How to help baby fall asleep?

Childhood sleep is often a source of doubt and worry for parents. And for good reason !

Young parents, you should know that more than one expert considers that the arrival of a baby leads to disturbances in the sleep rhythm for 6 years… Don't panic ! This doesn't necessarily mean that all babies wake up crying at night.

There are tips and bedtime routines that can be put in place to ensure that your little one falls asleep smoothly and for good. Prepping the room and bed, bedtime rituals, these are just a few simple habits that can be incorporated into the daily routine to gently encourage your little one to fall asleep.

We tell you everything you need to make bedtime as easy as possible.

CREATE A SLEEP RITUAL WITH YOUR CHILD

Initiating a daily routine before bedtime is a simple way to get your child used to the fact that it is time to sleep.

After eating and bathing, we will dress the child, then place him or her in bed to fall asleep. Every step of this time of day counts:

Bathing allows you to d&eacute bé.
On l’l dress with his night clothes: small à small, bébé associates them with dodo.
On enlève stuffed animals and everything that can be in the bed.
We take the time to read him a little story (just a passage).
We talk à lower voice.
Finally, we let the child fall asleep quietly.
Of course, this is the idénario. Your little one may not be willing to fall asleep in a few minutes.

However, as a little one, this type of routine allows the child to grasp the time of bedtime. It perceives a slowing down of the rhythm and the end of the day. Over the course of the sessions, days and weeks, he will make this routine part of his natural rhythm and come to sleep, without struggling.

WE GATHER ALL THE CONDITIONS FOR BABY TO SLEEP WELL

In order to have a good night's sleep, we must first take care of the temperature in the children's room.

Too often, we tend to set the temperature slightly higher than it should be, for fear that our little one will get cold. We often find a temperature around 20/22°C in the bedroom, while we consider the 18/20°C range as optimal.

In his sleeping bag or swaddle, your child does not feel cold, he is well protected. It is therefore important to avoid heating the room too much.

Idem with air conditioning. It is recommended that you turn it off at least two hours before you go to sleep. The air conditioner tends to dry out the air inside the child, which can lead to a drying out of the mucous membranes of the child. To proscribe at bedtime.

The mattress and bed

Over and above the atmosphere in the room, we take care to make sure that the child's bed is clean. We remove stuffed animals, sheets and comforters from his bed, for a night in perfect safety.

Concerning the mattress, it is recommended to choose a fairly firm model, which will maintain well the body of the child. Very often, soft mattresses are preferred by young parents, whereas it is better to choose a fairly firm texture.

Concerning the mattress

With regard to the bed itself, the bumper pad will be used. As soon as he is able to sit up (about 6 months), he could grab it. Avoid.

Lighting

There are two approaches to the lighting environment in the baby's room:

The proponents of total darkness.
The proponents of using a nightlight.

According to an expert, there is no right or wrong way to do this. Each case is unique.

One child may wake up abruptly due to night terrors and find the nightlight reassuring before going back to sleep alone. Others may not be able to fall asleep properly if the slightest light tickles them.

The nightlight can be used to help them fall asleep.

There are certain nightlights that adapt to the rhythm of sleep, by diffusing a light that dims gently in the evening (sunset) and gradually shines in the morning (sunrise). You just need to understand how your child works and adapt.

In itself, finding sleep with a small nightlight does not lead to any real disturbances in the child. On the other hand, we absolutely quickly the exposure to the notches, especially before going to sleep.

The noise

Today it is possible to use sound diffusers that annihilate the slightest noise, allowing you to sleep in the most perfect silence.

If it is true that quiet is recommended, it is not necessarily necessary to use such an accessory. A child can simply sleep with the bedroom door closed. This is more than enough to reduce the noise and allow the child to fall asleep.

Furthermore, some children fall asleep to a softly played lullaby. It is therefore necessary to adapt to your child and above all not to stop living during his sleep.

Note
For napping, it is recommended that you do not necessarily plunge the child into total darkness, nor cut him off from the rest of the activity in the house. A half-open door lets the noises through and rocks your little one gently. Naps are the time to get your baby used to sleeping in a different environment. This can make it easier to fall asleep at night.

Tips and tricks for waking up at night

While bé falls asleep like a log at night, he may wake up several times a night. Teething, night terrors, a diaper change, the reasons are many.

During these sleep breaks, here are some tips for you and your bé to get back to sleep easily:

We don't turn on the light: go to bébé and reassure him, all in the dark. Turning on the light could keep him more alert and put him further away from sleep.
Pat him gently on the back: the touch of his parents reassures the child. This simple gesture can put him back to sleep in a few seconds.
Do not give him systematically à eat: during the first months, the bottle of the night is important. On the other hand, after 6 months, it is recommended to avoid it so that your baby does not have his night interrupted. It can perfectly well hold until the next day.

The trick is to find the method that works with your child. You will see, the trick is to stick to it, sleep will return quickly.

To each his own method to put his child to sleep

As you will have understood, what is true for one child, is not necessarily true for the other. On the other hand, one thing is certain: a regular rhythm and a daily routine make it easier for your child to go to sleep.

If your child has his bearings, he will fall asleep more easily. He is reassured, in a state and in a situation that he knows. One thing to remember is that tension can interfere with your baby's sleep. If you go through the bedtime ritual feeling more tense than usual, your little one can sense it. It is typically the kind of thing that goes unnoticed and yet has a considerable impact on the child's feeling.

So try to leave the worries at the door of your little one's room when you perform the bedtime ritual.

For the rest, it is up to you to find the right way of working with your child. You will see, everything will go well. All it takes is a little patience on the part of your child, and things will naturally take their rhythm and their place. And everyone in the house will have a full night's sleep!