For newborn babies, everything that happens around them is sheer stress. After all, until recently they were in a completely different world. And now they need to adapt to self-reliance. We have collected the most popular ways to help your child fall asleep quickly.
It would be great if children were born with the instruction manual. But no, you will have to master the whole science yourself: by touch, asking questions to experienced mothers, doctors, psychologists, grandmothers, and Instagram authorities. There are a lot of questions. And one of the most common – the child does not want to fall asleep, fusses, rushes, worries and whimpers. It is worth putting in a crib – a roar. For moms tormented by insomnia, we have collected 15 tips on how to put your baby to bed and help him fall asleep quickly. Try, maybe one of them will suit you.
Swaddling
Once upon a time, children were swaddled “so that the legs were straight.” Now they do it just to calm the baby down. The newborn’s own reflex movements often frighten the newborn, and he cannot sleep. And in a cozy cocoon, he feels safe, as in the womb. And therefore falls asleep faster.
On handles
It will take time – you need to find a position in which your child will be comfortable to fall asleep. For many, the position of a column works – the baby puts his head on his mother’s shoulder and falls asleep. All because of colic, which almost all newborns suffer: in this position, their digestive system calms down. Another position is when the baby lies on the mother’s stomach facing her. The main thing here is to remember that when the baby falls asleep, he needs to be put on his back. Newborns cannot sleep on their stomachs.
Soothing sounds
Keeping quiet when the child is sleeping is unnecessary. A rather loud environment surrounded him in his mother’s womb. Some experts even compare the sounds that the baby hears there with the sound of a building hair dryer – in terms of volume. White noise is the perfect accompaniment to falling asleep. In silence, the baby is uncomfortable.
Action
It’s tedious, but it works. One of the best ways to lull your toddler is to pick him up and walk around the room. Fitball is also fine – you can bounce slightly on the ball, swinging the child. Before putting him in the crib, you need to wait 15 minutes until he is fast asleep. Otherwise, everything will have to start over. In no case should you intensively swing the child in your arms. This can cause serious spinal injury or even a concussion.
Skin to skin
Everyone knows how important this contact is in the first minutes of a newborn’s life. But even then, touching the skin of the parents does not lose significance. Yes, it is the parents – not only the mothers. Dad is also able to lull the baby to sleep by placing him on his chest. And at the same time give mom the opportunity to take a shower.
Sling
A hug is the best way to calm an infant. But there is a bunch of other things to do, sometimes you have to let go of the child. Or use a sling – while the mother does household chores, the baby sleeps peacefully. But this is hard, the back can violently protest from habit. By the way, wearing a sling helps premature babies develop better.
Monitor feeding
Breastfed babies rarely overeat. They take from the mother’s breast exactly as much as needed. Milk may not be enough, and then you will not see a restful sleep. But babies who are bottle fed can accidentally overeat. And this is also fraught with sleep problems. Therefore, it is important to keep track of how much the baby eats.
Get rid of gas
No, we do not urge you to poke a gas tube at the child as soon as there is a suspicion of discomfort in the baby’s tummy. It is necessary to make sure that the child spits up after feeding, then the gaziks will torment him less. Sometimes pediatricians advise giving the baby dill water or fennel decoction. But here you need a personal consultation.
Dummy
Many mothers are regularly stoned for using the nipple. But sometimes it is really necessary. The infant gets used to sucking the thumb while still in the womb. Therefore, offering him a dummy is the lesser evil. The baby will sleep better, and it does not do much harm. Some mums prefer to give breasts instead of nipples, but this can be exhausting quickly.
Change your diet
Sometimes you have to try more than one brand of infant formula in order to find one that will not cause discomfort to the baby. After all, sleep problems can be caused by inappropriate nutrition. And if we are talking about breastfeeding, it may be in the mother’s diet. The baby may not like what she ate. So there is a reason to revise your own menu.
Room temperature
Parents are often afraid of chilling the child. And how afraid of this grandmother! As a result, the baby can overheat – with the windows tightly closed, the heater turned on and warm pajamas. It must be remembered that dressing the child warmer than yourself hardly makes sense – after all, you are covering the baby with a blanket. And if not, then dress it according to the rule “Like yourself plus one layer.”
Check your fingers
Even an occasional crumb, huddled in a crease on the neck, can cause discomfort to a baby. And in Britain, not so long ago, a baby was almost left without fingers – while bathing, my mother’s hair wrapped around her toe and squeezed it tightly. Mom only noticed this because the baby was sleeping very restlessly. So check everything to the smallest detail.
Just not overwork
Here everything is exactly the same with the kids as with us. If they are overexcited, have received too many bright and loud impressions, they are overworked. It is from fatigue that it is very difficult for a baby to fall asleep. Remember: you yourself most likely turned in bed until late at night, despite the fact that you were deadly tired. Here the best way out is to try to recreate the conditions for the baby when he felt himself at ease and safe. That is, in the womb.
Lullaby
Mom’s voice is soothing, that’s a fact. After all, the baby learns to recognize him before birth. He hears it in a completely different way than he hears from outside, but at first he even perceives it as vibrations. But he grows with his mother’s voice, with the vibrations that he creates. Therefore, lullabies are really important, the child feels safe again when he hears them.
Take it easy
The infant reads your condition – literally. If you are exhausted, worn out, annoyed, then do not expect the baby to be calm. As soon as you pull yourself together and relax, the baby will gradually calm down. You will not deceive him – he feels your emotions too well.
Happy mother Alina Botanova: “Soon there will be four of us!”
When the first child appears in the family, the whole world freezes, starts spinning in the other direction, and a new family member becomes the center of the universe.
With my first child, I got very poor sleep. First, constant night feeding, then a bottle … My advice to all young mothers: as soon as you stop feeding your baby at night, his body immediately sets the “sleep until morning” mode.
Of course, many are helped by parents or nannies, but still, in most cases, mothers can cope on their own. Try different options, see which one helps more in the case of your child. And try not to lose patience and optimism. It will be easier with the second child! Well, at least I really hope!