Doesn’t Every Parent Want To Get Their Baby To Sleep As Quick As Possible? – 5 tips to aid sleep!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All parents have been there.  You are trying to get your baby to sleep with no luck.  They are not settling or wake every hour or so, and you have tried everything.  Are they hungry, over tired, teething, too hot or too cold?  Your so tired and need some sleep, but what should you be doing to help aid sleep? Lucy Shrimpton, a sleep expert and author of The Sleep Nanny System, has recently shared some tips and advice on helping your baby sleep.

1. CREATE A ROUTINE

Get a bedtime routine in place as early as possible, when baby is just a couple of weeks old.  A good routine starts with the same steps happening in the same order every night. A routine acts as a trigger or a cue that sleep time is coming and helps a child settle down. Try to be as consistent as possible with your bedtime. I remember with my two, we always started the bedtime routine with a nice bath, followed by story time and then sleep.

2. SLEEP FRIENDLY

Make sure the environment is calm and dark.  No busy mobiles and if they are sleeping in your room then make sure you have no electrical devices on. In summer, with those light evenings and mornings, I used to use a blackout blind.  You can find one which is portable on Amazon, which is great also if you are going on holiday. https://www.amazon.co.uk/easynight-portable-travel-blackout-improved/dp/B014L4ZNRK/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1551460633&sr=8-3&keywords=blackout+blind+baby+room

3. PICK UP PUT DOWN

If your baby is fussing and unhappy in their own sleep space , you can pick them up calmly and then put them down again when ready, which gives them a chance to adjust to their own sleep space.

4. OVER-TIREDNESS

Make sure your baby is getting enough sleep during the day, as over tiredness leads to difficulties in sleeping.  My two had their lunchtime nap every day which helped. Also, make sure they have a sensible bedtime routine,

5. DROWSY BUT AWAKE

Try and put your baby down when drowsy but still awake, so they can get used to the sensation of falling asleep on their own.

Hopefully these tips will help.  I would love to hear if you have any others you would like to share.