Hey Guys, today on the blog we have a wonderful and insightful post by a dear friend Lynette from Serene Sleep Solutions. Some of you may know that since Baby J has been born, his sleep has been a bit erratic. I have tried everything from sleep training to rocking him till he falls asleep in my arms. Needless to say, after trying Lynette’s method for one week, we have some progress! I plan on continuing with it till J gets the hang of things and Mom and Dad can finally get some sleep! I hope you guys enjoy!
If you are having troubles getting your baby to sleep through the night, chances are one or more of the following steps will help you and your baby have a well rested sleep.
#1. Sleep Environment
I’m sure most of you have taken the time to set up your baby’s room (whether it be a shared space or their own) to make it a cute and cozy spot. BUT did you know that how your baby’s sleeping space is set up can actually have a huge impact on their sleep?! Here are some things to consider when setting up your baby’s sleep space:
-Is it dark? Keeping the room dark can help your baby sleep deeper
-Are their distractions? Remove toys and mobiles so your baby knows it’s time to sleep and not play
-Do you have white noise? Blocking out background noise can be key to preventing your baby waking up before it’s time to get up
-Is the room too hot or cold? A baby’s room should be between 19-21 C (66.2-69.8 F) for your baby to sleep comfortably.
These are just a few things to keep in mind when setting up your baby’s room.
#2. Bedtime Routine
This can be the fun part! Create a consistent bedtime routine that lasts 20-30 minutes. Make sure it’s fun but relaxing for your little one so they look forward to bedtime. If it’s relaxing it will help them be calm and right ready for bed as soon as you are done the routine. Some things you can include are wash-up, pajamas, book, song, massage. There are so many more things you can include but always remembering to keep it consistent, fun and relaxing!
#3. Hunger Check
There’s a good chance if your baby is hungry, they probably won’t sleep. So double check when the last time your baby ate, and if your baby is hungry then go ahead and feed them. You know your baby best so if you feel that your baby is due for a feed then it’s time.
#4. Self Soothing
Has your baby learned to put themselves to sleep? Learning to fall asleep independently is a huge part of helping your baby sleep through the night. Your baby goes through many sleep-awake cycles in the night and if they haven’t learned to put themselves to sleep then they will be looking that one thing every time they wake up after a sleep cycle.
This means putting your baby down to sleep awake. If your baby has started to close their eyes before you have put them in their crib, then it is already too late. This means they are already in the first stages of sleep.
#5. Schedule
Does your baby follow an age-appropriate sleep schedule?
If your baby is overtired, getting too much daytime sleep, or has too late of a bedtime, the result is often frequent nighttime wake-ups. Timing is everything. Watching the clock and your baby’s sleepy cues to make sure that you are getting your baby to bed at the right time can be very helpful in preventing your baby from waking up at night. If your baby tends to sleep lots during the day, you may want to look at cutting back their daytime sleep to help them be ready for nighttime sleep.
Always make sure you are giving any new change 4-7 days before trying something new. Results won’t happen overnight. Be patient and be consistent.
ABOUT LYNETTE HARPER
Lynette is a certified baby and toddler sleep consultant and the owner of Serene Sleep Solutions. She has a passion for helping parents create good sleep habits with their children so everyone in the home can sleep better. As a mom of 2 and who struggled with her first child’s sleep, she knows all too well the feeling of being sleep deprived and not knowing what to do.
If your baby still won’t sleep through the night after changing these things, you can find Lynette on her private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/V.I.SleeperSereneSleepSolutions/
This is a place where she gives sleep tips and answers questions from many parents going through the same things as you are.
If you’re eager to get started on helping your baby sleep through the night, you can schedule a call by clicking on this link: https://calendly.com/serenesleepsolutions/15minsleepassessment or you can visit her website to see her sleep packages: http://www.serenesleepsolutions.ca/services
I totally agree with the routine and distractions! My little one is an awesome sleeper, but my oldest needed and still needs that routine to have a good rest that doesn’t come from meltdowns because its bedtime. I would love to see a blog about switching from a crib to a bed. My little one is ready size wise but i’m worried our bedtime is going to suck for a while. I’ll keep a lot of these tips handy though.
These are great suggestions! There’s nothing better than when a baby starts sleeping through the night! This information will help a lot of new moms!
A lot of these apply to adults too! Having a dark, cool room without distractions and having a consistent bedtime routine is something we should all follow.
Awesome information! I do wish I had read it 35 years ago though. My first child was fairly hard to sleep because I was afraid to let him alone for any amount of time. He ended up sleeping with me and then later in a sleeping bag next to my bed … yeah, no fun. My second and third slept like angels.
Thank you for the tips for new mothers and fathers about how to get babies to sleep more during the night.
This is such a great round up. I am not a mother yet but one of my really good friends delivered the cutest baby boy. I am definitely going to share this with her. 🙂
Those are really a great tips, my way is we watch their favorite movie and once its finish all of us are going to sleep.
This is definitely a post that is going to help a lot of tired parents out there. I think getting a bedtime routine was always key for helping my not-so little ones sleep better.
It’s so important to get good rest! Without it it’s almost impossible to function as a mom. She has great tips! 🙂
Lynette, thank you for these wonderful tips! Who doesn’t love a baby that sleeps well? Getting my 4 kids on a schedule so they slept more regular was a huge challenge, but amazing in the end.
Great gude onow to help your baby go to sleep. This is what I needed. My son struggle for not going to sleep.
This one is for all the moms out. Especially first time moms. This would have saved me many sleepless nights.
We had a consistent routine and rarely ever turned on the lights when my kids woke up. I didn’t have many problems getting any of them to sleep through the night.
Great post! These are wonderful tips and advices! This would be perfect for new moms.
Many parents say getting their kids to sleep through the night is difficult. My mom had to deal with a lot attempting to teach me to sleep at that age.
My kids both have gotten in this habit of waking up and just NEEDING a bottle to go back to sleep. But it really isn’t a NEED its just an expectation. It took awhile to break them of that.
Some great suggestions here – I’m sure lots of parents will appreciate these!! I don’t have children myself but do worry about having the sleepless night one day!
Yes! All the tips are great. Exactly what I was doing when I was trying to get everything in pieces. 🙂