Learn More: Sleep Training
Read our complete Sleep Training Guide and our Q+A with Sleep Consultant Taking Cara Babies to learn more about sleep training and how it can help your family.
Use these tips if youre having trouble getting baby to fall asleep. And remember, the Zen Swaddle and Zen Sack are effective tools for helping babies sleep better and longer and they could be the key to teaching your little one to self-soothe!
Ways To Make A Baby Sleep
December 11, 2012 by getbabytosleep
Getting a baby to fall asleep sometimes seems like the easiest thing in the world. At the newborn stage, when they sleep about 18 hours a day, you have trouble keeping them awake. Its eat, sleep, diaper, repeat. Then they start to grow up and everything changes.
At some point babies realize that theres a whole wide world of things to see and touch and eat out there. They dont want to miss anything! And so they start staying awake longer, fighting sleep with ever-louder cries.
To help you, the frazzled sleep-deprived parent, weve put together this list of tips and techniques for making a baby go to sleep. The quick and easy ways are listed first, followed by more advanced strategies for when your baby still wont fall asleep.
Recommended Reading: What Will Help A Newborn Poop
How To Help Your Baby Get To Sleep
Setting a consistent routine is key to helping your baby learn to sleep through the night. During the first few months, your babys sleep schedule will largely be dictated by their eating pattern. However, as they grow, theyll be able to go longer and longer between feedings. At this point, you can start to adhere to a day-night schedule.
To help your baby establish a healthy circadian rhythm, start by making sure your baby gets plenty of daylight and stimulation during the day. While young infants need several naps during the daytime, you can experiment to find a napping schedule that makes your baby tired enough to get to sleep at night without being overtired.
In the lead-up to bedtime, try to set a calming atmosphere and carry out the same bedtime routine every night. The following rituals can help your baby associate nighttime with sleeping:
- Changing into pajamas and a fresh diaper
- Turning down the thermostat
- Creating a quiet environment
An important part of developing healthy sleeping habits for your baby includes teaching them to fall asleep on their own. Many babies find it soothing to be rocked or cuddled, but its best to put your baby to bed before they actually fall asleep. This way they will be less anxious if they wake up during the night and you are not there, and they will be more likely to fall back asleep without needing your help.
Read Also: How Many Ounces Should A Newborn Drink
Sleeping Through The Night
Its also important to note what sleeping through the night actually is.
A baby is considered to be sleeping through the night when they sleep sixyes, just sixhours in one stretch. Perhaps your baby already is sleeping through the night and you just didn’t realize it. Either way, don’t worry. It may not feel like it , but your child will be sleeping for more significant stretches soon enough. It may take months to get there but your child’s nighttime sleep will continue to lengthen and eventually will reach between an average of 10 or more hours a night.
You Can Help Your Newborn Sleep Better And We Can Help
There are many gentle, newborn-friendly ways that you can help your baby sleep longer stretches, and sleep more regularly and our expert sleep consultants are well-versed in all of them! Reach out to one of our consultants today, and she will craft a newborn-specific Personalized Sleep Plan with recommendations that are designed specifically for your unique baby.
Want more information about how personalized help works? Check out our FAQ page here, and get answers.
Join our VIP Members Area packed with exclusive content and resources: e-Books, assessments, detailed case studies, expert advice, peer support, and more. It actually costs less to join than buying products separately! As a VIP member, youll also enjoy a weekly chat with an expert sleep consultant and our Ask the Author feature!
Newborns really can sleep long stretches during the day and at night you simply have to use appropriate, gentle techniques to get there! Our newborn e-book, Essential Keys to Your Newborns Sleep, outlines a number of gentle, baby-centered ways you can encourage better sleep from your newborn. Learn how to create sleep-inducing routines and schedules, how to bond and communicate with your newborn, ad more!
Persistent nighttime struggles demand a more intensive approach. Check out The 3 Step System to Help Your Baby Sleep. Using the same unique approach and practical tools for success, this e-book helps you and your baby sleep through the night.
Read Also: How To Get Your Newborn To Sleep In A Bassinet
Why Rocking + Lullabies Really Can Work
Making children feel sleepy requires decreasing their level of cortisol, the hormone that keeps them revved up and ready to go, says pediatrician Maureen Ahmann, DO. To decrease cortisol, calm their senses.
Rocking your baby andsinging a lullaby may be the best-known calming techniques, but any type of sensorysoothing can work, says Dr. Ahmann. Try:
- Any light, repetitive movement, like swaying or swinging.
- Dimming the lights.
- Playing soft music or tranquil sounds from a white noise machine or app.
The key is removingstimulation and signaling the body that its time to rest, says Dr. Ahmann.
Should I Wake Up With My Baby Every Time They Wake Up At Night
During the first 12 months, babies develop quickly, and their sleep patterns change rapidly. Its important to understand that all babies briefly awaken several times a night. Some babies are able to soothe themselves back to sleep after they wake up. Other babies learn to signal their parents for help to settle them back to sleep if they wake up in the middle of the night. However, it is best to let the newborn comfort himself or herself back to sleep rather than develop a need or association with a parent or guardian.
Read Also: What Does Newborn Acne Look Like
Put Your Sleepy Baby To Bed
Starting when your baby is 6 to 12 weeks old, soothe them until they are drowsy. When they are on the verge of sleep, put them down and let them drift off on their own. Don’t wait until they are fully asleep in your arms this could be a behavior that may become a struggle to get rid of later in their life.
This routine will teach your baby to soothe themselves to sleep, and you won’t need to rock or cuddle them to sleep every time they wake up during the night.
If your baby has trouble settling down, try moving their bedtime earlier, not later. Being overtired can make it hard to nod off.
The Most Common Baby Sleep Myths
Very regularly we hear things in our work with families that are worryingly inaccurate! Some things are old wives’ tales that have been disproved by modern science, other things are just downright, mass hype and hysteria.
In this article, we’re going to debunk a few such myths around baby sleep for you…
Recommended Reading: How Many Oz Of Breastmilk For Newborn
Newborn Sleep Patterns: A Survival Guide
As every parent knows, the world of newborn sleep is exotic and strange. Babies rack up lots of sleep overall, averaging 16-18 hours a day during the first two weeks. Yet they awaken frequently, and rarely sleep more than 4 hours at a stretch, even at night. Their internal clocks arent yet synchronized with the external, 24-hour day.
Its a recipe for exhaustion, but understanding the science of sleep can help you cope, and avoid mistakes that can delay your childs development of more mature sleep rhythms.
In this article, youll learn about
- fundamental differences between newborn sleep and adult sleep
- circadian rhythms, and how you can help your baby get in sync with the natural day
- sleep cycles in the newborn, and how to work around them
- tips for preventing newborns from waking up and
- advice for improving your own sleep.
Throughout, I focus on babies under four weeks of age. For information about older infants, see my article on baby sleep patterns.
How To Get Your Baby To Sleep Tip : Get Strategic About Diaper Changes
Did you know that many babies arent bothered by sleeping with a wet diaper? Now, that doesnt mean you shouldnt be changing it throughout the night , but it does mean you might be changing it more than you need to.
We keep mentioning the importance of keeping baby calm and activity low during nighttime. Diaper changes can be pretty active and can really wake your baby up. Start changing your babys diaper before you feed them, that way they can calm back down and hopefully fall asleep either while your feeding them, or shortly after.
If you have to change their diaper after being fed, dont turn on the lights, avoid talking to them excitedly and making eye contact. Try to master the diaper change with just the light from a night light so youre not giving your baby any signals that its time to wake up.
Read Also: How To Help A Newborn Fall Asleep
So When Do Babies Develop Mature Circadian Rhythms
Its normal for babies to take 12 weeks, or even longer.
Most infants take about 12 weeks to show day-night rhythms in the production of melatonin . Circadian changes in cortisol, a hormone that helps regulate alertness, may take even longer to emerge . And, overall, babies may take 3-5 months before they settle at nightmeaning that they sleep for more than 5 hours at a stretch .
Nevertheless, newborn sleep isnt completely divorced from the natural rhythms of the 24-hour day. Studies show that circadian rhythms begin developing in the first days after birth.
For example, German and Japanese studies have reported that newborns sleep more at night than they do during the day .
And scientific evidence suggests that even newborns are receptive to environmental cues about time. You can take advantage of this fact to help shape newborn sleep patterns.
Expose Your Baby To Natural Daylight
The sleep hormone melatonin isnt fully produced by infants until at least 9 to 12 weeks. This is when the pineal gland matures. Breastfed babies receive melatonin from breastmilk, with higher levels during evening and nighttime hours, and significantly lower levels during the day. Melatonin is broken down by light, which explains lower production during the day.
Our circadian rhythms a fancy way of saying our sleep cycles respond primarily to light and darkness. Your babys circadian rhythm is still developing over the first few months, which is another reason why newborns wake often. Exposure to natural light will help get things sorted out. Make sure the curtains are open and you move about your regular activities during the day.
Remember, your newborns naps dont always need to be in her crib. A bassinette in the living room will help reinforce her sense the daytime rhythm of your house. As your baby gets older and has a good day and night rhythm, youll find that she sleeps best in a dark, quiet place for naps.
Don’t Miss: How Does Newborn Hearing Test Work
They Dont Know How To Self
The issue: If you rock your baby to sleep each night, and they only know how to fall asleep in your arms, they might have trouble putting themselves back to sleep without your help in the middle of the night.
The solution: Keep in mind this isnt the case for every baby. If they sleep through the night and you are still rocking or feeding them to sleep, I say dont fix whats not broken, says Dr. Adams. Babies, like children and adults, wake up during the night, but the key is that we want them to fall back to sleep on their own, which is the advantage of learning to fall asleep on their own at the beginning of the night.
If you suspect that your baby needs to learn how to self-soothe, there are a few different things you can try. First, Dr. Adams stresses the importance of making sure your babys needs are metif theyre hungry, overtired or have a dirty diaper, theyll have a hard time self-soothing. She recommends putting them to sleep when they are partially asleep or awake so that they learn to go to sleep on their own and can do so in the middle of the night, too.
Dr. Sears also recommends leaving something of one of the parents behind, like a tape recording of a parent singing or reading, or a few drops of milk on the sheets. He also recommends repetitive sounds like white noise machines.
Helping Your Newborn Sleep
Newborns follow their own schedule. Over the next couple of weeks to months, you and your baby will begin to settle into a routine.
It may take a few weeks for your baby’s brain to know the difference between night and day. Unfortunately, there are no tricks to speed this up, but it helps to keep things quiet and calm during middle-of-the-night feedings and diaper changes. Try to keep the lights low and resist the urge to play with or talk to your baby. This will send the message that nighttime is for sleeping. If possible, let your baby fall asleep in the crib at night so your little one learns that it’s the place for sleep.
Don’t try to keep your baby up during the day in the hopes that your little one will sleep better at night. Overly tired infants often have more trouble sleeping at night than those who’ve had enough sleep during the day.
If your newborn is fussy it’s OK to rock, cuddle, and sing as your baby settles down. Swaddling can also help to soothe a crying baby. If you swaddle your baby and they start trying to roll over, that is a sign that you can stop swaddling. For the first months of your baby’s life, “spoiling” is definitely not a problem. In fact, newborns who are held or carried during the day tend to have less colic and fussiness.
Don’t Miss: How To Get A Newborn To Take A Bottle
Send An Early Riser To A New Time Zone
Waking at 5 a.m. is rough, and its one of the hardest things to fix. Parents often try making their babys bedtime later, but what you really need to do is shift his circadian rhythm, as if hes flying to Bermuda and needs to function in a new time zone. That means everything needs to move to a later time. If you shift by 15 minutes each day, you can adjust his body clock in about a week. Nalle
How Can I Get My Baby Used To Night And Day
It’s a good idea to teach your baby that night-time is different from daytime from the start. During the day, open curtains, play games and don’t worry too much about everyday noises when they sleep.
At night, you might find it helpful to:
- keep the lights down low
- not talk much and keep your voice quiet
- put your baby down as soon as they’ve been fed and changed
- not change your baby unless they need it
- not play with your baby
Your baby will gradually learn that night-time is for sleeping.
Don’t Miss: How Often Can I Bathe My Newborn
What Are The Signs Of Infant Sleep Problems
Once a baby begins to regularly sleep through the night, parents are often unhappy when the baby starts to wake up at night again. This often happens at about 6 months old. This is often a normal part of development called separation anxiety. This is when a baby does not understand that separations are short-term . Babies may also start to have trouble going to sleep because of separation anxiety. Or because they are overstimulated or overtired.
Common responses of babies having these night awakenings or trouble going to sleep may include the following:
-
Waking and crying one or more times in the night after sleeping through the night
-
Crying when you leave the room
-
Refusing to go to sleep without a parent nearby
-
Clinging to the parent at separation
Sleep problems may also happen with illness. Talk with your baby’s healthcare provider if your baby begins having trouble going to sleep or staying asleep, especially if this is a new pattern.
Fill Up During The Day
Offer your baby regular feeds during the day every 3 hours or less even if it means waking her up. Some babies will naturally do a 4 hour sleep stretch somewhere in a 24 hour period, just dont let her do it during the day!
You can gently wake your baby by picking her up, unswaddling her , or removing some of her clothing, stroking or tickling her arms and legs, or go straight to changing her diaper. Shell still need to feed during the night but hopefully shell start to stretch out her feeds when its dark
When thinking about the day you may realize that times between feedings were stretched out to accommodate a busier schedule, or that your baby was distracted and didnt ask for milk as often. This is one reason why newborns wake up at night.
Wish Id known about this book sooner!
“I feel so confident having this book to refer to and know that I can do this easily and in a short amount of time! You will not regret buying this book!”
Read Also: How Do You Put A Newborn To Sleep