It seems like it would be simple, but I remember being clueless when my baby was first born. How do you hold a baby or, (gasp!) change a diaper? How do you feed a baby? And, yes, how do you put your baby to sleep at night? This article will be a simple guide to this way-more-complicated-than-you-thought task a new parent has to figure out: How to put a baby to sleep.
When your baby is first born, you actually marvel at how instinctual it is, in a way. At first, most of us probably flail a bit until you realize the car or walking your baby around starts to soothe him. Or, when I breastfeed him, he just falls right to sleep! Or, pop in the pacifier and he sucks a bit and off to sleep my baby goes. How easy! Not really in the real world...
What …show more content…
Sure, your newborn might not understand much, but say the same key phrase over and over for 4 months? 8 months? S/He'll know. So, talk to your baby and tell your baby "Time to go to sleep. Night night. I love you." or something similar, and always use the same phrase right before sleep.
3. Cue your baby it's time to sleep
Start your bedtime or naptime routine. The value of a routine is that your baby will begin to anticipate sleep and begin to relax before you even finish it. The content of your routine isn't as important as your consistency of using it. If you can't do a bath every night, that's okay. With younger babies, the routine can be very simple: Draw the blinds/curtains, read 1 or 2 books, diaper, pajamas, and turn on music or white noise. Do the routine always in the same order. As your baby grows older, the routine doesn't necessarily get more complicated, but it does start to take longer, so don't make it too many steps.
4. Soothe your baby, but NOT to …show more content…
Ideally, you will put your baby down in his bassinet or crib or your bed (for safety, a co-sleeper is much better), while s/he is still awake. You want to soothe him/her, but NOT all the way to sleep as that's what leads to sleep associations. Unfortunately, for some babies this is a magic trick to find the point your baby is sleepy, still awake, and doesn't scream his head off once you lay him down. Finding the perfect point of drowsy but awake can take some practice, so be patient with yourself if you don't get it right the first few times you try it. Keep trying. And, if your baby is very young, honestly, it might not work!! Only some babies can "self-soothe" from a very young
When your baby is first born, you actually marvel at how instinctual it is, in a way. At first, most of us probably flail a bit until you realize the car or walking your baby around starts to soothe him. Or, when I breastfeed him, he just falls right to sleep! Or, pop in the pacifier and he sucks a bit and off to sleep my baby goes. How easy! Not really in the real world...
What …show more content…
Sure, your newborn might not understand much, but say the same key phrase over and over for 4 months? 8 months? S/He'll know. So, talk to your baby and tell your baby "Time to go to sleep. Night night. I love you." or something similar, and always use the same phrase right before sleep.
3. Cue your baby it's time to sleep
Start your bedtime or naptime routine. The value of a routine is that your baby will begin to anticipate sleep and begin to relax before you even finish it. The content of your routine isn't as important as your consistency of using it. If you can't do a bath every night, that's okay. With younger babies, the routine can be very simple: Draw the blinds/curtains, read 1 or 2 books, diaper, pajamas, and turn on music or white noise. Do the routine always in the same order. As your baby grows older, the routine doesn't necessarily get more complicated, but it does start to take longer, so don't make it too many steps.
4. Soothe your baby, but NOT to …show more content…
Ideally, you will put your baby down in his bassinet or crib or your bed (for safety, a co-sleeper is much better), while s/he is still awake. You want to soothe him/her, but NOT all the way to sleep as that's what leads to sleep associations. Unfortunately, for some babies this is a magic trick to find the point your baby is sleepy, still awake, and doesn't scream his head off once you lay him down. Finding the perfect point of drowsy but awake can take some practice, so be patient with yourself if you don't get it right the first few times you try it. Keep trying. And, if your baby is very young, honestly, it might not work!! Only some babies can "self-soothe" from a very young