Life with babies can get quite overwhelming. With trying to balance taking care of a newborn, house chores, work and taking care of the rest of the family it’s easy to see how all of this can easily drain parents, especially new parents who need time to get the parenting thing down. It can get even harder when you are struggling to get your baby to sleep.
Majority of parents look forward to nighttime so that they can hit their heads on their pillows and put their minds and bodies to rest. But, their tiny munchkin may have some other plans for the night. They will scream at the top of their voices to wake their parents up and stay awake till their heart desires.
Tired of calming down a crying baby to get him to sleep?
We know why you are here!
You are looking for some tips and tricks to get your fussy newborn baby down to sleep, right? Well, then you’ve landed at the right spot.
We have tailored a list of 7 baby sleeping tricks that will help you to master the art of how to get a baby to sleep fast.
Why Do Newborns Cry?
Crying is the only language newborns can communicate in. Many times babies cry their eyes out even when they’re well-fed, changed, and burped. It’s hard as new parents as it is difficult to comprehend the reason behind the wails of their tiny angels.
The only home that babies know of, before coming to this world was the warm comforting womb of their mothers. Leaving that home and coming into this gigantic world is a huge change for them. The new surroundings, temperature, people, smells and sensations can make them feel scared and unprotected and when they feel unsafe, they start crying.
So, if you have done everything to help calm down a crying baby and to get him to sleep, then try to mimic the environment of their first home. We promise you it’s going to work wonders. Keep reading to discover how.
Seven Tricks To Getting Your Fussy Newborn Baby Down To Sleep
1. Set The Environment
Do you like to sleep in a room that is brightly lit and noisy? Or do you prefer a room where the lights are dim and it’s peaceful?
It’s safe to presume that most people who want to sleep calmly will prefer the latter one, right?
Your baby wants the same. If the room is brightly lit and buzzing with different noises, then there is no way your little one is going to sleep. Even if they do sleep, they are sure to wake up within a short time being fussier than ever.
If you want your baby to sleep longer and calmly, then you have to invest a few minutes in setting up the room for your little one.
Dim the lights, draw the curtains if the light is coming from outside, switch off the TV, put your phone on silent mode, and then get your baby to sleep. By setting up a proper environment, your stressed baby will relax and be lulled to sleep much quicker.
2. Swaddle Your Baby
The old trick of swaddling the baby is the answer to how to get a baby to sleep fast. So a good tip to getting your newborn to sleep is to become a superstar of swaddling a newborn baby.
From the first day, till the baby turns five months old, he naturally possesses a startle reflex which makes him feel as if he is falling. This feeling causes them to jerk and they wake up crying horribly.
Swaddling the baby prevents him from startling, hence they sleep peacefully and longer. It also reminds them of their first home where they used to be safely cocooned.
So, mamas grab that swaddling blanket and swaddle your little one to make him feel safe and warm.
3. Rock Them
While the babies are in the womb, they get used to moving a lot. As such they get accustomed to the movements of the mother. All types of movement such as walking, sitting, lying, and even breathing create motion in the womb and for the baby.
If the baby is getting fussy and refuses to go to sleep, then get up and move around with him. Gently sway from left to right, bounce him gently, or simply pat him gently on his arm while he is close to you. This will make him feel protected and safe.
The best way to do this is to get a baby carrier. This way your baby will always stay close to you. He will get familiar with your scent, the temperature of your body, and even your voice. He will stay relaxed and feel protected which is enough to lull him to deep sleep.
4. Use White Noise
Yes, creating white noise can help your baby to sleep. White noise refers to the sounds that have the same intensity and amplitude throughout their frequency.
White noise helps the baby to relax and soothes him to sleep. Moreover, this noise masks the other noises that might disturb your baby, such as the noise of a barking dog, traffic outside or a TV, etc.
There are many white noise-producing machines easily available in the market. A hot tip is to include one of these machines on your baby registry!
However, if you don’t want to invest in such a machine, then simply place a stand fan in the baby’s room and switch it on when you want the baby to sleep.
You can even produce the ‘Shhh’ sound from your mouth to calm down your crying baby.
5. Use Essential Oils
Surprised to see this on the list?
Well, keep reading to unveil how essential oils can help you to find the answer to ‘How to get a baby to sleep fast?’
You must have heard and read about essential oils and how they can be beneficial for your hair growth, skin, and many other health problems. But, did you know, these oils can also help your baby to relax and doze off to sleep?
Some essential oils have certain medicinal properties that relax the brain muscles, de-stresses the muscles, and helps to fall asleep. Many people have sworn to see a remarkable improvement in the quality of their sleep after using the essential oils.
However, not all oils can be used for babies to lull them to sleep. There are only a few oils that are safe for newborn babies, but even then they shouldn’t be diffused for more than half an hour.
Essential oils that help the baby to sleep include:
- Dill Oil
- Sweet Orange Oil
- Chamomile Oil
All you have to do is to set up a small diffuser in the baby’s nursery and then add a few drops of the above-mentioned oils. That’s it! Watch the miracle of your baby sleeping peacefully without throwing a tantrum.
6. Understand Your Baby’s Cues
As a caregiver, you are responsible to monitor your baby throughout the day and look for the signs when he gets tired or drowsy. The majority of parents make the mistake of over tiring the baby and then putting him to sleep.
By keeping the baby awake longer in a hope that he will sleep longer, upsets his sleeping cycle and makes him alert. It then becomes an uphill battle to try and even get this baby to go to sleep. Therefore, if you observe your baby is getting drowsy, or if his eyelids are getting droopy, then let him sleep.
However, make sure that your baby doesn’t sleep too much during the day. If the baby sleeps the entire day, then he’ll be fresh and active for partying all night. Let him nap during the day, but for a limited time so that he can sleep longer during the night.
7. Establish A Bedtime Routine
The earlier you develop a routine for your little one, the sooner he will adapt to it. Do not wait for a baby to grow up to establish a routine for him. Routines should be developed as soon as the baby is born.
Try to put him to sleep, wake him up, and even feed him at the same time to build his routine. A baby who has a proper routine is least likely to throw a tantrum and trouble the parents.
Once you observe that your baby is tired then prepare him for bedtime. Give him a warm relaxing bath to de-stress his muscles. Massage his arms and legs with a lotion. Make him wear a fresh diaper and then take him to the nursery for sleeping.
By following the same routine your baby will adapt to it. He will know what to expect next and will be less likely to throw a tantrum.
Develop a routine that works best for you and your baby. Remember, consistency is the key. You have to follow the routine every day to get the desired results.
In A Nutshell
No parent can master the art of parenting in a day or even a month. It takes time to understand what works best for the baby. Therefore, before relaxing the baby. Take a deep breath and relax first.
It can get frustrating to hear the loud wails of the baby. Rushing to make him sleep while you are angry or frustrated will worsen the tantrums of your baby. Just stay calm and take your time.
Establish his routine and follow it every single day religiously to make your baby adapt to it.
We sincerely hope that the baby sleeping tricks mentioned in this article will surely help you to calm down your baby and put him in the sweet valley of sleep.
More Tips To Regulate A Healthy Night Routine For Kids :
For more tips on Parenting Newborns see the following articles:
Top 3 Babywearing Tips For Proper Posture
6 Vital Tips for Nutrition for New Moms – How to Nourish a Nursing Baby
My name is Andrea Thompson and I’m a home based freelance writer. I’m 23 years old, married to my best friend, and mother to a wonderfully independent and opinionated 3 year old girl and step-mother to a sweet seven year old boy. I live in a tiny, little town in Kentucky, where I spend my free time fishing with my kids.
Writing has always been my passion, which I followed through high school, and for a while in college. Life happened, and once I discovered we were pregnant, I switched directions; opting for the healthcare industry because of the stability.
Finally, years later, I was in a place where I could leave the day job that never truly made me happy, and pursue my dreams. I’ve built, and am still building, my writing career from scratch. But, I’m passionate and I’m good at what I do. And, in the end, I can prove to my daughter that she can do anything she wants with this life.
