours together, but don’t stress out if you see your little one fast asleep on your chest or lap! They get to have baby power naps as well, but we assure you that this won’t disturb their regular sleep schedules.
Create a Peaceful Environment
Define an end sleep goal and work towards it by means of singing, reading, cuddling, etc. in a quiet room. Avoid loud noises like your phone ringing, laughing too loudly with friends and family, playing music or watching TV loudly. Your baby is bound to wake up due to its REM cycle – the stage where dreams occur. But having dim lights and a peaceful, sleep-conducive environment will help your baby fall asleep again.
Dim lights can create a peaceful environment for your baby to fall asleep.
Keep calm and dim the lights; this ensures that your baby knows it’s time to sleep. Another way to signal that it’s sleep time is by dulling out all loud noises and replacing them with more soothing, calmer sounds. Invest in a white-noise machine that runs in the background so as to cover all other external noises surrounding the baby. Pick the machine that suits you, and don’t forget to test it by asking a person outside the room to talk to see if the noise permeates! Trust us, it works wonders by only muffling it, not drowning it out entirely.
Don’t Stop Moving While Swaddling
For those of you parents who might not know the technical term, swaddling is the traditional practice of wrapping a baby in light cloth to calm them and help them feel secure like they were in the womb. One of the baby sleep tips that could help is to try swaddling combined with light swaying. This can calm them down when they’re crying and also help them get drowsy. They might not initially take to it, but the more you practice this, the easier your baby adapts to it! Be warned though, if your baby still goes on crying, they’re a fighter. But keep at it, and we’re sure you’ll see happy results.
Take Turns With The Baby
There’s no sound reason for you to take up all the responsibility when you can ask your partner to take care of the baby as well! You can never predict your baby’s movements and behavior. Your baby is prone to sudden quick movements no matter how prepared you are. A diaper change, changing the baby’s clothes, falling ill and more could happen anytime!
Make sure you and your partner reach an understanding in terms of taking shifts for the baby. Keep a pack of new diapers, a pacifier and a bottle of milk ready so you’re prepared no matter what time it is! The faster your baby is fed, cleaned or comforted, the faster they fall asleep. This way the baby is taken care of, and everyone is refreshed and gets ample sleep (although with different sleep cycles, but you can’t have it all.) This ensures that the baby is also in a calm environment with access to good sleep, and good hygiene!
Keep Your Baby In Perspective
Putting your baby to sleep is never a measure of your parenting skills. Take time to understand your baby’s needs and habits. Learn to communicate with your baby so you can help your child become a better sleeper. Raise all concerns you have with your pediatrician in case nothing works out, as babies are quite tough to crack no matter how calm you could be.
If your baby happens to be around the 4-month mark, you may want to look out for sleep regression. This is a perfectly natural occurrence, and it doesn’t happen with all babies. Bring it up with your pediatrician if you have any concerns so they can put all your worries to rest.
Jump Into Action Mode At The First Sign Of Sleep
Timing is always crucial. Tune into your child’s natural rhythm by reading their drowsiness. Place them in a crib to increase the sleep hormone melatonin so their body is ready to drift off to sleep with little to no fuss. If you wait too long to put them to bed, they can overcome sleepiness. Soon enough, the body might decrease melatonin levels, and their brain releases hormones like adrenaline to increase wakefulness. In that case, it could lead to them waking up early, thereby making all your efforts of putting them to sleep futile.
Conclusion
In terms of baby sleep tips, the most important is that a consistent bedtime routine works wonders. If you get into this habit, so will your baby! Follow a process that suits you and your baby and watch them slip away into dreamland with ease. Keep yourself calm, surround yourself with good vibes and happy, supportive people, and know that just because it’s hard now, doesn’t mean it will always be so!
ImmunifyMe’s blog has great tips on how to soothe your baby, what devices to use, and where to find them all. Plus, by using the ImmunifyMe app, you can leave things like vaccination schedules and milestone tracking to us, so you can focus on your baby. We ensure you and your baby are in safe hands!
Once you know how to spot signs of drowsiness, getting your baby to sleep will be easier.
FAQs On Baby Sleep Tips
Are There Natural Sleep Remedies For Babies?
Here are 4 natural remedies you could use to get your baby to sleep if their sleep routine is still tough to change! Ensure you consult with your pediatrician before trying these methods out.
- Chamomile tea in small quantities can put your cranky toddler straight to bed. (Ensure you only give it to a toddler; it isn’t recommended for infants under 6 months)
- Magnesium in the night in the form of supplements ensures good sleep.
- A whiff of lavender, and drowsiness will overcome your baby quite quickly.
- A little bit of baby exercise goes a long way in helping the baby fall asleep at night.
What Are Some Devices To Put A Baby To Sleep?
Anything from strollers, toys that play lullabies, aroma vaporizers, pacifiers to soft huggable toys, moonlight lamps for dim lights, soft socks, fuzzy blankets and more help put a baby to sleep with ease! Just make sure it’s not too loud, and keep a lookout for temperature changes.
Do Sound Machines Actually Help Babies Sleep?
White-noise machines help create a comfortable atmosphere for the baby; almost womb-like. This encourages them to stop crying and fall asleep almost instantly. They also help in letting the babies sleep longer, without disturbing their sleep cycles.