A common challenge for new parents is figuring out ways to help their child fall asleep faster.
Those new to parenting might even dread sleeping time, especially if there is no background knowledge or available help to be sought.
The good news is there are numerous smart ways to get the baby to fall asleep quickly. However, what is essential is that you get to know your child better and develop ways to help them fall asleep faster.
How Can I Help My Child Fall Asleep Faster?
Not everyone has the privilege to take on a pediatric sleep coach, and isn’t it fulfilling also to get your child to fall asleep with your efforts whenever possible?
Detailed below are five suggested ways to ensure a good night’s sleep for your baby.
1. Set a consistent bedtime routine as early as possible.
Establishing bedtime rituals as early as possible will help prepare your baby’s body and mind for sleep each night.
For newborns, what helps is using the swaddle as a way of saying that it’s almost bedtime.
Other soothing techniques also help, such as singing, reading, and bathing.
As such, take note not to overstimulate your child’s senses and refrain from activities like playing with electronic toys or watching TV.
Your baby develops an internal clock and becomes cognizant of bedtime by doing this routine consistently.
2. Make sure that the sleeping environment is conducive to sleep.
Most parents fail to set up a proper sleep environment. However, a healthy sleep environment relies on these critical details.
For example, it might be good to play white noise from a digital music platform without a white noise machine.
Having dim lights or even black-out curtains to keep the light out will aid in your quest for proper sleep for your baby as well.
Temperature also matters and should preferably be kept between 65 and 70 degrees. Having a cool and comfortable room is necessary, after all.
In case your baby still struggles with early wake-ups and napping, you may opt to install room-darkening shades as another alternative step.
3. Be mindful of the sleeping cues exhibited by your baby.
As soon as you start seeing cues that your baby needs to sleep, don’t wait for the situation to get worse. There are many signs to see if your baby is ready for bed.
For one, once they continue to yawn and become less interactive, that’s your chance to lay down your routines.
Drooping eyelids and constant eye rubbing are cues, though some argue that this might already be too late.
Do not wait for your baby to get to the point where they become irritable already. You’ll then find it easier to determine the next step to do next once you have figured out what your baby’s particular sleepy signs are.
4. Ensure that there is enough activity during daytime awake periods.
Another way to help your baby sleep properly is to keep a sleep log and know what the little one’s daytime or awake periods are.
When stimulated and moving in the right ways, falling asleep should be a breeze afterward with enough activity.
Some experts recommend that these activities are more associated with falling asleep than feeding.
On another note, keeping this in mind also means that you can anticipate when your baby will be tired.
5. Figure out which sleep training method works out for your baby.
Finally, once all the groundwork has been laid out, this is the time to consider which sleep training methods might work for your baby.
Below are some of the sleep training methods we have tried and tested ourselves:
- Chair method. This is a gradual way to sleep-train your baby. To do this, you should prepare your baby for bed or crib, but do not leave the room just yet.
Instead, sit on a chair next to your baby to let the little one feel your presence.
Your little one will eventually fall asleep on his (or her) own. Every time the baby wakes up, though, just keep in mind that you will need to sit back down.
The goal is to move the chair further and further away until the baby can fall asleep on one’s own for prolonged periods.
- Fading Method. You can do this by doing a variety of techniques to let your baby fall asleep, such as talking, feeding, rocking.
Over time, babies require less comfort anyway, so a parent can “fade out” of this type of routine.
- Ferber Method. Though many people do not favor this method, others still prefer it. This is done when parents check on their crying child through increasing time intervals.
Over time, what happens is the baby learns how to sleep independently. Self-soothing is promoted, too.
The Challenges of Sleep Training
Do not be hard on yourself if challenges remain for a while, even after trying out several ways. After all, each baby is different, and so is your environment.
Another thing to remember is not to give up, especially when you’re only starting to use these ways! They say that babies need at least three to five nights to learn a new routine.
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