Some babies have a hard time falling asleep. Whether it is their natural reflex action that spurs them to be away just as they are falling asleep, or whether it is because they suffer from colic, there are babies that just can’t seem to rest well. Sometimes, however, these babies will do all right if they are riding in a car, in their car seat. As a matter of fact, there are some babies that will only fall asleep in their car seat.
This can be particularly frustrating to parents. It just isn’t reasonable or convenient to think that a baby will always get to ride in a car seat any time they are tired. The newborn baby, especially, is likely to need to sleep several times each and every day. Fortunately for parents, there are some things that you can do when your baby will only fall asleep in his car seat.
One thing that you can do when your baby will only fall asleep in his or her car seat is to use an infant soother to recreate the constant motion and sound that comes with a car ride. An example of this sort of device would be the “SleepTight Infant Soother.” This device, and others like it, provide a recreation of the car seat environment. They provide both the motion and the sound that the baby would experience when traveling in a car. Generally speaking, an infant soother is used just for the first few minutes of the baby’s sleep time, as once the baby is asleep he or she doesn’t need to continue to feel those motions and sounds. These sorts of devices have even helped colicky infants to get to sleep.
There are, of course, other things you can do to help your baby fall asleep. Sometimes rocking your baby may help. For other babies, a white noise CD, or even just the sound of your voice singing to them may do the trick. Some babies sleep better when they are swaddled, using a swaddling or safety blanket. Ultimately, you will have to go through a process of trial and error to determine what exactly will be the most help for your baby.