It’s no secret that babies —and tired parents! — need lots of sleep. But it’s not always easy to get your little one to snooze. In this article, we’ll answer your questions about how to put a baby to sleep.
We’ll share tips on how to set your baby up for sleeping success, from calming down to falling asleep and staying asleep. We’ll also review a few guidelines for safe sleep. After all, whether your baby is awake or asleep, their health, happiness, and well-being are your top priorities!
Table of contents
- The importance of sleep for babies
- How much sleep a baby needs
- How to put a baby to sleep: Tips and tricks
- How to put a baby to sleep: Safety
- Reasons your baby is not sleeping
- When to see the doctor
The importance of sleep for babies
Getting a good night’s sleep is the name of the game for babies. Those hours of shuteye are essential for a baby’s growth as well as their mental, emotional, and social development.
Sleep, or lack thereof, affects a baby’s:
- Mood
- Language skills
- Motor skills
- Attention span
- Physical growth
To give your little one the very best start, you’ll want to ensure they get enough hours of rest, which brings us to the next question: How much sleep do they actually need?
How much sleep a baby needs
With all of the growth and development happening, babies need a good deal of sleep, though exactly how much will depend on the baby’s age.
Let’s take a look:
- Newborn to four months: 16 to 18 hours
- Four to nine months: 12 to 16 hours
- Nine to 12 months: 12 to16 hours
- 12 to 24 months: 11 to 14 hours
During the first few months, your baby will be sleeping around the clock, only waking up to feed. Breastfed babies will be ready to feed every two to three hours, whereas bottle-fed babies give a slightly longer reprieve: every three to four hours.
As you can see, there’s a good reason why new parents are notoriously bleary-eyed, but don’t worry. Eventually your baby will be sleeping through the night and, thankfully, so will you.
How to put a baby to sleep: Tips and tricks
Now that you know the importance of sleep and how much your little one needs, it’s time for the basics of how to put a baby to sleep. Make sure they have a clean diaper, aren’t hungry, and are in comfy pajamas. Then soothe your little one before placing them in their crib to snooze.
But every parent knows it’s not always that easy!
Below, we’ll jump straight into tips for how to put your baby to sleep. But first, it’s important to remember that if you have concerns about your baby’s sleep, don’t hesitate to talk to your pediatrician.
Most babies will, at one point or another, put up a fight about going to sleep or staying asleep. This is normal! However, sometimes their trouble sleeping has to do with an illness. Later in the article, we’ll note some common reasons your baby might be having a hard time.
Of course, if your parental instinct tells you something is up or if you simply need some support or a listening ear, ask for help.
Without further ado, here are the tips you’ve been waiting for!
1) Create a bedtime routine.
Setting your baby up for sleeping success starts well before you lay them down in their crib.
Creating and sticking to a bedtime routine is an important way to help your baby clue into the fact that it’s time to wind down and get ready for some shut-eye. The key to a bedtime (or naptime) routine is to choose calming activities and do them in the same order every time.
Your routine with your little one could include a bath, a baby massage, changing your baby’s diaper and putting pajamas on, rocking and reading a book, telling a story, or singing a lullaby.
Simply choose activities and a routine that works for your family and your baby — and stick to it!
2) Keep up the naps.
It’s tempting to think you can skip naps to increase your baby’s nighttime sleep. On the contrary, the better your newborn is at napping, the better they will be able to sleep at night.
3) Give baby lots of daytime attention.
When your baby is awake, be sure to shower them with attention. Talk, play, and bond. Then when it’s time to wind down, they’ll be tired enough to hit the hay.
4) Turn the lights down.
Turning the lights down is another pre-bedtime key. Our bodies are created to respond to darkness and light, and your baby is no different! The darkness helps your baby’s body calm down and prepare for sleep.
Turn down or dim the lights during your baby’s bedtime routine, if not 30 minutes or an hour beforehand. Likewise, when your baby wakes up during the night, avoid turning on the light.
It’s also helpful for your baby’s sleep-wake patterns if you open curtains and let your baby enjoy the light of day during the daytime hours.
5) Keep the nursery cool.
When thinking about how to put your baby to sleep, consider the temperature in the nursery. It should be cool and comfortable — 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
6) Use a humidifier.
If the air in the nursery is too dry, your baby can get congested, which will make it hard for them to fall asleep. Doctors recommend keeping the humidity level between 40% and 60%.
7) Make sure the room is quiet.
You can’t expect your baby to get their zzzs if they can hear you having fun in the next room. Whenever your little one is in bed, it’s a good idea to keep your whole house as quiet as possible.
Consider purchasing a white noise machine to help drum out any unexpected noises that might disturb their rest.
8) Try a pacifier.
Pacifiers have a relaxing effect on babies and can help them sleep better.
9) Don’t overdress your baby.
Too many layers of clothing can cause your baby to overheat. The rule of thumb is to dress them in one layer more than what you would be comfortable wearing in the room.
10) Soothe your baby.
Just before you put your baby in bed, you want them to feel calm, soothed, cared for, and loved.
Help your little one calm down and get ready to drift off by holding them close and soothing them with repetitive movements, like gentle bouncing, rocking, or swaying.
You can also try a baby massage or opt for calming noise, like white noise to sleep with or soft music as you get your baby ready for bed.
11) Swaddle your newborn.
Swaddling your newborn not only keeps them warm during the night, but it can also calm their startle reflex and be quite soothing for some babies. If you’re not sure how to go about swaddling your baby, read our article here.
Just be sure that you stop swaddling your little one before they get the hang of rolling over by themselves. At that point, you can put your baby in a sleep sack to snooze.
12) Watch for sleep cues.
Have you ever tried to keep your baby up past their bedtime so that they’ll be extra tired and fall asleep without a fuss? We’ll tell you right now that this tactic typically backfires and leaves you with an overtired baby!
Instead, it’s best to keep your baby on a regular sleep schedule and watch for sleep cues — signs that your baby is tired and ready for bed. This is the moment to put them to bed. Don’t wait!
13) Put your baby down drowsy.
When you get ready to put your baby in their crib to sleep the night away, enjoy those baby cuddles but resist the urge to rock your little one until they are fast asleep.
If you always hold or rock them until they’re fully asleep, your baby may come to depend on you in order to fall asleep.
Instead, put your little one in their bed when they are drowsy or even awake. This helps them learn to self-soothe and fall asleep on their own, which is also part of them falling back asleep when they wake during the night.
Soothe your little one by patting them to help them doze off in their crib.
14) Get outside during the day.
Many parents asking the question of how to put a baby to sleep forget to consider what they’re doing during the daylight hours. For the best night’s sleep, get your little one out in the sunlight, as this will help establish their Circadian rhythm.
15) Give your baby the chance to self-soothe.
If your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, before succumbing to the urge to check on them, wait and see if they can nod back off on their own.
If, however, they don’t nod back off, you’ll have to step in. Besides feeding them if they’re hungry or changing their diaper if it’s soiled, here are some other things you can try to soothe them back to sleep:
- Hold your baby
- Talk to them softly
- Gently rub their back, chest, or tummy
- Swaddle them
- Rock your baby in your arms
16) Don’t feed your baby to sleep.
Even though a full stomach can help a baby doze off, you don’t want to feed your baby to sleep. If they associate food with sleep, it may cause problems down the road.
For instance, your baby may not be able to fall asleep without you first nursing them, making it harder for you to get any sleep. This might also make it more difficult to wean them from breastfeeding.
How to put a baby to sleep: Safety
We’ve gone over the basics of how to put a baby to sleep and set your little one up for sleeping success. To wrap up, let’s take a look at a few of the steps you can take to create the safest possible sleep environment for your baby.
After all, your priority is not only sound sleep for your baby but safe, sound sleep!
Share your room.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends sharing your room with your baby for at least the first six months of their life, if not the first year.
This means putting your baby’s crib or bassinet in your bedroom so you can easily keep an eye on and feed your baby during the night.
Although room-sharing is recommended, remember that bed-sharing is not! Always put your baby to sleep in their own bed.
Put baby to bed on safe sleep-approved surfaces.
According to the Safe Sleep for Babies Act, there are only three places a baby should be put down to sleep: their crib, travel crib (also called a pack and play), or bassinet. Babies should never sleep in rockers or bouncers, inclined sleepers, or swings.
In fact, anything that’s at a 10-degree angle or greater is unsafe for your baby to sleep on.
If your little one does nod off someplace they shouldn’t, as soon as you notice, gently pick them up and put them in a safe location.
Never let your baby sleep on a sofa, armchair, or cushion.
Your sofa is comfy for you but is too plush for your baby to sleep on. The same thing holds true for an armchair or cushion. As we said, when it comes to shuteye, stick exclusively to safe sleep spaces.
Place your baby on their back.
The safest way for your baby to sleep is on their back, not on their side or stomach. This applies to both naptime and bedtime.
What’s a parent to do if baby rolls over during the night? Don’t worry about turning them back over. Once a baby gets the hang of rolling over, they’ll do so while they sleep and there’s no need to fret.
The best thing to do is put your baby to sleep on a breathable mattress so that when they roll over, they can breathe straight through the mattress. Newton Baby’s Crib Mattress is a great choice.
Our mattress is made without foam, glue, latex, or springs. So what is it made of? Mostly air. Composed of 90% air and 10% of the same material that yogurt cups are made of, this mattress is much more breathable than leading organic mattresses.
Plus, it provides just the right firmness for babies. That brings us to the next point
Put your baby on a firm mattress.
When choosing a crib mattress for your precious little one, opt for firmness. While you may enjoy a cozy, fluffy mattress, a firm sleep surface is safest for your baby.
With the Newton Baby Crib Mattress, there’s no need to flip or change the mattress when your baby grows into a toddler since it provides just the right firmness for babies as well as comfort for toddlers.
Keep the crib bare.
Just as a fluffy mattress isn’t the safest for your baby, you should also keep blankets, pillows, crib bumpers, and stuffed animals out of your baby’s crib. If all of that is off-limits, what should go in the crib?
The mattress, a fitted sheet, and your precious baby. That’s it. Cover the crib mattress with a cute fitted sheet, like Newton Baby’s Organic Cotton Sheets, and the crib is ready to go.
These GOTS Certified sheets are made with organic muslin cotton and are outfitted with all-around elastic to guarantee a safe, snug fit for any crib mattress.
Never use a weighted swaddle or blanket.
Although many adults tout the benefits of a weighted blanket for getting good sleep, for babies it’s a safety hazard. Say no to a weighted swaddle or blanket.
The weight on their chest could compromise their breathing. Also, if they roll over, the weighted blanket will make it harder to roll back.
Offer a pacifier.
Not only is offering a pacifier part of our tips and tricks, but it’s also a safe sleep recommendation. In fact, pacifiers are associated with a decreased incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Even though they’re safe, it’s best to wait to give your baby a bedtime pacifier until they are around one month old and have gotten used to breastfeeding.
But, if your baby isn’t into taking a pacifier, don’t force it. And don’t feel like you need to go back into their nursery to replace the binky if it falls out of their mouth while they’re sleeping.
Enjoy tummy time during the day.
Your little one should spend some of their awake hours on their tummy, strengthening their head and neck muscles. Strengthening these muscles will help them stay safe if they roll over in the crib.
Avoid alcohol and drugs.
This goes without saying but skip any substances that could impact your judgment.
Keep a smoke-free home.
Secondhand smoke will harm a baby, so be sure to keep a smoke-free home. Smoking can damage your little one’s lungs and brain and it increases the risk of SIDS.
Reasons your baby isn’t sleeping
Despite your best efforts, your baby might still be having a hard time falling or staying asleep. There are several common reasons for this. Let’s take a look.
Gas
Your baby might not be able to get to sleep because they are gassy or suffering reflux.
Give them relief from gas by patting them on the back or burping them. If that doesn’t do the trick, apply gentle squeezing pressure up their spine.
For reflux, sit them up for a half-hour after a feeding to help their stomach settle.
Teething
Your baby may also be cutting teeth, making it harder to sleep. Look for signs of gum soreness, a rash around their mouth, or drooling. Teething normally lasts from five to 30 months, and the pain occurs about one to three days before the tooth breaks through the gum.
Cold or illness
Is your little one stuffed up, sniffling, or sneezing? If they’re feeling under the weather, no wonder they’re having a hard time sleeping. You might try giving them a steam bath before bed or using a saline nasal spray.
Separation anxiety
If your baby had been sleeping in the bassinet in your room and has recently transitioned to their own nursery, they might be experiencing separation anxiety.
Sleep regression
Sleep regression is yet another reason your baby may be having trouble sleeping. Sleep regressions are temporary periods when a baby who had been sleeping without issue suddenly has trouble falling or staying asleep.
These happen quite a few times in the first two years — at four months, six months, eight-10 months, 12 months, 18 months, and two years — and they last from two to six weeks.
The good news is that all of the above sleep disruptors are temporary. In each case, the best thing to do is to stay calm and stick to your routine.
When to see the doctor
As we mentioned earlier, if you’ve tried all of the tips and tricks to get your baby to sleep and they’re still having a hard time, contact your pediatrician. It’s best to get some professional advice and hopefully some relief.
Sweet dreams!
As important as it is that your baby sleeps (and safely), it’s not always simple to get them to settle down and snooze. But, with the tips for how to put a baby to sleep that we’ve gone over in this article, we hope that bedtime with your baby will be smoother and smoother every day.
Go through a calming bedtime routine, soothe your baby before putting them in the crib, and look out for their safety while they snooze with a firm, breathable crib mattress, like Newton Baby’s Crib Mattress.
Sweet, safe dreams, one and all!
