Mum Hacks To Get Your Baby To Sleep

Yes, motherhood has its moments but staying up with a baby who won't sleep a wink is not one of them. You are one of the lucky ones if your baby falls asleep as soon as you place him on his crib. That is more than can be said about plenty other babies out there who prefer to stay wide-eyed and kick their little legs enthusiastically while uttering cute baby things in the middle of the night. And yes, in that picture, there's always an exhausted mother leaning over the crib with her eyes half-open. Here are some tips to save you both some sleep and your sanity when it comes to the baby's bedtime: 

SWADDLING

Mothers have been swaddling their babies for years now to put them to sleep, and it almost always works. Combines with smooth rocking and patting, a swaddle mimics the environment of the womb, providing more comfort for the baby and easily luring them to sleep.

Some babies, however, may never sleep no matter how nicely to swaddle them. If yours is one of them, try swaddles with additional features such as light-weight pads to help simulate pressure from your touch.

THE DIAPER

If you want your baby to sleep undisturbed for a long time, use the most absorbent diapers you can find. You don’t expect him to sleep through the whole changing process and once he is awake, he won’t be sleeping again any time soon.

When diaper-changing is inevitable, make sure to warm it a little with your palms. If you don’t, the sudden change in temperature will awaken them and leave them fully alert.

THE GOOD 'OL LULLABY

It is one of the oldest yet most efficient ways of putting any baby to sleep. You don't have to have an angelic voice for this one. All you have to do is rock your baby gently to gentle and slow tune at a low voice, and they will soon go to sleep.

If singing is not your best suit, try some tunes online. Many music stations and channels provide all sorts of tunes for all sorts of baby moments. Better still, you can try reading to them in a low voice without particularly trying to capture their attention. Some babies who find themselves caught up in long conversations soon fall asleep.

WATCH THE LIGHT

The baby will definitely wake up if you just flush on the lights in their room. If you are going to change his diaper, use a dim light that can help you see what you are doing without having to wake the baby up. There are specialized light bulbs out there that you can control with your phone before even getting into the baby's room.

In short…

The baby's environment is key to them falling asleep. Make sure that they are comfortable, the diaper is dry and that they are well fed. Try rocking them gently and playing a lullaby tune. In time you will find that it is not that hard to put your baby to sleep.