Baby Sleep Training

A Mama of Three’s Tips for Sleep Training and Getting Baby to Sleep at Night

The hardest adjustment many of us face when adding a new little one to the family, is interrupted sleep patterns! Especially with your first little one, you go from eight hours of deep sleep to maybe six hours of light sleep broken up every two hours (if you’re lucky!). With a newborn, baby sleep training will be a lifesaver while you work toward getting baby to sleep at night.

AT not THROUGH

Having experienced this with three of my own babies, I know the challenges involved with baby sleep training. Here is some advice, that worked for this mama, for getting baby to sleep at night. Notice, I didn’t say getting baby to sleep THROUGH the night. If this is your first baby, you will quickly realize that sleeping all the way through the night is a magical fantasy that very few parents are blessed by. The sooner you accept that lack of sleep is your new norm, the better it will be for everyone. But not all hope is lost! If you follow these tips for sleep training, getting baby to sleep at night between feedings may make those bags under your eyes droop a little less.

Lights On, Lights Off

This may seem pretty obvious for those of us who have been living in the real world for some time. However, your new little one is new to this place and hasn’t quite figured out days and nights yet. While it may be tempting to turn all the lights out and keep everything quiet and still during nap time, I would suggest the opposite. Allow your little to fall asleep and take a light nap with whatever background noise or activity that happens during the day. This helps them understand the difference between light sleep (naps) and deep sleep (nighttime).

Tire Em Out

While babies aren’t capable of running and playing to tire themselves out before bed, there are ways of keeping them stimulated so they sleep deeper and longer. When they are brand new, just keeping them awake works to stimulate and tire them out. As they get older you can introduce more stimulating activities like tummy time, silly faces, or developmental games. The important thing is that it is active or challenging. Reading a book is probably too calm or soothing, so try to do things that are tiresome first, then transition to a calmer activity.

There’s a Pattern Here

Creating a schedule or a pattern before bed is a great tool for baby sleep training and getting baby to sleep at night. I’ve never really been a “schedule” mama and usually like to play it by ear or go with the flow. So I’m definitely not promoting an incredibly rigid routine that must be followed exactly. But doing things in the same pattern is definitely an important part of my tips for sleep training.

Without being tied to a schedule, there are still ways to use patterns in baby sleep training. Bath’s before bed, story time, singing, or all of the above are great ways to start preparing for bed time. Use a pattern each night that incorporates several stages right before bed time. A schedule that is easily adaptable for every family might look something like stimulation, calm activity, feeding, bed time. It’s that easy!

Full Tank

In the generic schedule I mentioned earlier, I listed feeding. This is super important. Fit as many feedings right before bed as possible. Filling the tank a few times before bed, will help move the digestive system along. The goal is to get out as many poops as possible and also fill their belly.

Most infants wake through the night because those little explosive poop smears stir them into consciousness. If you can get those out of the way it will help with your baby sleep training. Another reason babies wake through the night are because their tiny tummies get rumbly. Full tummies make for tired babies who are more likely to sleep longer.

Try cluster feeding, or feeding several times an hour for the last few hours during the day, to help with getting baby to sleep at night.

Be Flexible

The most important of my tips for sleep training is, work with your little one not against them! Every baby is different, each of my three boys have had different responses to baby sleep training. My oldest REQUIRED a pacifier and needed to be cradled on his side in order to sleep, my second preferred to be rocked not bounced and liked laying upright over my shoulder, and my third needed to lay on his back in a totally black room.

Find what works for your little one, and adjust it to work for your baby sleep training and getting baby to sleep at night. Some babies might need silence while others prefer a noise machine. Don’t get hung up on them following your pattern exactly, but allow them to do what comes naturally to them.

Then What?

If you’ve made it to the end of this post and are thinking, “I’ve already tried all of this, why isn’t my baby sleeping at night?” I will just end with this. Sleeping with a baby is a luxury not an expectation. Keep working with these tips for sleep training and don’t give up. It may take some babies longer than others to adjust to this new world. Be gracious toward them and yourself as you try to understand the new circumstances and journey you are on together!

 

What are some tips or tricks you’ve found helpful in baby sleep training and ways to get your baby to sleep at night? I would love to hear about anything I missed in the comments below. Let’s help out our fellow mamas as much as we can!!

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