Knowing those who have gone before us are a well of knowledge just waiting to be tapped, we asked our Facebook and Twitter followers what sleep tips they’d share with their sleep-deprived sisters, and boy did they deliver.
Rather than leaving you to drown in a sea of sleep advice, we’ve picked a selection of tips from all corners that you can take or leave. Maybe something will strike a chord, or maybe you’ll feel inclined to print this out and burn it while screaming about how there is no God. No judgment.
The important thing to keep in mind is eventually, no matter what you do or don’t do, your baby will sleep.
Consistency is key
Brittain – No sorcery, just routine!
Susan – Remember that all kids are different and what worked for your first or second child will naturally not work for third making him the most rotten of the bunch. But really consistency is definitely key!
Brandi – Consistency!!! We are absolutely those parents that end the day with a set bedtime (almost) no matter what and make NO apologies for it. Have done two the same way and plan on doing the same for the third. I would nurse them at the same time each night and put them down asleep. As they got older, same routine whether they were asleep or not. By 4 or 5 months, I could put an awake baby down and leave the room and they would go to sleep.
Baby Sleep Tips & Tricks
Eileen – Rub a newborn gently with your thumb between his eyes so they close – helped my tired baby give in to sleep.
Krista – I put about half a dozen soothers in the crib so he can find them when he wakes up at night. It looks nuts but it works
Sara – I put on the same lavender hand lotion every night and I think the smell acts like a cue that it’s bedtime.
Brittany – Every night I sing the same song when I’m feeding my baby so she knows it’s sleep time.
Tara – Before I go to bed I do a “dreamfeed” to top the baby up for the night and it usually buys me a couple more hours.
Jamie – I make sure to go outside every day so my baby gets her days and nights straight. I don’t know if it’s the fresh air or the light but it helps both of us sleep.
Kate – Make sure it’s cool (not cold) where they are sleeping. I always found my kids slept better in a cool room.
Heather – Try different kinds of noise. I flipped through our sound machine option and it turns out he sleeps better with ‘brown noise’ than ‘white noise’.
Christina – I don’t change diapers in the middle of the night unless it’s poop. Butter their bum up with lots of barrier cream before bed then only change them in the morning. It helps them stay half asleep for night feeds.
Sleep products people rave about
Amy – White. Noise. Machine.
Writer Mom Life – Blackout shades and a heartbeat noise machine (shush pat is great but sometimes you need help with the shush part!)
Ashley – Love To Dream swaddles were a lifesaver for us!
Sleep Training
Aeriel – *nervously raises hand* we tried all the sorcery for eight months until we finally hit rock bottom. I love my daughter more than anything but one night we tucked her in, closed the door, and became part of the dreaded “cry it out club”. It was tough for a couple of nights, now she sleeps for 11- 12 hours and naps consistently. And she seems to still be well adjusted and is happy to see us in the morning. #dontcrucifyme #wewereallsotired
Kristin – Sleep training at 7 months. We’ve pretty much slept through the night since then & she’s now 27 months. Works for us!
Jodi – I went out of town for two nights BY MYSELF and left my 20-month-old home with my husband. Was great for father/daughter bonding and I slept through two nights in a row! The separation anxiety I’d expected didn’t happen either, so I’m thinking of doing it again soon…
Jess – We did sleep training. My biggest piece of advice is to know how you’re going to handle it BEFORE you try it. Have a plan figured out before you start or you’ll be inconsistent and it will never work.
Related: I Read All The Baby Sleep Books So You Don’t Have To
Go with the flow
5 Elements Birth – Avoid letting them get overtired. It’s hard to come back from that. Also, sometimes, the most compassionate thing you can do for yourself is to accept that the baby ISN’T going to sleep right now. Accepting what can’t be changed can reduce suffering #mindfulness
Allie – My 3 yo and 7 mo old Just created their own bedtimes and we went with it. 7 mo old is asleep around 8 pm and sleeps for 12 hours solid. My 3 yo is asleep between 8&9 pm and sleeps 12-14 hours solid. They both started sleeping through the night around 4 months old. I guess I just got lucky because they’ve allowed me to sleep very well.
Erica – Don’t feel bad about anything you have to do to make it happen. I can assure you that nobody needs to be rocked to sleep when they are 22. This too shall pass.
What would you add?
What would you add to help a new parent navigate those sleepless nights? Leave your comments below!
Related: Do-Not-Disturb Baby Door Hangers (free printable)
LectroFan Kinder
Babies have what is called “sleep arousals”, usually about every 20-45 minutes. Ever wonder why your baby only naps for 20 minutes at a time? Well, it’s because when they reach sleep arousal around the 20-minute mark and are unable to fall back into deeper sleep. Naptime is over. White noise helps lengthen the time between sleep arousals, providing more peaceful naps for both of you. It also helps to block out the noise of life (other siblings, TV’s, vacuum cleaners, the neighbors blaring “Never Gonna Give You Up”, etc.) that can interfere with naps and night sleep.
The five star rated Kinder from LectroFan is a pure white noise and fan sound generator that features more than 70 lullabies and environmental sounds. Just plug in the Kinder, download the smartphone app, and select gentle sounds and soft lighting to mask noise disturbances and provide comfort, relaxation, and better sleep.
Baby Wise is an awful book full of recommendations that are not evidence based and may cause harm. The authors do not have any formal medical or behavioral training. The hospital even warned us against using it. If you are looking for advice we used happiest baby on the block and healthy sleep habits, happy child by Dr. Wiessbluth.
I am all for sleep training and doing things by the book… but apparently, i’m also a “Scrunchy Mom” (it’s a thing, look it up!). I do the “go with the flow” method and have always followed my Son’s cues for bedtime. He’s a bit of a night owl like I am, so I let him stay up until 10pm or later because we BOTH sleep in that way! I always said I would never co-sleep. But i started doing that at 4 months and it was the best decision ever. He’s almost 1 & we still sleep together (i’m a single mama). Some nights he’s a little crazy & wakes up often and other nights he sleeps through the night and gently wakes me up in the morning. It works for us!! Do you, mama! Find your own rythym for you and your baby!
Snoo! No sleep training necessary because she slept through the night at 2 months. Now she’s almost 7 months and sleeping 12 hours a night in her crib. Wait for a good sale, use your Amazon registry discount, rent it. Whatever you have to do, just get the snoo!!
I never started feeding them to sleep or rocking them in the first place, my mother and MIL thought I was crazy with my “don’t rock my newborn” but I figured we will never have to break the habit if we never start it. Night 1 I placed them swaddled but awake and sleepy in their cribs and they fell asleep without tears in 5 minutes, this continued without ever having to sleep train, and I started getting 6+ hour stretches on night 1 and 12+ hours by 2 months.
Pre-heating the bassinet – when my daughter was sleeping in the bassinet in our room we would use a heating pad and turn it on for 10-15 mins before putting her down so it was nice and warm when we laid her down (and obviously removed it then). It worked great and hav another friend who did the same and found it to be game changer.
Cool bedroom and sleep sacks for bedtime and naps (once they are napping long stretches once or twice a day). Whenever you put them down for a routine sleep, change their diaper, darken the room and get them in a sleep sack. My sons always sleep longer in a properly fitted, seasonally appropriate sleep sack!
cute babies
We have a white noise machine for each kid and we put it on the same sound every night. They’re both old enough to sleep without it, but when we’re traveling it helps them be comfortable and fall asleep. It’s kind of like Pavlov’s dog 🙂
I’m not a seasoned patent, but having an Amazon Echo with Amazon Music Unlimited in the nursery has been a life saver. I turn the white noise on and set loop mode and I’m good to go and if he’s being fussy she can play music that will distract him.
That’s a great idea!
Can we get 15% in Canada too?