So it’s two in the morning, your baby boy or girl has woken up crying yet again. What to do? This handy cheat sheet will help you through this trying time…here’s some pointers on how to get the baby that won’t sleep back into a blissful slumber.
- Check that nappy - the first thing you should check when baby wakes up is the nappy. Just lift them up and have a good sniff! If the smell bothers you, it will bother them too – and quite probably woke them up. Many parents only spot this after all other options are exhausted – check this first and potentially save yourself hours of lost sleep.
- Keep it quiet – just because baby is making loud noise doesn’t mean you should. You are hoping to have them go back to sleep, so talk to them in soothing, gentle tones. No matter tempted you are, do not turn on a light. If you do, they may stop crying, but they will also expect the day to begin there and then!
- One at a time – it’s tempting for both partners to be at baby’s cotside, especially in the first few days. Unless you have a serious problem that needs both of you involved, keep it to one person with baby so that they are no over-stimulated, excited or alarmed – all these things will only serve to wake them up even more and make getting back to sleep harder
- Have a feed ready – if baby is being breastfed this is easy. If you are using formula, or feeding from a cup, make it as easy as possible for you to rustle up a quick drink in the night. Perhaps buy some pre-made formula cartons rather than making up the powder. They are expensive but will save you time in the night. The longer a hungry baby has to wake, the more agitated they will be and hence the longer it will take them to calm down and go back to sleep
- Practice your repertoire – baby’s love routine. Sing one or two songs to baby around bedtime and you can sing the same songs when required in the night – once they have associated these songs with going to sleep it will help settle them back at night
Each baby responds to different things, for my daughter she now often just needs to be placed on my right shoulder, and me to walk vigorously up and down the room for less than one minute. If she wriggles and writhes, then I know it’s time for a feed instead.
Click here: the definitive book on getting baby to sleep in the first three months.
