We all know that if we don't get our sleep we become tired and grumpy. Here are some simple ideas that you may like to try on your baby to assist with settling.
1 Rock the cot
Crib And Changer
An oldie, but a good one, the gentle movement of the cot / basinet helps them settle to sleep. Remember they have been rocked in the womb for nine months as you walked around, so they are quite used to this moving feeling. A bassinet is helpful for this, especially if the crib is too heavy to rock.
2 Change the state of mind
When crying, change your baby's state of mind, such as talking in a different tone of voice, or through different faces. Try taking bubs into a different room or give them a different toy to play with. Try passing the baby from one parent to the other and walk around the room. The important thing is to change the babies state of mind, similar to a toddler who is crying from falling over and scraping their knee, you give them a lolly and it's amazing how quick they can stop crying.
3 Baroque music?
Baroque music has a beat that imitates the heart beat. Most baroque music is classical music. This is relaxing and is best played very softly as background music for the baby. While you may not enjoy Mozart, bubs may find it soothing.
4 Dim lights or leave light on
When it's time for sleep, some light may offer some peace of mind to baby rather than a pitch black room. Try a touch lamp on the lowest setting or a low watt globe. Perhaps leave a hallway light on until bubs falls asleep. It may only need to be on for five minutes.
5 Learning night and day
When feeding or changing baby at night time, help him or her distinguish the difference between day and night. Instead of turning the bright lights on in baby's room to feed or change, use the passage light or a dimmer light. This helps baby get back to sleep rather than them thinking its daylight and time to play. Also, if you have to talk to your baby keep your tone of voice low, use an unexciting voice, this will help settle baby to go back to sleep.
When our daughter was born she was confused with night and day but by keeping the lights dull and using different voices we were able to get her days and nights sorted rather quickly.
Rest and a good nights sleep can make all the difference in how you cope with parenting. Try some of these tips to help settle your baby quicker, so you can get more sleep and rest.