This is the toughest part for every new parents. Most thought-out reason why it is hard to put babies to sleep is that while they are inside the tummy, they don’t have any days and nights. They don’t have the rules of sleeping throughout the nights, and taking naps during day times. Therefore, once they are out in the world, they tend to follow their habits of nine months. By a couple of months, they will eventually get used to it.
But if your baby is no longer a new born and still has a disturbing sleep cycle, then it is your job to change their sleeping patterns over time, and trust me, it is no easy job! How to put a baby to sleep will take months of patience and practices, till they are accustomed to their new time tables. To help you out, here are some sleep basics that you will need to know.
The reason why your baby refused to sleep properly, especially at night.
Once your baby turns into their first month, you should start changing their sleeping pattern. But before you do that, it is important to know that you are not the only parents facing this problem. Nearly all the parents around the globe face this regularly. This common problem has numerous reasons. If your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, check his diaper. A soiled diaper can make them uncomfortable. Or, your toddler may feel too cold, or too hot maybe? Perhaps there is too much light or it’s too dark in the room?
Another reason can be that she is suffering from some kind of illness, for example, stomach ache. Babies also have a tendency to come up with activities in the middle of the night. He may want to get out of the cot. You have to be alert till your child masters their sleeping cycle. Be consistent. Do it regularly, otherwise it will effect you mainly. You will have a disturbed sleeping pattern which will make you feel agitated, sleepy, and depressed throughout the day. Here are some set of tactics you can try: starting from as early as six weeks old, this will make your task easier.
Allow active day time feeds, and quite night time feeds.
If you are breastfeeding, you should play and actively breastfeed during day times, and maintain quite feeds at night so that your baby understands the difference. It will also aid your child to set her body clock accordingly.
A bedtime schedule can help on how to put a baby to sleep.
Set a time for your baby’s bedtime. Say you want to put him to sleep around 7:00pm. Make sure you follow this time throughout, even during weekends. Before putting her to put, give her a warm bath, make her wear a fresh sleeping suit and fresh nappy, and make sure she is comfortably lying down. You can also massage her body lightly. This will relax her and she will have a sound sleep.
Make her sleep with her favorite stuff toy.
All babies have a strong smell sense, meaning, their mothers’ smell actually calm them down. Try to make your child get accustomed to a stuff toy, which is safe for him to sleep with, and make sure the toy has your body odor. If your baby doesn’t prefer toys, then you can leave your scarf or a tee beside him, so that even if he wakes up in the middle of the night, your material (containing your smell) will soothe him down.
Nuzzle with your baby.
I always prefer this. Both my children share our bed. And their bedtime means some serious cuddling with their parents. And while doing this, we pretend to fall asleep (sometimes the pretension turns out real, though. We fall asleep before them). But this throws a message to them that they are supposed to sleep, since their parents are snoozing.
Give your baby a chance to settle in by herself.
By the time your baby is off breastfeeding, it will be a better opportunity for you to provide your child with the independence of putting herself to sleep. If your child is used to the cot, then put her there and wait to see what she does. If she refuses to sleep by herself, pat her gently, sing her a lullaby. If she persists on feeling agitated, lift her up and walk for a bit, then put her back again. After couple of days, she will eventually settle in by herself.
By settling himself, allow him to fall asleep by himself, too.
We have seen many parents prefer to rock their baby off to sleep. This is a dependable habit. Once your child is dependent on it, it will be hard to let go. So, from the very beginning, try to put him down on his cot, or your bed, while he is sleepy, and just gently pat him to sleep. One of the most effective ways to put them to sleep is to sing a lullaby. If your baby can establish to lie down by himself, he can also fall asleep by himself. Just give him some few days.
Each baby has her own way of development. Some tend to grasp the concepts faster than others of similar age. This doesn’t call for tension. Allow your child to learn things taking his time. Things like how to put a baby to sleep, or when your baby should start walking, are time consuming tasks. All you need are perseverance and positive vibes.
