Congratulations on your new arrival! Now that you have a little one to care for, one of the first challenges you will face is getting your baby to sleep in her crib. With a few simple tips, you can put your baby on a sleep schedule and help her get the rest she needs. The first step is to create a bedtime routine for your baby. Try to keep the routine consistent each night, and make sure that you allow enough time for your baby to wind down before bed.
It’s also necessary to create a calm and relaxing environment in the crib. Make sure the room is dark and quiet. Avoid harsh lighting or loud noises when putting your baby to sleep. You may also want to consider using a noise machine or white noise app to help drown out any distractions
Here are some tips that can help your baby fall asleep in their cribs tips:
- Put your baby in her crib while she’s still awake. This can help her get comfortable with her new sleeping place.
- Lay your baby on her back. When babies sleep on their backs, the chances of getting SIDS are significantly reduced.
- You may use a pacifier. Pacifiers can help soothe babies since the sucking motion is soothing to them. Rarely, pacifiers can make learning how to self-soothe more difficult, but this usually only occurs if your child refuses the pacifier altogether after a few months of use. Breastfeeding mothers should wait until their baby is one month old before introducing the pacifier.
- Keep the environment calm. Before baby’s bedtime, the more you handle and stimulate your baby, the more difficult it will be for her to settle down. So avoid creating a loud atmosphere, particularly when it’s naptime.
- Keep your baby away from temperatures that are either too hot or too cold. SIDS has been linked to thick clothing, high temperatures, and excessive layers.
- Choose a sleep sack that zips from the bottom up. Keeps your baby warm all night long and prevents them from kicking off their covers. They also allow you to check on
Once your baby’s bedtime routine is well-established, you should begin trying to stick to a predictable sleep schedule. There are several different methods you can use to help get your baby on a schedule:
Place The Baby In Her Crib Awake
It’s much easier for a baby to fall asleep if she’s already relaxed from a bedtime routine. So try putting your baby in her crib while she’s still awake. She may cry at first, but most babies will eventually fall asleep.
Keep Things Quiet And Dark For Naps And Bedtime
This step should go hand-in-hand with not overstuffing your baby’s days with activities and stimulation. By doing this, you ensure that your baby isn’t getting worked up before bedtime. Since babies are soothed by the dark and quiet, maintain dim lighting and a low level of noise as your baby goes through his bedtime routine. This will help him wind down so he can sleep through the night for longer stretches.
Interact With Your Baby As Much As Possible During The Day
Remember, you want to have fun with your baby during the day. He needs interaction to stay happy and healthy, so take advantage of this time while he’s awake. If he starts showing signs that he’s ready for a nap or bedtime, gently encourage him to lay down if needed. But continue to interact with him until he falls asleep.
Safe sleeping habits for babies
Safe sleep for babies is important and parents should follow safe sleeping practices such as those mentioned above. This is not only good for their sleep but also good for their health. Here are a few tips that can help your baby sleep better and safer:
- Placing the baby on his or her back to sleep, If your baby is placed on its back to sleep, will reduce the risk of SIDS and suffocation.
- Avoid items like pillows, soft blankets, and toys(including stuff toys) in the baby’s crib. These items along with other soft beddings may pose a risk of suffocation or SIDS because babies can roll onto them and suffocate.
- Keeping the baby’s room at a cool temperature, temperatures too hot have been associated with SIDS.
- Avoid smoking in the house, be it yourself or other people around you. Babies who are exposed to second-hand smoke are at a higher risk of SIDS.
- Keeping noise levels low around the baby during sleep time will help him get better sleep.
- Breastfeeding has been associated with a reduced risk of SIDS. In addition, breastfeeding leads to better sleep patterns during infancy and childhood, which can positively affect their general development too. So breastfeeding not only provides good health benefits for the child, but it also helps promote better sleep.
Q&A’s
How can I tell if my baby is sleepy?
If your baby acts tired, with heavy eyes and a droopy mouth and his hands clenched in the typical “fist”, then he is probably ready for sleep. He may rub his eyes with his fists or yawn frequently.
When can you start putting your Baby in the crib?
A good time to start this method is when your child reaches around 3 to 6 months old.
Can my baby’s crib be near the bedroom door or window?
It’s okay to have the crib near your bedroom door so you can easily check in on her. But don’t put it near a window, as this may encourage her to try climbing out.
Does the baby have to be in a separate room?
Until they turn six months old, babies should remain in their parents’ room. As a result, babies who sleep in their own rooms in cots have a greater chance of getting SIDS than those who are with their parents.
We hope that these tips help on how to get a baby to sleep in crib were valuable. It’s important to remember that every baby is different. What works for one may not work for another. The key is to have a consistent routine. It’s not enough just to put the baby in her crib and walk away, you need to give her time for self-soothing before she falls asleep on their own.