As much as a baby brings a bundle of joy to their parents, there also comes times of struggles with raising a baby; leading to agitations to both mom and baby.
From when a baby refuses to feed, sleep and cries for no apparent reason. It does not help that new moms have to learn their baby’s habits in order for everything to run smoothly, or depend on old wives tales on how to take care of the baby. As they do not come with instructions on how to take care of them.
To add on the old wives stories that one has absorbed so far, here are efficient tips to effectively put baby to sleep:
- Establish a bedtime routine- According to Pampers, newborn sleep may be unpredictable, especially in the early weeks. While it’s too soon to expect a strict routine, gently guiding your baby toward regular naps and bedtime can support how to help newborns sleep more consistently over time.
“Around six to eight weeks is a good time to establish a sleep schedule, but keep in mind that it may be many more months before your baby can follow it regularly. That’s a good time to start shaping a daily rhythm—without expecting perfection. Offering naps and bedtime around the same times each day may help signal to your little one that sleep is coming.”
2. Create a sleep conducive environment – Mayo Clinic reckons that giving a baby time to settle down helps. “Your baby might fuss or cry for a few minutes before falling asleep. Allow a short time to pass before you check on your baby. If your baby is still upset, offer comfort and try again,” the said.
3. Swaddling- Cleveland clinic suggests swaddling infants. Swaddling (for infants), massage, any light repetitive movement like swaying or swinging, feeding (not until babies fall asleep, but just until they become drowsy), dimming the lights and playing soft music or tranquil sounds from a white noise machine or app can also help put baby to sleep. “The key is removing stimulation and signalling the body that it’s time to rest,”
4. Put baby on the back- This is an old trick that always work when baby is fussy and does not want to sleep. Putting them on your back while doing your chores can save you from going though the stages of a baby who refuses to sleep. Leading you to killing two birds with one stone.
5. Consider a pacifier- According to Mayo Clinic, if your baby has trouble settling down, a pacifier might do the trick. And research suggests that using a pacifier during sleep helps reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Also see: ‘We had to babysit’ Student shows up with baby at school
