10 tips on how to make a baby fall asleep
This is one of the main concerns that parents have at the beginning: how can I make a few months old baby sleep?. They try to make the baby sleep, so that you have a couple of hours to rest. The first weeks are the most complicated one, also due to the parents’ insecurity.
If you want to know the best tips for a baby’s sleep, then you’ve come to the right place. If your baby sleeps better, he will be more patient, more tolerant and more lively, thanks to a bit of healthy quality rest. Don’t be discouraged. It is never too late to promote the right sleeping habits for a child, which can help you enjoy a healthy and well-deserved rest.
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Wrap him
From birth, up to five months, newborns have a sort of innate reflex for which they feel the sensation of falling. This sensation causes jolts that accidentally wake up the child. With a narrow band it will be possible to prevent this from happening, helping the baby sleep better and longer. Usually it works for babies from 0 to 4 months.
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The night feeding
The night feed is given to the child before going to bed and is a great way to prevent him from waking up as soon as you have just fallen asleep. Is this not the peak of the problem? You fall asleep and the baby wakes up. The night feed can really help the baby sleep for longer.
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Less naps during the day
We know that it is difficult to wake up a sleeping child, but sleeping too long during the day can compromise sleep. If your child were to sleep for more than two hours, I would not hesitate to wake him, feed him, keep him active for a while and then let him go back to sleep again. If it seems like your baby really needs longer naps, extend them to 2.5 hours. Stopping daily naps will help your baby sleep better at night.
Note: in case the baby is very tired it is advisable to let him rest longer and then resume the usual schedule.
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Use white noise
Nobody wants to miss a good party, for this reason, if the child were to pick up some signs of home entertainment, he could hardly fall asleep. For example, you can use a fan on a support in the small room, rather than near him, so as not to send him direct wind or to disturb his sensitive hearing. White noise helps a lot even when traveling! It is also possible to use a special machine for producing white noise.
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Follow the cycle eat, wake up, sleep
The child wakes up from sleep and eats immediately. Then he wakes up and plays a little. Then goes back to sleep …
This cycle has several purposes. First, encourage the stimulus of hunger immediately following the moment of awakening. The child will be very energetic and will tend to prefer complete feeding, increasing the interval between the various feedings. Furthermore, feeding the baby immediately after bedtime rather than sleeping, will ensure that you do not associate the food at bedtime or use it as a support for sleep. Taking advantage of this cycle, it will only be necessary to propose the breastfeed before bedtime.
Note: newborns need food and sleep frequently to grow properly during the first months of life. Always feed your baby as much as he needs so he can gain the right weight.
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Adopt a nap and sleep routine
Children are known to grow up thanks to routines, based on a structuring and predictability of events. Creating consistent routines for the little one will help him bring some order to a very chaotic world. Adopt a routine before the nap that works for you: it could include bringing the baby into his room, closing the curtains or the shutters, putting him under the covers, starting the white noise and singing a fast lullaby, pamper him and tell him “I love you. Sleep well.”
The sleep routine should be a little longer and include a bath, a massage, a story reading, feeding, dressing, put to be, white noise, cuddling and the good night. By following the same routine as carefully as possible, the child will learn that they will fall asleep right after the nap and being put to bed.
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Change the baby’s diaper strategically …
Changing the diaper before the mid-night feeding, prevents the baby from waking up too many times after the end of the meal. When the baby wakes up, change the diaper, wrap him again and put him back to sleep. By changing the diaper after the night feed, the baby could wake up too many times, making it harder to fall asleep.
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Understand how a child sleeps
The more the child sleeps, the more he will sleep. Keeping a child awake at all costs, hoping that he will get tired, will result in over-stimulation that will cause him to have difficulty falling asleep or sleeping. It is very likely that a baby that is too tired will sleep less, not longer.
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Do not rush…
We think we inadvertently encourage the adoption of a wrong habit related to sleep, running when the baby cries or moves during the night. Often, children wake up, stutter a little and then go back to sleep. The baby could also cry briefly or stutter during sleep. Give your child some time and see if he can recover on his own. Avoid running and disturbing this process to help your baby sleep better..
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Put him to bed when he’s awake, but sleepy
The best way to encourage your child to sleep well and for a long time is to teach him to fall asleep independently.
Children like adults will wake up naturally during the night. Without knowing how to go back to sleep, the baby will cry after waking up and regardless of an actual need, staying awake for much longer than necessary. Once the child has grown up, being used to going back to sleep independently will allow him to go back to sleep after waking up, improving the quality of his sleep.
By following these simple but effective tricks, you will ensure that your baby sleeps for as long as it really needs. Sweet dreams both for you and for your little one!
