Having a new baby can bring a lot of excitement into a home. But when bedtime rolls around, the excitement of a new baby can turn into stress due to the difficulty of getting newborns to go to sleep. Luckily, there are several tactics that can help in getting a newborn baby to sleep at night.
Step 1
Don’t let your baby sleep too much during the day. If you do, it will be nearly impossible to get your newborn to fall asleep at bedtime.
Step 2
Use dim lighting at the same time every night to cue your baby into the fact that bedtime is near. This will help the baby begin to distinguish the difference between daytime and nighttime.
Step 3
Establish a nightly bedtime routine. By doing this, your baby will begin to instinctively know when it is time to start winding down for bed. At the same time every night, feed, bathe and possibly massage the baby’s skin with lotion or oil to relax the newborn. This will help soothe the baby and prepare him for sleep.
Step 4
Put the newborn down to sleep on his back after the nightly routine is complete. If you’d like, put the baby down with a pacifier.
Step 5
Maintain patience if the baby cries continually after you lay him down. If the baby is still fussy after a few minutes, talk to the newborn in a soothing tone of voice. If that doesn’t stop the crying, pick up the baby and rock him for a few minutes before laying the newborn down on his back again. Repeat this process until the baby falls asleep.
Tips and Warnings
- Experts recommend feeding the baby every three hours during the day, even if he is not crying for food. This will help the baby stay full, which means he will need less food at night. After daytime feedings, keep the baby stimulated for 20 minutes. This will help the baby associate daytime with staying awake and make the baby more tired come bedtime. If possible, have two sleeping locations for the baby; one for daytime and one for nighttime. That way, the baby will begin to take note of the difference between naps and nighttime slumber.
- Avoid playing with the baby too much or otherwise stimulating him at night.
Things You'll Need
- Pacifier
- Dim lighting
