How difficult is it to put a child to sleep? Mothers probably couldn't finish talking about it in three days and three nights. I believe many mothers have had the experience of their babies refusing to sleep at night, and just when they finally manage to put them to sleep, they wake up again in half an hour. So how do you put a baby to sleep? Let's take a look at some tips for putting a baby to sleep together!
What are the reasons why babies don't sleep?
Newborn babies take some time to adjust to the world. The reasons why babies don't sleep could be due to environmental factors, not being full, or feeling uncomfortable. Let's take a closer look at each of these factors.
1. Environmental factors
This includes a noisy environment, wearing too many or too few clothes. The most common reason is that the baby is wrapped too tightly in blankets, especially for babies under six months old. Parents are always afraid that the baby will catch a cold, so they dress them in too many layers. However, babies have a fast metabolism and are more sensitive to heat than adults. Wearing too many clothes and blankets can make the baby irritable, cry, and not sleep.
2. Baby not being full
This is a common reason for infants in the first few months. Babies may toss and turn in bed, constantly sucking. Sometimes the baby just needs to suck on something, and other times the baby is genuinely hungry and can't sleep.
3. Baby feeling uncomfortable
The baby may not be able to sleep due to bloating, constipation, or simply having infant colic. Mothers can massage the baby's belly with peppermint oil to help relieve discomfort.
4. Baby being frightened, abused, or too excited during the day
When a baby experiences significant emotional or psychological distress or harm, they may refuse to sleep at night and cry. If the baby is too excited during the day, it may affect their sleep for one or two days. However, if the baby has been frightened or abused, it could have a long-term impact.
Want to easily put the baby to sleep? Try these 5 tricks!
1. Recognize the signs of sleepiness
Just like adults, babies also show signs of sleepiness, such as rubbing their eyes and yawning.
Parents need to pay attention to these signs and observe the baby's sleep patterns in order to determine the appropriate sleep time for them.
By cultivating the habit of self-soothing when the baby is sleepy, you can achieve faster results.
2. Create a comfortable sleep environment
Lighting
Use differences in lighting to help the baby differentiate between awake and sleep environments.
During the day, you can pull the curtains to reduce the brightness, and at night, you can turn off all indoor lights and leave only a small night light on, so that the baby won't feel too scared when they wake up in the middle of the night.
3. Establish a regular bedtime routine
Before the baby goes to bed, there is usually a series of ending rituals, such as bathing, drinking milk, brushing teeth, telling stories, and saying goodnight.
Through these regular bedtime rituals, you are essentially giving the baby the instruction to sleep after completing these tasks, which helps the baby develop a sleep routine.
4. Soothe emotions and redirect attention
Half an hour before bedtime, you can play some quiet music or tell gentle stories to help the baby fall asleep. When the baby is crying, talking to them, making sounds, or giving them soothing toys can often have a good effect in redirecting their attention. Once the baby's emotions are soothed, they will stop crying and be able to sleep peacefully.
5. Take a bath before bed to relax the body and mind
Mothers can give the baby a warm bath two hours before bedtime. Sitting in warm water and smelling the scent of body wash can make the baby feel calm and help relax their body and mind. Not only does it maintain hygiene, but it also promotes sleep. After bathing, dry the baby with a towel and wrap them in a blanket on the bed. When their body temperature drops and they feel sleepy, the baby will be able to sleep well, and it also helps establish a regular sleep rhythm.
