Babies, especially newborns, sleep a lot! Although it sometimes doesn’t feel like it because they only tend to sleep one or two hours at a time. This means us mummies can expect many sleepless nights! However there are some things we could be doing to help settle baby into their night time routine as soon as possible.

Baby’s love routine and will fall asleep much easier if they can associate a particular environment or activity with sleeping.

So here are some top tips for settling your baby to sleep:

Swaddling

Lot’s of baby’s love being swaddled and I know lots of mummies swear It’s the answer to getting their babies straight off to sleep. Just be extra careful they don’t overheat. A blanket wrapped snugly around your babies body can make them feel secure and can mimic the feel of the mother’s womb.

Create Calmness

Calmness is the key to your baby’s sleeping success. If you can sense baby is starting to get restless and tired then take them into their nursery or room they sleep in. Close the curtains rock them gently and sing to them. Repeating this routine will help them recognise sleep time. You can also try rubbing your finger gently down their nose, this encourages them to close their eyes and fall asleep. I know one mummy who’s baby could only fall asleep while the washing machine was on. Sometimes she would do six spins in a row just to keep baby settled. It may be rare but some baby’s need background noise to fall asleep. It’s all trial and error to see what your baby likes in the first three months.

Keep things boring before bed

Before bedtime you should keep things as un stimulating as possible for baby. Limit the amount of people are holding him and just try to keep them as un excited as possible. Having baby being passed around from pillar to post is the easiest way to unsettle baby before bed time.

What if my baby just won’t stop crying?

I know how distressing it can be when baby just can’t stop crying uncontrollably, but It’s important to remember that this happens to everyone. Think about their feeding? Did they have their usual feed? If not then it may be worth a try feeding them before trying to settle them again. Wind is another common cause of uncontrollable crying, as is a dirty nappy. Sometimes patience is the only key.

Dummies? Yes or No?

Parents have split opinions on dummies for babies. Some parents argue that dummies delay language development, but this is only the case if babies have theirs in morning noon and night. It is also argued that dummies cause wonky teeth on toddlers, but again, limiting use of the dummy will prevent this – and it won’t be a problem for long anyway as it’ll only be their baby teeth that are affected.

On the plus side, they are often able to soothe baby’s crying when nothing else is seeming to do the trick. Studies also suggest that giving your baby a dummy at bed time can reduce the chances of cot death. There is no right or wrong answer to this, it is down to parents personal preference.