How to Settle Your Baby for Sleep

bellamysorganic - Settle Your Baby for Sleep

Babies need to sleep a lot, but that doesn’t mean they’ll always be easy to settle. Some babies can prove especially difficult come bedtime, leaving parents tired, exhausted, and generally frustrated.

You will need to adapt your routines as the months go on, considering stages that may ‘upset’ their system – starting solids, teething, weather change, sickness etc. That said, a calm, relaxed approach to bedtime will see you through all the stages and this is a great place to lay your focus.

Here are some more tips to help your child go to sleep quickly:

1. Look out for the signs

Just as babies communicate feeding cues to tell you they’re hungry, they communicate tiredness through various behaviours. The key signs of tiredness are:

Staring off into the distance
Jerky movements
Pulling ears
Fussing and whimpering
Grimacing
Rubbing eyes.

2. Establish a (flexible) routine

Babies respond well to routine, but if it’s too rigid you will fall into trouble if anything in the routine changes – an evening out, an extended visit from a friend, a holiday etc. A routine should be about creating familiar patterns using calming cues, such as a bath, soothing massage, a bedtime story and a lullaby, rather than definitive times.

3. Aim for consistency whenever possible

While a routine doesn’t have to be written law, consistency should be a target you strive for. A baby that goes to bed at a similar time every night and has naps at a similar time each day can predict what’s coming, and will feel safe and secure. The safer your baby feels, the more comfortable they will be when left on their own to settle.

4. Use light strategically

Lights push your baby’s biological ‘go’ button, while darkness triggers the release of the sleep hormone melatonin. Keep your baby’s days bright and their nights dark, and they should quickly figure out when it is time to sleep. During the day, spend time outdoors and let lots of natural light in. As evening comes, use dimmers to lower light and if you must have a night light, ensure it’s one with a bluish tone that’s cool to the touch. (The vivid and bright lights are often too stimulating.)

5. Put baby down awake

It’s a tall order, especially for breastfeeding mums, but always try to put your baby to bed when they are drowsy rather than asleep. Aim to put baby down straight after quiet time and when they’re around a 7 or 8 on the sleepiness scale. The reason for this is that it will teach your baby to fall asleep on their own, particularly when they wake up during the night without needing to feed. If they become reliant on the feel of you rocking them or patting them on the back to go to sleep, you’ll have to do that every time they wake up – even if it’s at 2am in the morning.

6. Allow to settle

Once baby is in bed, they should stay that way. Refrain from running to them at the first noise and if you must return, avoid eye contact and resettle with gentle rocking or patting within the bed. Avoid the temptation to pick up, as this will only engage your baby and signal it’s playtime.