Put a Baby to Sleep

It's every parent's nightmare: you and your baby are both exhausted, but nothing seems to work to get your child to fall asleep. Sleep is crucial to our health and well-being, and newborns require as much as 18 hours per day, while one-year-olds need up to 14 hours.[1] There are some tips and tricks you can try if you’re having trouble getting your baby to sleep, but it’s important to create a routine that you stick to, and that you be ready to adapt different methods to suit your baby and family.

Steps

Creating a Bedtime Routine

  1. Make a sleep schedule. A nightly routine will help your baby adapt to going to sleep at the same time every evening, which should help to make it easier to get her to sleep. Create a routine that works for you. It can include things like bath time, comfortable bedtime clothes, a story, a final feeding, a massage, or anything else that helps your baby wind down before bed.
    • You don’t have to follow every aspect of your routine every single night (nor in the order listed), but make sure that you always do things in the same order according to your routine, so that your baby knows what to expect and recognizes relaxation cues.[2]
    • Even if she’s too young to understand, tell your baby when it’s bedtime so that she will begin to understand the verbal cues.
  2. Feed your baby. Don’t give her so much that she’s overly full and uncomfortable, but give her enough so that she’s satisfied and not hungry before bed.
  3. Give her a gentle massage. Before bed, try a short massage. For 10 to 15 minutes, use slow, long strokes and moderate pressure to massage her arms, legs, hands, feet, back, and tummy.[3] Try a baby-friendly oil, such as sunflower or grapeseed.
    • Gently rub her face, including her forehead, the bridge of her nose, and her head.[4]
  4. Have bath time. A warm bath is relaxing for adults and babies, and it’s a nice addition to your nighttime routine. Consider skipping this step if your baby finds baths too exciting or dislikes being in the water.
    • Avoid having toys or other stimulants in the nighttime bath, as the purpose of this bath is quiet, soothing time before sleep.[5]
  5. Put on a fresh diaper and pajamas. Use a good, thick, nighttime diaper to prevent leaks and unnecessary mid-night changes. Choose soft pajamas made from a breathable fabric, because babies sleep better when they are cool versus warm. Use booties, skull caps, and sleeping sacks over blankets, as blankets pose a suffocation risk.[6]
  6. Read your baby a story. Be sure to use a low, quiet, monotone voice that won’t startle or stimulate her. Every baby is different and responds to stimuli differently, and if your baby doesn’t relax during story time, try other soothing methods, such as:
    • Walking around with her in your arms or in a carrier
    • Rocking her gently in a chair or in your arms
    • Singing her a song
    • Playing her quiet music

Putting Your Baby to Sleep

  1. Put her to bed when she is sleepy but still awake. Look for signs of tiredness, such as yawning, heavy eyes, whininess, making fists, and eye rubbing. Putting her to bed and letting her fall asleep on her own will help her learn to soothe herself to sleep.
    • Avoid eye contact at this stage, as it might stimulate her and wake her up again.
  2. Lay her down on her back. Babies should always sleep on their backs, as babies who sleep on their tummies are at an increased risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).[7]
    • Soothe your baby with physical contact as you transfer her to bed. Gently lay your hand on her stomach, arms, or head to reassure her that you are there and make her feel safe and secure.[8]
  3. Turn off the lights. This includes bedroom lights, lamps, nightlights, monitors and screens, and anything else that might create artificial light. Unnatural light can interfere with our circadian rhythms, which is our natural sleep-wake cycle.
    • Consider dimming the lights during your pre-bed routine to reduce your baby’s exposure to light before it’s time to sleep.[9]
    • Keep the room dark all night. Nighttime exposure to artificial light can suppress the body’s production of melatonin, which is the hormone responsible for regulating the sleep-wake cycle.[10]
  4. Feed her before you go to sleep for the night. A mid-night feeding while she’s still asleep can stave off hunger longer, and may prevent your baby from waking up for an extra couple hours. Since she’ll be drinking slower and won’t swallow as much air, try forgoing burping after bedtime or mid-night feedings, because this may wake her up and make it difficult to get her back to sleep.[3]

Keeping Your Baby Asleep

  1. Keep an empty crib. Remove all blankets, toys, pillows, and other items. Not only are these distractions for a sleepy baby, but they also pose a danger in terms of suffocation risk and SIDS.[7]
  2. Swaddle her. Try swaddling your baby if she doesn’t easily sleep through the night and wakes often. The careful wrapping of the blanket will prevent her limbs from jerking and possibly waking her up,[11] keep her warm, make her feel safe, replicate conditions in the womb, and may help her sleep better.[12] Moreover, the tight and careful wrapping of the blanket will prevent it from coming loose and creating a suffocation risk.
    • Don’t swaddle children over two months old during unsupervised sleep time, as babies this age begin attempting to roll over.[13]
  3. Don’t tiptoe around. In the mother’s womb, a baby hears the noises of everyday life 24 hours a day. Making noise or creating white noise in your baby’s room will help replicate what she heard in the womb,[3] and prevent her from becoming a light or sensitive sleeper.
  4. Try calming essential oils. For babies older than six months, essential oils like lavender and chamomile can be used in small quantities in their rooms to create a relaxing scent that promotes sleep. Try these scents in a diffuser, or place a couple drops on a tissue or facecloth near the crib or bassinet[14]
  5. Remove allergen sources from the room. This is especially important if your baby tends to wake up congested or with a stuffy nose. As much as possible, keep your baby’s room and the entire house clean, dry, and dust free. Common irritants that could disrupt sleep and should be kept out of the bedroom include:[15]
    • Smoke and paint fumes
    • Pet dander, lint, and dust that collect on stuffed animals, canopies, and drapes
    • Feathers from pillows or comforters
    • Baby powder
    • Perfumes and hairsprays
    • Plants

Coping with Mid-Night Wake-Ups

  1. Be efficient and quiet. Late night interaction with your baby can help soothe her back to sleep, but it may also encourage more wake-ups in the middle of the night. Don’t make eye contact, and keep talking and singing to a minimum. Try gentle touching on her belly, head, and face, and speak in soft a voice.[16]
    • The most likely reason your baby has awoken in the middle of the night is because she’s hungry, because babies generally get hungry every one to three hours, and newborns especially shouldn’t go more than four hours without eating.[17]
  2. Keep the lights off. Especially with older babies whose bodies have begun to develop a circadian rhythm that’s guided by light and dark, don’t turn on the lights or take your baby into a lit room when you are trying to soothe her back to sleep in the middle of the night.
  3. Avoid diaper changes. While a wet and stinky diaper certainly needs to be dealt with, an unnecessary diaper change can wake your baby up more than she was and make it more difficult to get her back to sleep. Your baby doesn’t need her diaper changed after every feeding, so at night, only change a dirty diaper.[16]
  4. Try a pacifier. Not only can this help soothe your baby back to sleep, it may also help prevent SIDS. Be sure to use a cord- and clip-free pacifier to prevent choking and strangulation hazards.[7]
  5. Recognize the signs of teething discomfort. Particularly fussy babies may be suffering from teething pains, which can start as early as three months. Talk to your doctor about baby-safe painkillers if you suspect teething is preventing your baby from getting a good night’s sleep. Teething signs include:[15]
    • Excessive drooling or a wet bed sheet under her head
    • Tender and swollen gums
    • Mild fever



Warnings

  • Older children who wake up thirsty at night should get water instead of milk, because too many late night bottles can lead to tooth decay.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/sleep-children
  2. ↑ http://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-sleep-patterns/how-to-put-your-baby-to-sleep-at-night-6-steps/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.parents.com/baby/sleep/tips/best-baby-sleep-tips/
  4. ↑ http://www.wahm.com/articles/5-infant-massage-techniques-for-calming-your-baby-1.html
  5. ↑ http://www.parenting.com/gallery/baby-sleep-solutions?page=1
  6. ↑ http://www.babycenter.com/404_whats-the-best-sleepwear-for-my-baby_7628.bc
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 http://www.healthychildcare.org/pdf/SIDSparentsafesleep.pdf
  8. ↑ http://www.parenting.com/gallery/baby-sleep-solutions?page=7
  9. ↑ https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-news/lights-out-good-nights-sleep/page/0/1
  10. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20110119/light-exposure-may-cut-production-of-melatonin
  11. ↑ http://www.babycenter.com/0_swaddling-your-baby_125.bc
  12. ↑ http://www.parenting.com/gallery/baby-sleep-solutions?page=18
  13. ↑ https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/diapers-clothing/Pages/Swaddling-Is-it-Safe.aspx
  14. ↑ http://www.parenting.com/gallery/baby-sleep-solutions?page=5
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health-concerns/sleep-problems/31-ways-get-your-baby-sleep-and-stay-asleep
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-best-sleep-advice-youve-never-heard_1445907.bc
  17. ↑ http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/breastfeed/breastfeed_often.html
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