9 Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep ...

Tairalyn

9 Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep ...
9 Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep ...

Sleep is no longer in my vocabulary as a new mother; however I have perfected 9 fabulous ways to help your baby sleep. Giving birth to a colic baby is like signing your sanity away for the next 6 to 9 months of your life. I have read books, taken advice and designed a few tricks of my own that will not only give you more shut eye but help baby sleep soundly. Here are my 9 ways that will give you your sanity back and get your baby to sleep longer...

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1. Shush

A tactic used by most, but sometimes not done quite perfectly. Mimicking the noises from your womb, the shushing noise, made with your mouth, can sooth a baby right to sleep. If you find it doesn’t work I suggest lifting your baby up to rest closer near your heart while rocking back and forth. I found that the combination of the Shushing, my heart beat and a little sway put my baby girl to sleep within 10 minutes.

2. Sleep Sack/Swaddle

Still to this day we use a Swaddle for our baby girl. As this may not work for all, this works for us. We use it during her 2 naps in the daytime and during her evening sleep. Switching between a light cotton one during the day and a fleece on at night, we have nailed the swaddle. We found she would wake herself up with her arms during her naps and this is when we began looking into a swaddle. If you find your baby wakes from movement, maybe a swaddle is something to look into. For us it helps baby sleep soundly, and this makes for happy baby and rested parents.

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3. Belly Rubs

Sometimes the reason for a babies wakefulness is from tummy rumbles or a upset tummy. We rub out babies tummy in a circular motion after putting her in her crib. Combined with a soft sush, she is asleep soundly almost instantly. We find without doing this, she struggled to get to sleep and she is restless the entire nap/night. A simple belly rub starts the rest off on a good foot.

4. Hair Dryer/Hood Fan

I only suggest this tip as a last resort. Our baby girl was colic for the first 6 months of her life. Many nights we spent trying to put her to sleep, until we stumbled across this tip. A hair blow dryer gives a more stern approach to the mother’s womb sound. The combination of a louder noise to concentrate on and the shushing of the fan will stop them from crying instantly and focus on something other than tears. I almost promise this will work for you, however don’t use it daily as it will end up as a crutch and you will make no “head-way” on your babies sleep habits.

5. Blackout Blinds

A dark room is a cozy room. We couldn’t figure out for the longest time why our baby girl couldn’t sleep for long periods of time during the day. We tried putting up a darker blind and EUIKA, we figured it out. We later figured out, a baby wakes up every 30 minutes, during its REM {Rapid Eye Movement}. They will either do one of two things during this time, fall deeper to sleep or wake up. If the room is dark enough during their REM light will not be a bother, and baby will stay fast asleep.

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6. Daily Routine - Wake, Eat, Play, Calm, Sleep

Whether it’s like you or not, know that MOST babies need a routine. We had no routine for our baby girl until she was 3 months, where she told us she wanted a routine. A basic routine that works for most is Wake, Eat, Play, Calm, Sleep. So when your child wakes from her nap/sleep they are to eat, followed by some playtime, then into a calm state to wind down, possibly book reading or watching cartoons, and then to sleep again. It will take a good 2 weeks to get a routine going and to feel comfortable but you will be so happy you did. A routine is a perfect way to help baby sleep soundly as they know it’s coming and they will not worry or wonder what’s ahead for them. Again Happy Baby makes for happy Parents.

7. Fill His Belly for Bed

A baby should always go to bed {for the night} with a full tummy. If your baby is too young for solids then make sure your designing a routine that ends with a feeding. Some I know have also dusted a little rice cereal in their infant’s last bottle to thicken up and help with hunger pains at night. Do with what is most comfortable for you and baby but make sure that before bed they feed and go right down. This will help with sleeping through the night peacefully.

8. Bath Time

Being in the bath can be the perfect way to wind down the day, not only for baby but also yourselves. A fabulous routine to make is an evening bath, then a feeding and right into bed. Baby is warm, full and perfectly cozy ready for a good night’s rest. If you make this a daily routine, I suggest only soaping baby up twice out of the week, to avoid drying out their skin, over washing is not good. If you are lucky enough to have a baby with tough skin, using the Johnson & Johnson Lavender Baby Wash is fabulous, the lavender put baby in a state of calm and makes bedtime a breeze. But be careful with this as some babies’ skin can be too sensitive to handle such strong perfumes.

9. Crib

Although life doesn’t always allow, the best thing to do to help your baby sleep is to ensure it’s in their own bed. Try not to nap on the go in their car seat and be home to put them down in a proper bed each time. We have a crib setup both at our house and at my parents house, so that if we are out and about we will always be near to a crib that she can nap in. We nap twice a day for no longer than 2 hour, its really not too much to ask when you think of it. Gives me 2 hours at my home to do things for myself, or call in an esthetician to do an at home Mani/Pedi – don’t mind if I do.

These 9 ways to help your baby sleep are probably nothing that you don’t already know. However I found it’s how you use them. I hope that I have helped get your baby to sleep better, I know how a day can feel when you have had next to no sleep or down time. I promise once you get a routine in place, you will feel on top of the world. Tell me, what are some of your trick to help baby sleep?

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This is so true! Thanks for sharing!

For my three babies, using the "Shhhh" very softly right into their ear as they rest against my cheek helped a lot. Even if they were in full hysterics, once they focused on the sound it lulled them much easier then anything else.

Great advice! How old was ur little one when you made the routine?

I like that you didn't put let them cry it out. That way work for some parents. But I feel if a baby is crying fix what is wrong

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