How to Make Baby Sleep? Steal this mama’s cheat sheet
Those tiny eyes may be heart-stealing, but to help the baby fall asleep is not a matter of a cakewalk. New parents feel it to be testing how to make baby sleep at night for obvious reasons. What adds to their puzzling state is the tonnes of advice they receive from the near and dear which adds to the confusion.
Every baby is different, and so are the challenges parents face. Stomach pain, colic, hunger, and wet nappies are the most observed reasons for a baby’s disturbed sleep. Even if the baby continues to not sleep despite all these taken care of, here are expert tried and tested tips from Swetha, a mama, and blogger at AvaniGo on how to make baby sleep at night.
Why how to make baby sleep at night challenging?
Babies spend 9 months in the mother’s womb, that provides a warm fluid-filled environment that is constantly in motion.
Thus, when babies are born, it can be challenging for them to get habituated to the new environment. This is why many mothers struggle thinking how to make baby sleep.
The odd timings of babies also test mothers and can create disturbed sleep patterns for new moms too.
A piece of good news is with some patience and a little knack, moms need not worry how to fall asleep quickly or how to make their baby sleep fast. Implement these tried and tested techniques how to make the baby sleep at night and enjoy a night of sleep like a baby along with your newborn.
Change their sleeping position
The best sleeping position for babies is sleeping on their back. However, babies can feel insecure if you try to put them to sleep in this position.
Instead, put your baby on their side and gently pat them to sleep. Once they get into a deep sleep, gently change their position to their back.
Try calming music
The mother’s womb is a noisy one for the baby. Your baby hears every minute sound including your voice, heartbeat, and blood circulation.
Provide such warm and gentle noise for the baby to make them feel comfortable just like they were when in the womb to put them to sleep faster.
Ensure warm environment
Babies feel secure when you provide them with warmth. Choose fresh soft baby blankets that provide a mother-like gentle touch to swaddle the baby.
Caress the baby with love and swaddle her to impart a caring and safe environment where the baby loves to fall asleep quickly.
Transfer only when they are fully asleep
After a tiring effort to make baby sleep, parents hurry to transfer them to bed only to discover that the little one is not fully asleep. What follows is another cycle of putting the baby to sleep, this time with depleted motivation and energy levels.
To avoid such instances, ensure that the baby is fast asleep before on your lap or the shoulder before you try to transfer her onto the bed.
All it takes is a difference of 5 -10 minutes to let your baby sleep from the stage of getting into sleep. This little duration can mean a lot of difference for you mentally and effort-wise!
Refrain from playing at night
A common misconception about making babies fall asleep is that letting them play will tire them and invite better sleep. Well, this might be true as the baby grows up and requires physical exercise, but not when the baby is a newborn and below 6 months.
Playing with babies at night will put them in active mode making it difficult for them to get back to sleep. Instead, establish a silent environment or gently play with the baby only using your touch without making them too much active.
Rock and swing only to an extent
Babies indeed fall asleep when you rock and swing them gently. However, it is a common observation that babies can get habituated to the rocking moments causing trouble in the latter stages of their growth to fall asleep normally.
Rocking a baby might be comfortable, but not as they grow up. A better practice would be trying to put the baby to sleep with minimal swinging or by tapping them on their side, as discussed a while ago.
Also Read: Baby photoshoot ideas
Maintain body contact
The body contact between the baby and the mother assumes immense prominence in Indian culture. Unlike in Western culture where babies are best kept away from mothers at night, it is an Indian traditional practice to make babies sleep with their mothers. It is believed that this promotes their bonding and also helps babies fall asleep quickly.
Next time your little one shows trouble sleeping, grab a cup of chamomile tea or a book and lie on your back with your baby in your lap, gently patting him to let the magic begin.
Give massage and a warm bath
This is one of the wonderful techniques that would surely help baby fall asleep quickly. The relaxing effect of a gentle massage on babies has been widely recognized. Besides helping their muscle growth, massage helps babies fall asleep quickly.
Set an evening routine of massaging your baby with mild chemical-free natural oil. Give them a lukewarm bath, or pat them dry with a warm wet cloth if the season prevents the evening bath.
Also Read: How to engage kids at home?
Sucking
Sucking thumbs is a natural assuring reflex. Babies feel secure and fall asleep quickly through sucking.
Next time your little one sucks his thumbs, let them go ahead as it will help baby fall asleep.
Enjoy the time alone with your baby
The early months of a baby keep waking up at the night is a temporary phase. As they grow up, the usual biological cycle ticks in, you will no longer have to worry about how to make baby sleep fast.
Next time your baby wakes you up at 2 in the night, enjoy the little one’s love and facial expressions before they grow up, and you miss this little love-filled me-time with your baby. Don’t forget to catch up on the lost sleep in the day when your baby is sleeping!
Related Reading: What to do when baby not drinking milk?
Final thoughts
Bid bye to your worries about how to make baby sleep fast with these tried and tested tips. Focus on understanding your baby’s needs which you will ace in no time. Enjoy those lovely moments and get quality sleep when your baby is sleeping. Happy parenting!
