{In Case You Need to Try, Try Again}

Having been a sleep-deprived parent before, I know

that the last thing you need is paragraphs of complicated instructions to stumble through.

What you’re longing to see at 2 in the morning.

You need bullet points…numbered lists…

You need some sleeping baby tricks.

Tricks that will sprinkle hope on your exhausted soul.

I want to give you the hope of a more-rested tomorrow.

Trust me.  You won’t always be this tired. 

He is going to sleep eventually.

My goal is to help you get to “eventually” a whole lot sooner.

I’m All About Options

I’m an “options” kinda gal.

My husband claims it’s because I’m indecisive.

I say it’s because I’m open-minded about “possible end results”.

Potaytoe. Potahtoe.

Here are 62 different options to score a sleeping baby.  They are ideas I’ve thought-up, researched-out, or outright-stole (from friends).

Don’t forget to add your own “sleeping baby options” in the comments!

For every “trick” that crashes and burns, I wanted to give you 2 more sleeping baby tricks to keep trying.

Let the encouragement begin!

1. Install blackout curtains underneath the pretty nursery curtains.
2. Learn to swaddle your newborn or let an award-winning swaddler do it for you.  (Newborns snooze better when swaddled.)
3. Use bumper pads for active babies who roll around in their sleep, banging their head against the rails. (Usually between 6-12 months.)
4. Create a sleepytime routine, and use it consistently.
5. Feed your baby before putting her down for the night, but try to lay her down before she’s actually completely asleep.
6. Catch his cues before he transforms into Mr. Furious.  (Hint: A realllly mad baby is not going to be a sleeping baby.)
7. Rock or sway while holding your baby to quiet her down, Shusshing quietly in her ear.
8. Provide a pacifier to  help with self-soothing and fight against SIDS at the same time.
9. Practice infant massage .
10. Sing a repetitive lullaby softly.  Something where you can insert your baby’s name.  (Babies LOVE to hear their name repeated over and over.)
11. Be incredibly boring between the hours of 8:30 pm to  7:00 am.
12. Avoid these sleep training mistakes.
13. Make sure her nose isn’t stuffy.  If it is, use some gentle salt-water nose drops and an awesome nose sucker.
14. Test the room temperature.  Too hot?  Too cold? or just right?  (Just right is between 65 – 70 degrees F.)
15. Watch for signs of a formula allergy that could be causing tummy troubles.
16. Experiment with different clothing fibers for babies with sensitive skin.  A simple switch from 100% polyester to 100% cotton could make all the difference.  (It did with my second-born, EM.)
17. Do any nighttime feedings or diaper changes in as close to pitch-black as humanly possible. The key here is to keep her brain in “semi-sleep” mode.
18. Have reasonable expectations about what nighttime parenting should look like in your home and for this baby.
19. Try different sleeping locations.  Does she do best in the bassinet next to the bed? The playpen across the room? In mom and dad’s bed? Or next door in the nursery?
20. Know the normal signs of teething.
21. Babies who nap well during the day, rest better at night.  Develop a flexible nap routine for the day (easy to do when you know what to expect) and watch him flourish at night.
22. Conduct a bath test: Is your baby more energized after water play? Or sleepier and ready for cuddles and bed?
23. Know the weird signs of teething.
24. Wear your baby in a sling for the last half hour or so before bed.  Let your voice and movements make her sleepy.
25. Choose a lovey for your sleeping baby to provide comfort in the crib and help her learn how to self-soothe.  Something like a small stuffed animal, crocheted blanket, or the iParenting Award winner Sleep Sheep.
26. Know when are the typical times teething sets in (and can disrupt your hard-earned sleeping baby success!)
27. If it is teething, learn which teething pain medications are risky.
28. Don’t wake your sleeping baby at night to change a diaper unless it’s… A) a poop or B) he has a bad diaper rash that needs to be treated.
29. If you’re cloth diapering, put on two or three layers to decrease the “I’m wet and uncomfortable” feeling that could lead to an early wake up.
30.  Use flannel sheets on the crib in the winter.
31. Get a wipe warmer.  Nothing will wake up your baby faster than a cold bum-wipe!
32. In cold, dry, winter months a warm-mist humidifier can fight stuffy noses and keep the room warm and comfortable.
33. Touch your baby’s hand in the crib, or rub his tummy or back, humming softly to reassure him that you’re there until he falls asleep.
34. Talk to your pediatrician if your baby shows signs of increased fussiness after eating, spits up, seems like he’s in abdominal pain, or is wheezing.  These can be signs of acid reflux.
35. Drive around a little with your newborn in his car seat.
36. Avoid eye contact at night.
37. Use dimmers on the nursery lights, to help communicate “quietness” in the room at night.
38. If you’re breastfeeding, watch the caffeine.  It can stick around in your baby’s body for up to 96 hours.
39. Try to skip burping at night if your baby isn’t showing any signs of discomfort.
    
40. Give a bottle of formula as the last feeding of the night, and pump that feeding instead.  Or mix half formula and half breastmilk.  Sometimes babies will sleep longer with formula-filled tummies.
41. Make your baby’s sleep a priority in your daily schedule.  Setting a rhythm of sleep is essential for long-term sleeping success.
42. Purchase a high-quality video monitor, so you can see what’s going on in there without having to actually disrupt what’s going on in there.
43. Keep TVs out of the nursery or sleeping area.  Even if he does manage to fall asleep with it on, it will be short-lived and not as restful.
44. Help teach your newborn the difference between playtime (bright lights, shades up!) and sleeptime (dark rooms, quiet activities).
45. Watch out for the sleep cues, and take advantage of them!
46. Practice tummy time during the day.  Babies who learn to roll over sleep better, since they can reposition themselves to get more comfortable at night.
47. Give yourself and your infant extra grace between 4-12 weeks.  These weeks are a gold mine for growth spurts and colic.  Cancel travel plans and batten down the hatches for some rough sleeping baby seas.  (This means try to nap yourself as much as possible!)
48. Purchase a good noisemaker to drown out siblings, honking cars, and noisy neighbors. (Make sure it doesn’t automatically shut off after an hour.)
49. During the day, feed your baby when she wakes up, not when she goes to sleep.
50. Start putting your baby down happy-drowsy-but-awake between 6-8 weeks old.
51. Take notes on your baby’s natural daily rhythm.  Use this to cobble together a flexible daily schedule.
52. Move “napping” to a home base location between 3-4 months.  Using the same spot for naps (crib, playpen, bassinet, etc.) will help your baby’s naps stay consistent.  Start arranging your life around nap times.  You won’t always have to…but for now it will make a huge improvement on evening sleep.
53. If your baby is older than 6 months old, begin nap training.
54. Be consistent.  Think through ahead of time how you’re going to respond to your baby at night.  (Post 8-weeks.)  And make sure both parents are doing the same thing.
55. Use a lavender-scented lotion on her before bed.
56. Hold your baby’s cheek next to your mouth and hum or softly sing lullabies with your baby’s name while bounce-walking.  The closeness to your face and the vibration on his cheek will help to calm him.
57. Vacuum the house.  Some babies find the noise soothing.
58. Sing the ABC song.  Again…and again…and again.
59. Check to see if the pacifier has fallen out of his mouth.  Babies under 8  months have to learn how to coordinate their tongue with sucking to keep it in place.  Just because he pushes it out right away doesn’t mean he doesn’t want it.  Hold it firmly in place for a few seconds until he’s got a good sucking/holding rhythm.  On the other hand, if he turns his head and cries, that’s him saying “I’m not a fan of the pacifier”.
60. Purchase a softly swaying mobile. Not a loud, light-flashing, playing mobile, but one that offers quiet boring movements to soothe to sleep.  (Like these etsy ones.)
61. If your baby is a frequent spitter-upper, consider a special thickened formula that stays down (letting baby sleep longer).

Bonus Tip! No. 62

If you’ve tried these things and still feel overwhelmed, break out the big gun on your (non) sleeping baby and buy a book.

The one I recommend (and purchase for baby showers) is called Good Night Sleep Tight by Kim West.

Kim is not a suggester of being militant about “crying it out”, but neither is she a fan of “let baby be the guide”.  I consider her a happy medium between both camps of “self-schedule” and “mom-schedule”.

I used her book successfully with sleep training my two youngest.  I would have used it for my eldest as well, but it wasn’t written then. (I used Babywise for LB.)

This To Shall Pass

It’s hard to think that these sleepless nights will ever pass…but they will. 

I pinky-swear.

Batten down the hatches.  Unschedule yourself. Close the window blinds.

Warn people you’re hibernating…and focus on two things:

1. meeting your baby’s needs
2. Snagging rest whenever you can find it.

Accepting that you’re going to be very tired, feel very lazy, and be emotionally unstable will make going through it soooo much easier.

And you WILL get through it!

P.S. For those of you on the other side, enjoying your 8-hours of comatose rest every night, what advice would you give to  weary parents?  Share them in the comments!

Learn more about sleep training with…

• The 7 Worst Baby Sleep Training Mistakes a Parent Can Make
• A Cheater’s Guide to Sleep Training
• For the Overwhelmed, Exhausted, and Utterly Unsure Parent

Allow myself to introduce…myself.

…To all your friends and family!

Name that (slightly altered) movie quote?  (Austin Powers)

 If you enjoyed this article and found it helpful, please do me a favor and share it with your friends!