Helping Babies Sleep
Page Updated on November 24, 2007
If your baby or toddler doesn't simply fall asleep when you try to sooth him, you may need to make some additional changes.
- Keep him awake as much as possible during the day. All young children need naps of course, but don't let him sleep all day. Keep him busy with play and interesting things to look at. He'll start catching up on his much needed sleep at night.
- Keep his tummy full during the day. Babies get hungry, and it's up to us to keep them satisfied. The more you feed them during the day, the less you'll need to feed them at night. (Note: This rule doesn't always hold true. Some babies can't stand to have an empty tummy even if they have had their necessary fill for the day. Don't give up though. Continue to keep those tummies full during the day, and eventually their sleep patterns will catch up.
- Heat up the bed with a heating pad. There's nothing worse than being in a blissful sleep then suddenly having something cold touch your sensitive skin to jolt you back awake, yet parents do this to their babies all the time by putting them in cold beds / cribs. Try heating it up before you lay your baby down in it. Some people prefer to use a hot water bottle, and that works well too (just make sure that it doesn't leak). DO NOT LEAVE THE HEATING PAD OR HOT WATER BOTTLE IN THE CRIB WITH THE BABY!
- Install a dimmer switch (or two). A dimmer switch allows you to adjust the light level in the room to whatever you need, from "so bright it will blind you" to "so dim your eyes have to adjust to it." Not only is this safer than a night light that can be grabbed by curious hands, you won't need to turn on the light at night to check on your little one (or whatever else you have to do). If you install several dimmer switches in your home (such as in your living room), you can dim the lights lower and lower throughout the evening to gradually bring on a soothing, relaxing, sleepy mood.
- Give your baby the shirt off your back. Some babies just can't sleep without Mom or Dad nearby. Let your little one cozy up with the shirt you've been wearing all day. It will smell like you, so you child will know you are close by.
- Try the family bed. I know there are so many debates about co-sleeping. Is it safe? Is it dangerous? Will my kids be in bed with us forever? This is strictly a personal choice. (I hated the idea at first and worried about the dangers of SIDS, but after researching co-sleeping safety and assuring myself that the baby would be fine, it eventually saved me from the insanity of sleep deprivation and gave me even more bonding time with my baby.) If your child must fall asleep in your arms and wakes up several times a night, that's a lot of time you'll be spending sitting with your baby waiting for her to fall asleep, so you can go back to bed. If you co-sleep, just snuggle up with your baby and fall asleep with her. Just make sure you do it the safe way. Dress snuggly (just like you would dress your baby), and cover yourself up with a light sheet (no thick comforters or blankets; warm your room to a comfortable temperature if necessary). Put baby to sleep on her back on a firm mattress (nothing too soft and absolutely NO waterbeds). If you must have pillows, don't have more than one for each adult, make sure they aren't too big, and keep them away from baby's face. You may want to consider a special co-sleeping bed for your baby (one that goes next to your bed or one that goes between two adults). If you drink alcohol or use any type of drugs, even over the counter medication for a cold, DO NOT sleep in the same bed with your baby! You're awareness may be impaired, and you could roll over onto the little one. There is the debate about how this arrangement will affect the marriage and children. When it comes to sex, you and your partner may have to find a new location (in the same room is fine for young babies, but you'll want to move to another room when your baby starts showing some awareness of something unusual going on). Some children easily transition from family bed to their own big-kid bed while others may linger longer in the parents' bed. Some kids develop a habit of only being able to fall asleep with somebody else in the bed while others actually feel more secure about sleeping at night, even alone. It all depends on what you are willing to live with and how much of a sacrifice you are willing to make with your night-time space.
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