Put Baby To Sleep – 4 Quick Fire Tips

Your baby is the most precious thing to happen in your life, and no matter how much you love them, if you cannot put baby to sleep easily then things quickly start to go downhill.  Before long, both the baby and parents will feel the effects of sleep deprivation and sleep disturbance.

Yep, they are going to get pretty cranky!  It’s bad enough when you or I have had a bad night’s sleep, but when your bay is also struggling this only makes things worse.  Things get even more intense when you think about the fact that your baby may not sleep at the same times as you for a few months from birth.

Here are four top tips to help you put baby to sleep so you get plenty of the same and can feel refreshed and invigorated (for once!).

1. If your baby is unwell then he or she is going to feel cranky anyway.  Babies often get congested so it’s important to help them shift that excess mucus by raising their upper body a little bit.  Try to use a baby sleep positioner to keep them in the right position.  A wedge under the mattress will elevate the head end, raising their upper body, keeping the mucus away.  Alternatively a sling may be of use if the baby has bed sores and would feel more uncomfortable sleeping on their side.
2. A routine is one of the best things you can ever do to aid with sleep patterns.  It pays huge dividends for both you and your baby.  Develop a habit that is repeated each and every day.  Perhaps a baby bath around 5pm to 6pm, followed by a drink or feed for your baby and then followed by bed.  If you follow the same routine day in, day out, they quickly adapt, and they begin to know that a bath the bottle means bed.
3.  When you want to put baby to sleep, wrap your baby tight with a blanket, ensuring their arms are wrapped close to their sides.  This is a useful tip if you are finding it hard to put baby to sleep.  Ordinarily, your bay may be reaching out for the comfort and snuggling from their parent.  This wrapping tightly helps them feel like they are being snuggled and will help them with their sleep.
4.  Avoid eye contact and keep the room darkened.  Babies will often look to your eyes for reassurance when they are in their bed. You need to avoid eye contact with them wherever possible.  This will help set the right conditions for them to fall asleep.  They won’t have anything to “do” apart from go to sleep because everything else will seem boring.  The darkened room also helps set the tone as they have very little to look and think about.

If you are struggling to put baby to sleep then hopefully one of the above techniques will be of use.  Just give them a try and be persistent for 2 weeks consistently and see if things begin to improve.  Let us know how you get on as we would love to hear your thoughts!