4 Tips To Help Your Baby Sleep At Night 

If you’re baby struggles to sleep at night, you’re not alone, as studies show that 43% of 12-months-olds wake up in the middle of the night. Understandably, this is not a statistic you want to be a part of, as a lack of sleep can be detrimental to you and your baby’s health. While this is a common parenting challenge, you have to remember that several factors can cause a baby to wake up at night, including hunger, discomfort, and health issues. While pinpointing why your little one is awake and fussy is almost impossible, the following tips can help them fall asleep.

1. Do some troubleshooting

Image credit 

The first thing you want to do is find out if something is wrong. As mentioned, several factors can cause a newborn to wake up in the middle of the night. You might have nothing to worry about if your child is just not sleepy. But if your little one can’t stop crying, you might want to do some troubleshooting. Start by checking off the most common problems - diaper discomfort, illness, hunger, teething, reflux (spitting up), constipation, trapped wind, and general discomfort. You have to cross out all the potential issues before you can move to the next point. 

2. Consider getting a smart crib

Smart cribs have hit the market, promising loads of benefits for babies, including helping them sleep. Some AI smart cribs can detect a baby’s cries and respond with motion sounds. Others can record your baby’s sleeping pattern and start easing them to sleep or soothing them before they’re fully awake. You can even find AI cribs with automated features like sound and rocking to soothe your baby to sleep. However, is investing in AI integrated smart cribs worth it for parents? Considering they can help your baby sleep, they should be worth the investment. 

3. Teach your little one to self-soothe

Image credit 

When you hear your baby cry in the middle of the night, your first instinct will be to go check on them, and that’s okay. However, try to limit how much time you spend with them. Once you’ve checked that they’re fine and comfortable, leave them to self-soothe. Of course, your parental instinct will be to spend as much time as necessary to help them fall back asleep, but it’s important to make it clear to them that it’s still sleep time and not the time to play or eat. Place a gentle hand on your baby’s chest for a few minutes to calm them down, then leave. But don’t forget to place your baby on its back before leaving. 

4. Create a clear distinction between day and night

The last thing you want to do is turn on the lights in the middle of the night with your baby awake and uncomfortable. A baby’s body needs time to respond naturally to day and night changes, so you want to maintain a ‘night-time mood’ at home while attending to your baby. Instead of turning on the main light, for example, use a dim table lamp. Also, do your best to keep talking and playing (with your baby) to a minimum. 

Getting a baby to sleep at night may seem challenging, but the following tips will hopefully lessen your midnight woes.