Baby Bedtime Sleep Advice From Expert Parents

Making your baby sleep soundly through the night is one of the most challenging things you will ever have to face as a parent.

Ask any mother and father, and they will tell you about their experiences of getting up in the middle of the night to the distressing sound of their baby crying or turning over restlessly in bed. 

Your instincts as a parent will simply not allow you to sleep soundly while your baby is awake and uncomfortable.

However, getting a good night’s sleep is as important for you as it is for the baby. How, then, do you make your baby sleep comfortably?

Here we will look at some useful tips which any parent can use to ensure that their baby gets a peaceful sleep at night.

Try Not To Make Eye Contact With Baby

Research has shown that if, before tucking them in bed, you make eye contact with babies, their heart rate increases and their blood pressure rises.

This can be attributed to the fact that they feel connected to you and immediately experience a sense of attachment.

This diminishes their sleep, so try to avoid making eye contact right before bed.

Keep The Room Temperature a Bit Low

Adults tend to sleep better when the room temperature is a bit on the lower side.

The same is the case with babies. Their room should be warm during the day but cooler at night, so that they can sleep well.

Keep The Lighting Dim

Keeping the room lighting dim as bright lights before bed time can disturb the baby’s cardiac rhythms, and this will obviously disturb their sleep.

However, during the say, you should keep the lighting bright.

Make Some Sort Of Noise

Although this may sound counter intuitive, one way to make your baby sleep comfortably is by making some sort of constant rhythmic noise.

Babies are used to this type of noise since their time in the womb, and they will sleep very comfortably when they hear a familiar sound. You could use a white-noise machine for this.

Use The Swing Technique

If, even after you have used white-noise, you find that the baby still keeps waking up, then you could use the swing technique to get him to sleep.

With time, as the baby begins to develop sound sleeping patterns, you can stop using the technique.

Avoid Caffeine

Just as the caffeine in coffee can recharge your batteries during a busy day, it can do the same for your baby if you are breastfeeding.

The caffeine in coffee and soda can reduce their sleepiness at night, and in fact, it has a greater effect on babies than it does on adults.

Give Baby Plenty To Eat

During the evening hours, you can try decreasing the time between your baby’s meals. For instance, instead of 3 hours, feed him every 2 hours.

This will ensure that the baby is satisfied and full when he is in bed, and this will help him sleep peacefully.

Do Not Change Diapers/Nappies Too Often

Unless your baby has very sensitive skin, an existing diaper rash, or if the diaper is not completely soaked, then you do not really need to change it after every feeding.

At night, you can simply use absorbent diapers with a good diaper cream.

Skip Burping At Night

At night, babies are eating much less slowly, thus, swallowing less air.

So, burping is not really necessary and you should not wait until late at night for the baby to burp.

Use a Bassinet

Your baby is more likely to get a good night’s sleep if he has a cosy and comfortable bed.

Move a bassinet into your bedroom, and your new born is likely to feel secure and protected, and will help you sleep better.

We know how difficult it can be to make sure your baby gets a good night’s sleep.

With these baby sleep tips, you can be sure that both you and your baby will sleep peacefully.