How to put a newborn baby to sleep.

9 Tried and True Tips from a mom of many.

Alright mamas, I have had one incredibly tough baby.  

I have had one incredibly easy baby.

 I have had 6 foster babies. All with different sleep needs.  

I kinda have some experience with this.

These are my methods that work like a charm every time.  I want to thank God for giving me the most difficult baby first, so with every other baby I encounter I feel like the baby whisperer!

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One note before I get into the 9 tips.  An overtired baby is a fussy baby.  You would be surprised at how little stimulation a young baby needs before needing to go back to sleep.  A diaper change and a feed are enough in those early months.  As a first time mom I constantly thought my baby needed to be stimulated with toys, music, taking her outside to see the sights….now that I have some experience I was giving her way too much, she was like “whoa mom the world is too much for me, just let me sleep” but I mean that was translated in blood-curdling screams….

9 methods to put your baby to sleep (Newborn to 4 months)

1. Routine – Keep your bedtime and naptime routine consistent.  Do the same thing every time.  Your baby will know what to expect and it will help them to wind down and prepare for sleep. Bath, massage, read a book, sing a song, turn on white noise, swaddle, nurse/bottle/soother, rock, place in crib drowsy.  This is my basic routine.  I will change it up slightly depending on the baby I am caring for but I do this every night, and every nap time.  I make sure I am consistently home for nap time as much as possible. Life happens and the odd stroller or car ride nap will happen and some babies are better at this then others. Overall trying to be home consistently for naptime will really help if you have a baby struggling with their sleep. 
2. Happiest Baby on the Block – Read this book.  I promise it will help.  Knowing approximate awake times for each age is mega helpful!
3. Swaddle – I know the swaddling recommendation comes and goes and is super popular in some circles and completely frowned upon in others.  Here are my 2 cents.  Babies are squished inside your womb for 9 months.  Babies have a startle reflex. Babies like to be warm and cozy.  Swaddling mimics a warm, cozy squished womb, and doesn’t allow the startle reflex to startle them!  Swaddle your baby if she/he is having trouble sleeping.
4. Shush – Did you know that what your baby hears inside of you is the equivalent of having a vacuum cleaner beside your ear?  Loud, sudden, abrupt noise can startle sensitive babies.  Constant noise like what they have heard for the past 9 months will help them to sleep.  Get a white noise machine. Personally, we use a fan.  My kids are 2, 3, 3 and 5 and they still sleep with fans….so do I.
5. Suck – Sucking is a calming technique for babies.  Breastfeed, use a soother, let them find their fingers.  I will let you be the judge of which option to use but let your baby suck.
6. Sway – Again back to the womb.  You didn’t sit still for 9 months, your baby is used to your movements.  All of a sudden you stick them in a crib and they are still.  They don’t get it and they don’t like it.  That will come in time, but right now being still is not what will clam them.  Use a swing, rock and play, your arms etc.  Try and put them down in a crib/bassinet super drowsy but not asleep.  Sway til you get to that point.
7. Pat their bum – May seem a little silly, but it mimics a heartbeat and for whatever reason, it really works!
8. Black Out Curtains – Guess what?  Light doesn’t peak through your belly button.  It is pitch dark in there.  Mimic that.
9. Sleep breeds more Sleep – Please do not keep your baby up all day in hopes that they will sleep at night.  It simply does not work.  All that does is makes your baby overtired and cranky and disturbs their natural sleep cycles.  If they are overtired it is very hard for them to get into the deep sleep phase.  It may seem like an odd piece of advice but it is true, the more well rested a baby is the easier it is to get them to sleep.

Try out these tips and see what works for you and your baby.  Try one at a time, I assure you one of, or a combination of these tips will be sure to have your baby sleeping like a baby in no time!