7 Tips for Getting Baby to Sleep
July 2, 2017Thank you to WellBeingKid for partnering with me on today’s post. All opinions are mine alone.
One thing that all new moms would agree on is the importance (and difficulty, at times) of getting baby to sleep. However, new moms do not need to spend countless hours trying to get baby to drift to sleep. There are several time-tested methods of promoting sleep and I’ll be sharing my top 7 tips today.
7 Tips for Getting Baby to Sleep
1. Swaddle!
Babies spend many months in the mother’s womb so they feel safe and secure when in a tight embrace. Recreate that soothing environment by swaddling baby to keep her calm & content. We swaddled both of our kids for a number of months – it worked well!
7 Tips for Getting Baby to Sleep
2. Play white noise!
Babies can get distracted by random noises throughout the house. Drown out the sound of the TV and the noise of the ringing telephone with a white noise machine. This strategy even works with adults – white noise is soothing for babies and adults alike.
3. Stick to a routine!
Just like adults, getting baby to sleep depends on a predictable schedule. Rather than setting specific times for feeding, changing, sleeping, create a routine that dictates what happens next. In this way, you can create a sense of predictability for baby, while still remaining flexible to her needs.
4. Look for signs!
It’s best to put baby down when she’s drowsy, rather than fully asleep. In this way, she will master the process of falling asleep on her own. Some signs of drowsiness include rubbing the eyes or yawning. I was always attuned to my kids’ signs of sleepiness, so I could act quickly.
5. Keep lights off!
Bright lights signal to the brain that it’s time to wake up. Shut all the lights off to promote sleep. By keeping lights off, you are telling baby that it’s time to close her eyes and rest.
7 Tips for Getting Baby to Sleep
6. Accept sleep regressions!
Sleep regressions are a natural part of infant development. Just when you think you have mastered a sleep routine, there may be setbacks that involve unusual wake-ups and unexpected difficulties falling asleep. Go with the flow and the regression shall soon pass.
7. Have the right mindset!
Getting baby to sleep can sometimes be challenging and downright stressful. At all times, maintain a calm and positive attitude. Never forget that this is a process and it can take time. Enjoy the moments with baby and relish the bonding time!
7 Tips for Getting Baby to Sleep
I hope these tips have inspired you to tackle your own sleep issues with baby. Now, I’d love to hear from you: What is your best tip for getting baby to sleep?
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Those are all great tips! My boys are well out of the baby stage but I ‘teach’ the bed babies Sunday School class and use many of these when a baby needs to nap.
My older daughter slept like a champ when she was little, my younger daughter still doesn’t sleep through the night at 3 years old. It is rough stuff.
We did all of these with our three kids. Some worked some didn’t. All kids are different
One tip for getting myself to fall asleep is playing white noise. I would’ve never thought to try this on an infant!
I love ALL of your tips. I agree with the white noise, my sister-in-law used a box fan for so long that now as a teen her daughter still uses it. Swaddling was one of my favorite for my own children and my grandson. I think they just love that feeling of being tightly ‘held’.
I also agree that keeping a schedule is important as long as it still allows you to go out and be with family without having to rush home. I agree that all of your tips are right on the money. I also think it is always a great reminder to keep calm as best as you can.
Some great tips on getting the little ones to sleep. One tip I will share, they sleep, you sleep
These are great tips for mommies. I know that swaddling them is such an effective way to make babies asleep.
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My 3-yr old daughter sleeps whenever she wants to. I will share these tips to my sis-in-law (soon to be a mom). It will help her a lot. Thank you.
Great tips. I can’t say am a beginner mom but sometimes I really need to do some of these tips for my 3-yr old daughter. Thanks for sharing.
Great tips! My three kids are past the baby phase, but getting them on a sleep routine and white noise always helped them sleep.
Great tips on helping your baby sleep. I totally agree with you routine is such a big one.
Oh this is a sweet post. I am always amazed at how a mother gets their newborns to sleep. I guess you can see that mothers are nothing short but incredible people. This is beautifully written.
These are fantastic tips! I could have used some of these YEARS ago!
Getting a baby sleep is really a tiring thing. These are really great tips.
Swaddling was HUGE for both of my girls. It helped them go to sleep and stay asleep – which was half the battle for us.
I don’t have any children, but I’ll be sure to pass this on to my friends with infants.
These are great tips for parents on getting the baby to sleep. It is important I believe to stick with a routine with the child for bedtime. I find it interesting to put the baby down before fully a sleep so they will learn to fall asleep on their own. Thanks for sharing these awesome tips.
White noise was a such a lifesaver with my first kiddo. Once I got that machine he slept so much better!
I feel like I was on a schedule my daughter wanted since I breastfed, i was up around the clock every time she needed a feed. It was exhausting but I got through it!
I was finally ready for my baby to stop sleeping with us, but I didn’t know how to do it. I followed your instructions and IT WORKED!! I’m so happy. He is finally sleeping through the night. (He was nursing about 6 times at night) Thank you!! Thank you!!
Yay! I’m so happy for you, Doreen! Thanks for letting me know these tips helped you!!
Man I have to say that for naps, we had to take a more gentle approach. Because we’d get in a vicious cycle where if he didn’t take good naps during the day, it’d mess up his night sleep cuz he was overtired. So we had to do a gentle approach for nap training where we would try different strategies to help him fall asleep in the crib for his nap (we had to work on switching him from swing to crib). So we would try to lay him in his crib and if it didn’t work, we’d go back to the swing. Sometimes it’d work, sometimes it wouldn’t. But eventually it took. Then we would work on putting him in his crib drowsy but awake, but if he didn’t fall asleep within 5-10min, we’d cuddle him to sleep. Eventually he’d fall asleep in his crib. It took a long time (several months) but it worked! Now he’s 11 months and falls asleep easily in his crib by himself and takes great naps!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Sam. I’m glad you found something that worked for you. Have a wonderful day!
My baby has been sleeping through the night since 3 months.. now shes 7 months and adjusting to sleep training with ease, after 10 mins she was down i guess I’m just lucky!