How can I help my baby sleep?

April 11, 2022

Sleepless nights are a part of parenting. They are unavoidable. It is a blissful feeling to see your little munchkin sleeping peacefully. He or she will look so beautiful. I also know how you get panicked when they start crying at a high pitch. However, it is not a very big issue to get panicked. Believe me, you can actually train and help your baby sleep. Is it unbelievable? Yes, it can be unbelievable for parents who have babies that cry non-stop at night but it is true. Do you want to know how to help your baby sleep? Let's dive in.

First, you should understand that the sleeping pattern of babies is different and it tends to be erratic in the first few months. The good news is that you can sleep train your baby and help him to sleep for a long time from four months onwards. Let’s see the short-term and long-term solutions to help your baby sleep.

In the short term

The 5 S’s are the best way to help your baby sleep. What are the 5 S’s?

1. Swaddling

What is swaddling? It is an old technique of wrapping an infant in a blanket to restrict the movement of the limbs. Swaddling helps your baby to feel safe and secure and gives him the feel of the safety of the womb. Movement of hands and legs can startle the baby in the first few months and wake him up. Swaddling keeps the baby cosy and warm. Here are a few tips for swaddling.

Avoid thick blankets when the weather is hot. Use thin cotton sheets.
Avoid layers of clothes to avoid overheating.
The swaddle should be neither too tight nor too loose. If it is loose, the blanket may cover the baby’s face and if it is too tight it will make the baby uncomfortable.
Give room for hip movement while swaddling.
If you keep their elbows bent and their hands on their chest it will mimic their foetal position.
Stop swaddling when your baby starts to roll over.
The Colic Swaddle Belt, a part of the sleep helper kit provides a Swaddling effect without restricting baby’s arm and legs.

2. Side or stomach sleep

Babies are comfortable when they sleep on their stomachs or on their sides. Put your baby on your chest and pat him gently. Once he starts to doze off, you can place him gently back on the bed. It also eases pain associated with colic and/or gas.

3. Shush

The third S is shushing your baby. Generally, it is believed that the baby will sleep peacefully when it is silent but it is not true. The baby has been listening to various sounds in the womb. So, it is not necessary to keep silent to make the baby sleep. You can make a shushing sound. The shushing sound should be louder than the baby’s cry to make sure it is heard. The best solution is to play white noise. You can get the Sleep Helper ™ kit from Nasobuddy. It has a baby shusher that soothes your baby to sleep.

4. Swing

Swinging movement is an effective way to put the baby to sleep. You can either swing the baby in the cradle or a swing or in your arms or if you are desperate, you can take your little one on a car ride and the swinging action of the car will be very helpful to soothe your baby and make him sleep.

Swinging in your arms not only calms down your fussy baby but also tightens the bond between you and your baby. When you sway your baby back and forth facing your baby is a great way to improve bonding and to improve the focus of your baby. Here are a few tips for swinging.

Swing at a faster pace when the baby is crying
Rock your baby slowly when your baby becomes calm.
Don’t shake your baby vigorously as it increases the risk of damage.
If you are using a swing make sure you never leave your baby alone.

5. Suck

Babies enjoy sucking and it gives them a lot of comforts. It need not be sucking with feeding but it can be sucking alone. This is referred to as non-nutritive sucking. You can use a pacifier. You should remember that it is easy to stop pacifier-sucking when compared to thumb-sucking. Moreover, habit formation does not start before 6 months of age.

In the long term

Here are a few tricks to help your baby sleep in the long term.

1. Bedtime routine

A good bedtime routine will put an end to your bedtime miseries. Bedtime routines matter a lot. Start routines at an early age.

There are a few things that you can add to your bedtime routine. They are listed below. You can include a few, skip a few, or develop a routine of your own. It is left for you to decide.

A warm bath – Give a relaxing warm bath
Feeding – Feeding after giving bath because feeding before bath can cause digestion issues.
Massage – A gentle massage with essential oil like lavender is not only one of the best sleeping routines but also has other benefits. It tightens the bond between you and the baby and also helps to treat colic and gas. The Baby lavender balm in the sleep helper kit is especially suited for night time massage.
Dress your baby appropriately for sleep.
You can sing a lullaby but remember singing the same song is important in the initial stages to set a bedtime routine.
You can play soothing music or use a baby shusher. The white noise that you use should be soft and relaxing. The baby shusher in the Sleep Helper ™ kit from Nasobuddy produces sounds that resemble the sounds of the womb.

2. Day and night differentiation

One of the main reasons why your bundle of joy doesn’t sleep is they can’t differentiate between day and night. First, you must help your baby to avoid confusion between day and night.

Helping your baby learn night from day

Expose your baby to natural light in the daytime. Open the shades of the room and let sunlight in. Involve your baby in the hustles of morning life.
When it becomes dark, make sure your baby is not exposed to artificial lights. Let the room be dark and quiet. Let your baby get used to the fact that nights are for sleeping.

3. Help with colic

First, you should follow a few tips to avoid colic as much as possible. To avoid colic, make your baby burp after feeding and give a warm bath before sleep. You can give a soft massage in the chest and back. This not only helps in colic but also relaxes and soothes your baby. It will also become a pre-sleep routine. Nasobuddy® The Sleep Helper™ kit has a colic swaddle belt that gives relief from colic and keeps your baby swaddled. The best part is the swaddle is very comfortable as it does not restrict the movements of the baby’s hands and legs.

4. Self-soothing

As the word implies, self-soothing means the baby comforts himself instead of depending on his parents. It is true that self-soothing is not possible up to four months of age. But after four months you can teach your baby self-soothing. Self-soothing not only helps your baby and you to sleep longer but it also encourages your baby to be self-reliant.

You can introduce a ‘lovey’ like a soft toy or blanket to give cuddling comfort to your baby.
You can just stroke your baby’s hair.
You can play soothing music or use a baby shusher. The white noise that you use should be soft and relaxing. The baby shusher in the Sleep Helper ™ kit from Nasobuddy produces sounds that resemble the sounds of the womb. The kit also has a colic swaddle belt and a baby lavender balm that helps calm the baby naturally.
Don’t lift your baby from the crib whenever he cries. Just rock the crib until he falls asleep again.

Above all, you should remember an important tip. Make sure you are calm. If you get panicked it is not going to help. Actually, it will worsen your baby’s crying. Just hold your baby and speak slowly to the child. He may not understand what you are saying but he will be able to feel the feelings in your voice and your actions. Buy Nasobuddy® The Sleep Helper™ kit here at nasobuddy as it would reduce a considerable amount of your stress.