How to get a newborn to sleep?

Many mothers may have encountered this situation when taking care of their babies, that is, the baby is restless when sleeping, some babies always need to be held to fall asleep, or some babies need milk to fall asleep. After many babies have sleep problems, most parents have not found a solution, but are eager to let the baby fall asleep. Although the problem is solved on the surface, it actually cultivates bad habits for the baby. So what are the methods to coax a newborn to sleep?

How to get your baby to sleep quickly

1. Create a regular bedtime routine

One way to help children feel in control is to have a schedule like adults. Even if they don't know the clock yet, they know it's time to go to bed after other activities, such as dinner, story time, or a bath. Setting a regular bedtime routine and sticking to it every day is an effective way to help your child fall asleep. In our house, those habits include: reading a book, turning on a CD, and playing classical music. Other parents may want to incorporate some kind of routine to calm their child, such as singing a lullaby, saying a prayer, or telling a story. When the baby goes to sleep every day, as long as we develop these habits, no matter which one, we can get the best effect and help the baby fall asleep smoothly.

Remember, these routines need to be fairly simple, about ten to fifteen minutes long. In order to stay with their parents for a while longer, children are very "cunning" and always try to delay bedtime. So, try to keep your bedtime routine short and sweet.

2. Provide a clear transition from playtime to bedtime

Toddlers especially need a transition phase to sleep. Often, to make the transition from playtime to bedtime smooth, I end any other fun activities that my kids are doing. I would use a timer in the kitchen as a transition signal, reminding the children in advance, "I set it for five minutes," and when the timer goes off, they know it's time to go to bed.

3. Let your toddler choose a bedtime activity

Children appreciate control and predictability in their world and opportunities for greater independence and autonomy. You can increase your baby's autonomy by providing choices and allowing him or her to express his or her unique preferences. For example, you can announce to your baby: Twenty minutes before going to bed, play a guessing game or a candy land game with your baby. If you always tell your baby bedtime stories to help him fall asleep, then provide your baby with two or three or four books to choose from. If your baby always falls asleep to classical music, offer him a few different tapes or CDs and let him choose what he wants to listen to. All of these options will make your baby feel like it is his choice what to do before bed, even if he ultimately has no say in when or if he goes to bed!

4. Provide comfort items for your baby

Many children naturally develop an attachment to a particular blanket, stuffed animal, or doll, and these items make great comfort objects. These items must be large so that they are not easily lost by children and they can be found in the dark without adult help.

5. Provide your baby with some bed activities

Just like adults, children can benefit from special activities that can help them transition to sleep. For infants and young children, this can be some bed activities. I personally prefer the Fisher-Price activity board, which can be hung next to the crib and has all kinds of fun dials and buttons on it that even a five-month-old baby can operate. Soft children's books are also a great choice for a baby's crib. Toddlers benefit from interesting toys, such as stuffed animals, dolls, and books. (Note: Television programs and videos are not included here—they generally arouse a child's excitement and therefore do not help the baby calm down for sleep. I discuss this in more detail in Chapter 5.)

Babies and young children benefit from listening to songs, and both tapes and CDs can achieve ideal results, as children will fall asleep to the music. Not only can you buy albums of lullabies and nocturnes designed specifically for children, but you can also buy light music, such as soft guitar music, slow classical music, etc., which can be very helpful for children to fall asleep. Not only can music calm children, it can also serve as a clear signal that it's time to go to bed, especially for younger children.

6. Leave the room when your child is awake

After the bedtime routine is over, you should leave your child's room and tell them that you love them and will come back to see if they are asleep. Although it is easier to get your baby to fall asleep in your arms before putting him in his crib, it is not easy for him to learn to fall asleep on his own. For toddlers and preschoolers, you may want some advice on how they can learn to fall asleep. Well, if they are not sleepy, it is recommended to let them find ways to entertain themselves. Even young babies will enjoy a book by themselves, looking at the stars outside the window or thinking about the interesting things that happened during the day. Give your child some concrete strategies for slowly falling asleep on their own.

7. Regardless of whether the child asks or not, you should constantly return to the child's room to reassure the child.

Return to your child's room before he or she starts crying. If you wait until your child cries before returning, you are sending a clear message to the child: only crying can make you return. This will therefore trigger the child's crying behavior. My four-month-old is happy to be alone in his room before bed and only wants an adult to check on him from time to time. I promised to check on him every ten minutes until he fell asleep. Sometimes I have to come in two or three times to see my baby fall asleep, but most of the time, my baby is already asleep when I come in to see him for the first time. Just knowing that I would come back to see him made him feel at ease in his bed. If you can check on your baby regularly before he goes to bed, you are showing your baby that you care about him and that you will be there for him when he needs you. This won't make him dependent on your presence while he sleeps.

8. Provide brief and monotonous comfort to your baby, don’t delay it for too long

The key here is not to let your comforting become a stimulus, otherwise your baby will stay awake and refuse to go to sleep. So, don’t read another book or tell another story, don’t get your baby out of their crib, and don’t cuddle them. If you do this, you are undoubtedly setting up a reward mechanism for them not sleeping, rather than encouraging them to sleep! In contrast, the calm parenting method is to let children know that you will be there for them when they need you, rather than making them too excited to fall asleep because of your return. The purpose of comforting your baby is to make you believe that he can fall asleep on his own.

9. Help your baby fall asleep again quickly

Generally speaking, babies will wake up at a fixed time during the night. At this time, you will face another challenge: coaxing the baby to sleep in the drowsiness. Young babies usually wake up at night because they are hungry. Breastfed babies especially like to feed once (or twice) at night in the first few months of life. Breastfeeding at this time should be fast and quiet so that the baby will not be stimulated and excited. Try not to turn on the lights, or at least keep them dim, and try to speak to your child in a soft voice. If the same thing happens in an older child, it's usually because the bladder is full (usually the case with toilet-trained children). In either case, meet your child's needs quickly and quietly, then encourage him or her to go back to sleep alone. Perhaps you need to repeat some of the bedtime routines described above, such as turning on music, placing a comfort object in your child's arms, or singing a lullaby. Just remember to stick with your bedtime routine to remind your baby it's still bedtime.