New parents are especially anxious, after a few weeks of interrupted sleep, to see their baby be able to go to sleep easily and to sleep through the night. While not every baby will go to sleep easily, the fact remains that there is hope. There are some basic tips that you can follow for helping your baby go to sleep easily.
- One thing that you can do to help your baby go to sleep easily is to play his or her bedtime. Around an hour or so before you would like your baby to go to sleep, spend some time playing with him or her. Give your baby the social interaction that he or she craves. As you get closer to bedtime, you should feed your baby. You will want to feed your baby around half an hour before bedtime, if at all possible. This gives your baby time to eat, but also gives time afterward for you to burp your baby, and to cuddle your baby for a few minutes. It also gives your baby time for a bowel movement, so you can change his or her diaper just before you lay your baby down to go to sleep.
- For some babies, a bath may be relaxing, as well. You can try giving your baby a bath before bedtime, as this might relax your baby and help your baby to go to sleep easily. You will have to try this out for your baby, as some babies don’t especially like to be bathed, and a bath may do more to upset your baby than it does to comfort your baby.
- Another important part of helping your baby go to sleep easily is to make sure that your baby gets into a routine. Do the same things, in the same order, every night at bedtime. Before too long, your baby will get into the routine with you, and will go to sleep more easily.