One does not have to be a parent to understand the difficulties of handling a newborn. The onset of a child’s life surely entails a lot of attention and effort. How ironic is it that putting a baby to rest poses one of the biggest challenges for parents and babysitting during bedtime?
Across the internet, you will find countless articles that stipulate different tips and tricks to put your newborn to sleep. Well, we have put forward a collation of some of the most effective ways to not only let the baby you are taking care of get a good night’s sleep and rest but also yours.
The Journey to Snoozeville – a Routine
A suggestion that always pops up is to set a bedtime routine. However, as it always is with babies, it is never as simple as it sounds. Preparation is key when it comes to this trick.
A bedtime routine is composed of patterned activities done day by day. Engaging in lively activities like games or outside during the daytime is recommended. Perhaps the next time you hire babysitters to come in, you can encourage them to take the baby out for a short walk to widen their horizons and engage their senses in the unfamiliar world around them–new sounds, sights, and smells–all for their energy to take in and process. The logic behind this is to use up the baby’s energy in the morning, leaving little to none for the undertakings in the evening.
The next step to successfully executing this routine is to plan calming activities near bedtime. Should such activities be set in the evening, there is a tendency for overstimulation of the infant’s energy, which can equate to an unrestful night for both you and the infant.
Once nighttime seeps in, do calming activities with the baby. It is even suggested to do them where the baby sleeps as this will make the infant associate her bedtime with activities that they like to do. It is important to avoid creating a notion for the child that where they sleep is a place of discomfort, being left alone, or simply unhappy. Remember, a peaceful sleeping environment makes a comfy sleepy baby.
Rock-A-Bye Baby
Babies, new to the world, cry when unfamiliar things happen. They easily get overwhelmed with new experiences. Creating a routine or repeating gestures/actions can help them calm and settle down. Therefore, rocking babies and singing them silly lullabies that have nothing but “la la la” as their lyrics are known effective ways to lure them to sleep. Make sure the next time you hire someone for babysitting, they dim the lights and soothe the infant to sleep with a soft lullaby. Before they knew it, the baby would have fallen fast asleep already!
Warm Them Up!
In some ways, babies are not so far off from us adults. Some similarities can be found as an effective way to calm us down. A good example of this is taking a warm bath. This method is effective before a baby sleeps in their bed.
Sleeping Coolly
Another similarity that can be found between adults and our little ones is that they sleep better in a cool environment. The best temperature sits between 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. You will know your baby is cozy enough to sleep when you place your hand on their chest, and it’s warm.
Being Quickly Minded
Remember when you accidentally left your wet towel on the bed, and it was unbearable to sit on your sheets, much less sleep on it? That is exactly what your baby feels when they suddenly wake up from the hot mess in their space when their diaper gets too soaked. Like the above tips, preparing is the key to this. Instead of investing so much time and energy looking and placing new pads on the crib/bed, why not place two immediately? Another suggestion is to place a crib sheet on top and a disposable waterproof pad below. This way, you lessen the time your baby must lose their sleepiness while avoiding a dreadful amount of time trying to get them back to sleep. This simple yet practical tip will get you a big thank you on your next babysitting service and probably the next time you sleep.
What’s Next?
With so much time and effort we use to put our little ones to sleep, it’s a big sigh of relief that there are tips and tricks like the above to help us achieve the long comfortable sleep our infants need. Not only do we want to provide you with concrete, effective ways, but we also want to be of service to you. Why don’t you let UrbanCare do the deed for you? Book us to babysit today, and we will ensure that your baby gets a good night’s rest, and you will too.
