February 28, 2024 | Categories: Pregnancy & Parenting
Every new parent knows that if baby doesn’t sleep—nobody (okay, probably mama) sleep s. Some newborns figure out how to settle down for bed and stay asleep, while others well, don’t. I read tons of parenting books, articles, and blogs about baby sleep through bloodshot eyes those first few weeks and while it took some time for my firstborn to get the hang of sleep, there are a few safe baby sleep practices that seem to make a difference in helping your little one (and therefore you) catch some Zzz’s. Here’s how to develop better sleep habits and have peace of mind about baby sleep.
Yes, you’ve read about this in every book, but it’s worth repeating since it truly helps baby know that they are getting ready for sleep at night. A routine might be:
A warm bath
Apply lotion
Give a gentle massage
Diaper change and pajamas
Nursing or a bottle
Song or book while cuddling with dimmed lights
Place baby down on their backs
Turning on a white noise machine
Walking out
If you need to do an abbreviated version of the routine—I’d do a mini massage with lotion when I didn’t give a bath—that’s okay. Find the evening routine that consistently works best for your baby, try to do it as often as possible, but don’t stress if you pivot a bit.
Newborn babies are swaddled for several reasons—they like tight spaces like the one they lived in for nine months (it feels like home!), it helps keep them warm, and it reduces their Moro (startle) reflex that causes them to flail a limb and wake up. Swaddle your baby with a large, lightweight blanket or put them in a sleep sack with Velcro so you can keep them wrapped tightly. They might want their hand out to suck on, or one arm out; experiment with your little one. Stop swaddling when they roll over.
As a first-time mom, I made plenty of mistakes. One thing I regretted not doing sooner was getting a video monitor so I thought I’d be able to hear the baby when he cried and that would be enough. I now realized that it would have given me peace of mind—and better sleep for both of us—if I was able to see him when he woke up and wait to see if he could put himself back to sleep. Consider a video baby monitor like CuboAi Sleep Safety Bundle with a smart monitor that has a ‘covered face alert,’ ‘roll over detection,’ as well as other features like video storage and Sleep Analytics on the app. You can get a bird’s eye view via the wall-mounted camera so baby can’t pull it down. Having all of these features at your fingertips can calm your nerves while baby sleeps—no need to constantly check the monitor since it will alert you if something is wrong. The bundle involves the monitor paired with a sleep sensor pad that stays under the mattress, detecting micro motion in real time. Baby monitors like this that show temperature and humidity can let you know if the room is the ideal temperature. This monitor will also be great for peace of mind when baby sleeps in their own room.
I was already using a white noise machine to help with my sleep so it was easy to introduce one right away to my newborn since I read that it can be helpful for calming them—even mimicking the sounds in the womb. Studies have found that white noise can help some babies fall asleep faster or shorten the duration of crying. Use a sound machine with different sound options and ones you can increase or decrease the volume on. If it’s Bluetooth compatible—even better, you can increase the sound a few decibels (below 50 dB are recommended for baby) remotely on your phone when other members of your family are getting noisy.
First-time mom version of me? My baby isn’t sleeping because his diaper is wet! I have to change it. I’d see that telltale blue line on his diaper through his pajamas and think, That must be the reason he isn’t sleeping well. Second-time mom? I’d place my newborn back down to sleep after nursing as long as he didn’t leak through his clothes. He would often fall back asleep quickly because I didn’t stimulate him with a diaper change. If you have to change a newborn during their overnight sleep, try to do it in between nursing sessions or when bottle so they can doze off after feeding.
Making sure you have a soft light to turn on for those overnight feedings will help you and baby get back to sleep afterward. Lights that are too bright can stimulate the brain and cause you (or baby) to wake up more. I remember buying lower-watt bulbs for the lamp in my son’s room soon after he was born so it remained darker at night. Some video camera monitors—like the CuboAi—or sound machines or bassinets have night lights that are perfect for late-night wakeups. Baby gear that serves multiple purposes and doesn’t clutter up my nightstand? Sign me up!
sleeps
Let’s move this up one spot.
Clarify here that this is for when they nap or are put to sleep in your room before you go to bed.
they’re halfway done with their
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