These may seem like
some obvious strategies, here, but you'd be surprised how many parents I meet
who have either not thought to try them, tried a few once with little effect or
just simply don't believe they will work. With very over tired babies it will
be a struggle, initially, with whatever you try so it is worth some consistency
over a couple of days.
These are my initial
go-to strategies with most of the little people I meet and very often, only one
or two of these suggestions can make all the difference to their sleep.
Give them a go. It
may be this simple.
1.
Swaddle
If your baby is not
yet rolling, then a firm swaddle at sleep time may be the answer to your
problems. Babies often experience involuntary startle reflexes and frantic arm
and leg movements when they become tired, and so often prefer to settle while
being held. As this is not always possible, consider the swaddle as a
substitute for a supportive hug, rather than something restrictive. It's
easier to understand the benefits.
2.
Bring naps forward
Even if you only
manage this with the first nap of the day. Babies who become overtired are
usually building a sleep debt across the day and this is often because they are
awake too long between naps.
Grizzling and eye
rubbing are the tired cues that many parents wait for, when deciding on nap
times. Unfortunately, these are often the later signs your baby may give, and
it could be easier to settle him, if you can catch him beforehand. Babies often
start to show jerky movements and become more vocal on the run-up to naptime
and so once familiar with your baby's natural awake interval, you can learn to
spot the early warning signs and act promptly, so that you don't miss that all
important, window of opportunity.
3.
Put an extra layer on
Make sure your baby
is warm enough. If she gets cold, it is likely she will wake and be unable to
resettle. Perhaps this is why some babies can only fall asleep or resettle
while they're being cuddled? It's worth considering. Even in the summer, babies
usually require at least one more layer than you do.
4.
Use White Noise
Don't spend money on
it. You can get free apps for this. White noise, for example radio
static, rain or washing machine sounds, are effective for babies with noisy
siblings or barking dogs in the family. If played loudly enough (like the
volume of a vacuum cleaner), it will prevent outside noise from being a
disturbance and is often immediately soothing to very young babies, possibly
due to the loud and constant sounds they hear, during their time in the
womb. White noise can be taken anywhere with you and once you think it’s
time to wean Bubs off it, then you simply reduce the volume over a few days.
Easy!
5.
Black-out the bedroom
If you're struggling
to get your little one to sleep in the day, a very dark room may help. Worried
about day/night confusion? The worst thing that will happen is that you may
have to wake her if she's sleeping too long!! How fantastic would that be?!
6.
Feed before sleep
This may seem quite a
controversial approach as many, well known 'Sleep strategies' will guide you to
avoid this at all costs for fear of creating an 'association'. However, nature
has perfectly primed your baby to be calm and sleepy at the end of a feed, so
why try and reinvent the wheel? If your baby is still under 6mo and struggles
to relax at sleep time, then I would strongly advise going back to basics. If
your baby settles and sleeps well after cosy feed, in a darkened room, with no
over stimulation, then just go with the flow. There's still plenty of time to
teach your baby more independent sleep routines as their maturity develops.
7.
Seek Support
If you have consistently tried
all the above methods for a week or more, and things still don’t feel right,
then don’t be afraid to seek professional guidance. As with health, finances, fitness or
emotional wellbeing, we all need advice from time to time. Unfortunately,
people often assume someone will come and force baby to sleep with unthinkable ‘Cry
it out’ techniques. Thankfully sleep
consultancy has marched on from the old fashioned ‘One size, fits all’
approach. There are now many
consultants, committed to the use of more gentle techniques, which can be
tailored to your own family’s needs.
Katie Cortes
Registered Midwife
