Help! My Baby has Trouble Falling Asleep
Author: Stef Daniel
You know the drill. It's 6pm after a hard day and you are paying the price for allowing your baby to settle for the car nap they took on the way to the mall. Now they are fussy, to put it mildly, easily irritated, refusing to eat, and resisting their usual soothing routine of the evening bath. Their favorite book becomes a projectile as you try to read it to them and you are completely at the end of your rope. You just know they will sleep sound tonight. As the sun shows the first signs of setting behind the horizon, you prepare the nursery, put on their PJ's, and anticipate some peace and quiet. As soon as you do, it's like a switch goes off in your baby - they are is wide awake, still upset, and fighting sleep! What do you do?
Babies do suffer from being over stimulated or being over tired. It is similar to how an adult feels when they are under a lot of stress. What most parents do is they begin to rock and sing to their baby - then they try every little trick they know in effort to soothe their baby. Unfortunately, in most cases, this just adds to their over stimulation. There are many schools of thought on the matter of the best way to get a baby to fall asleep. Some say they need to learn to soothe themselves, while others encourage co-sleeping, and still others prefer rocking and lulling. The one that is right for you is the one that not only feels right, but the one that works. It may be an entirely different method or it may be a combination of all. It is normal for parents to worry that there is something wrong with their child when they don't go to sleep easily, but sometimes it is just a result of personality or a stage they are entering.
First, ensure that your child is not taking too many naps or ones that are excessive during the day. If they aren't very tired, they will resist sleep. Shorten their daily nap or put them down for a nap an hour or so earlier than usual and see what happens. If you started out having a completely quiet house when the baby sleeps, then you will have to keep it that way. You can try using a fan or something that produces white noise to help relax your baby. Other tips to try are as follows:
- Keep a routine at bedtime. Bottle, bath, book, and bed or something that works for your family.
- Take nap times and lengths into consideration. Maybe your baby is not as tired as you think.
- Make sure your baby is thoroughly burped before trying to get them to sleep.
- Rock, sing soft songs, or sway with the baby in the nursery before bedtime.
- Every once in a while (to prevent it becoming a habit), try a car ride, if your child likes it, to relax your baby into a sleepy disposition.
- If your child won't sleep, ensure that they are not sick, teething, etc. A pacifier or thumb sucking can help relax a baby.
- Ensure that they are comfortable. Diaper is clean - no tags or clothing malfunctions. Once, my baby had a small piece of plastic in her diaper that was hurting her, and it took me 2 hours to figure it out.
- Take care not to over stimulate. Don't fuss over and react to the situation. Talk in a calm voice.
- Change hands. Often a new set of hands, whether mom's, dad's, or grandma's, can diffuse a fussy baby
Just like there are some adults who are night owls and those that are early risers, every baby is different. When you find something that seems to work - even if it can't be found in a book or child rearing guide - use it! It is most important that your child goes to sleep in a manner that is relaxing and enjoyable than it is to follow an outlined plan of action designed by someone else. Understand that eventually, your baby will fall asleep, so try to remain as patient as possible. It is normal to hit periods in your baby's life where their patterns change, and the best thing you can do is try to roll with the tide until it changes again.
