How To Easily Get Baby To Fall Asleep

baby photography

Getting a baby to fall asleep can be very difficult and overwhelming especially for new parents. But no need to worry, we’ve all been there and most of us are still trying to figure things out when it comes to these little ones. I know I am.

Here are some things you can try to get your baby to fall asleep at night. But before that know that this does not necessarily mean your baby is going to sleep all through the night till morning. Your baby especially newborn is going to wake up several times before it’s morning.

how to get baby to sleep at night

What to do when baby wakes up in the middle of the night

Usually when babies wake up in the middle of the night, they are still very sleepy and fall asleep after feeding or during feeding. Babies have tiny stomachs, so they need to feed every few hours. So they will wake up in the middle of the night to feed.

If they are still crying after feeding or refuses feeding when they wake up, check their diaper. They may be uncomfortable because their diaper is dirty and needs changing. A fresh diaper makes them more comfortable and sleep better.

If you’ve changed their diaper and fed them but they still wouldn’t sleep, then check the room temperature. Make sure they are not too cold and are well covered.

Now, here are a few things you can try to get your baby to fall asleep at night

get baby to sleep

5 things you can do to get baby to fall asleep at night

1. Ensure the baby gets full meal

Even with adults it is difficult to fall asleep at night if you are hungry how much more babies. Make sure your baby is fed and they will easily fall asleep once they are full. But do not overfeed them because, they will throw up almost everything they’ve had and that will mean, they are still hungry.

So feed baby the right amount of food they need to be full. And when baby is full, remember to burp them before putting them to sleep. Sometimes, babies can’t sleep after feeding if they are not burped because they are uneasy and may even cry. So remember to burp your baby after each feed.

Bathing little baby.

2. Bath baby at night

Your baby will feel much better and sleep better after a warm bath. A warm bath is soothing and calming for the body. Doing this at night before bedtime will signal your baby it is time to sleep.

If you do this continuous, it will get the baby into a routine and the body does very well with routine. So every night, you feed her, bath her and after that she will easily fall asleep.

3. Dim the lights

When there is bright light in the room, it can be difficult to fall asleep. The brain needs to be able to signal the body that it is night time. So to do that, you have to turn off the lights. But it is not advisable to leave the baby in a dark room, so simply dimming the lights is okay. Or you can also use night lamps.

Once the lights are dim, the brain can release the hormone melatonin, which is the sleep hormone, to signify the body that it is night time and that they need to sleep.

This method is so effective for me, once the lights go off, my baby falls asleep in ten minutes or less. When baby wakes in the middle of the night, do not turn the lights back on. This will help your baby to know it is still night time. You can use a night light when baby wakes up in the middle of the night to feed.

overhead view of baby with pacifier in mouth sleeping on bed

Pacifier

For breastfed babies, pacifier is very effective in helping them fall asleep. But if your baby becomes so dependent on the pacifier, he/she will wake up anytime the pacifier falls out. So once you use the pacifier, remember to always remove it immediately they fall asleep so they don’t grow dependent on it. This happened with my baby and it wasn’t cool at all.

White noise

In the first few weeks, getting my little one to sleep was so very difficult. She will be so fussy  and cry so much that nothing seemed to calm her down. Rocking and going up and down didn’t do anything.

Then came in the white noise, this was like a miracle for calming her down and getting her to sleep. Play this and she will fall asleep in no time. I was so amazed by how it worked.

The thing about the white noise is that, it makes them feel as if they are still in the womb, an environment they are familiar with. The white noise has sounds of waterfall, rain, oceans, womb sounds that comes with a hint of heartbeat. All these sounds are soothing and calming for babies and even adults.

But remember that every baby is different, so not all will work for you but I hope you find something that will work for you here.

what to do when baby wont sleep

Important tip

Encourage babies to sleep on their own. To do this, once they’ve been fed and have taken their bath, put them in their crib and let them sleep on their own. No rocking, or walking up and down to get them to sleep. Let baby fall asleep on their own.

Doing this will help baby to sleep on their own. Also, if they wake up in the middle of the night, don’t rush to pick them up immediately. Wait for a few minutes to see if they will sleep on their own again. Sometimes, they just cry in their sleep and sleep again.

But if baby doesn’t go back to sleep and keeps crying, then pick them up and try feeding and soothing them. Then put them back in the crib to sleep on their own. Doing this will even help you to get enough rest.

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15 Comments

  1. Amy Arnold
    December 1, 2017 / 5:55 pm

    Feeding schedules was the biggest one for us!

    Amy Ann
    Straight A Style

    • wendee
      December 1, 2017 / 9:40 pm

      yeah, feeding schedules help a lot

    • wendee
      December 1, 2017 / 9:41 pm

      thanks laura

    • wendee
      December 2, 2017 / 7:27 pm

      this is actually true. These tips will work for adults too

  2. December 4, 2017 / 2:30 pm

    Oh, the pictures are so sweet!!!! I love babies, who doesn’t? And your tips were very good. Full meal, a bath at night… I hope that everybody reads the tips! Hope you have a lovely week!
    DenisesPlanet.com

  3. September 17, 2018 / 6:16 pm

    White noise doesn’t only help your baby fall asleep, it also helps them stay asleep when you’re up and around making noise. Really that’s the main reason I got a fan for my baby, so I didn’t feel like I had to tip toe around everywhere while she was napping.

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