5 Transitioning Techniques for Baby’s Sleep Time

When it comes to baby’s sleep time, often a baby needs tools for transitioning from daytime activity to night time rest and relaxation. There are many things you as the parent can do to make the transition as smooth and as stress free as possible. Here are 5 baby Sleep help tips

1. Nurse your baby before bedtime, regardless of whether you breastfeed or bottle-feed her. This is especially beneficial to do after you have given her a nice warm bath.

2.  Sit in a rocking chair and rock with your baby as you sing softly or talk gently to her in a calm manner. If you do not have a rocking chair then sit with her in a chair and nestle her close to you. You can also walk with your infant in your arms and rock her to and fro as you walk about the room.

3.  Take your baby and place her in the “neck nestle position”. In other words, take your infant’s s head and nestle it carefully against the front of your neck so that your chin rests against the top of your little one’s head. Once in this position then rock her gently to sleep. If this does not make her sleepy then keeping her in the same position, lie down on a couch or bed and allow her to drape over your chest until sleep overtakes her. Once you know she is asleep you can then put her to bed. (Please note that this is also an excellent way for the father to get a baby to sleep. A male voice with its deeper intonations can often be as soothing to a baby as a female’s lulling voice at bedtime).

4. Some babies take longer to wear down from their daily activities than do others. One way to help her to come down from a busy and fun filled day is to place her in a baby sling that you then attach to yourself and then walk around the house for anywhere from 15 minutes to a half hour before bedtime. Once she falls asleep you can then remove her from the sling and put her to bed.

5. The rhythmic motion of a wind-up swing can lull some babies to sleep. On the other hand, some babies become more revved up in relation to the movement of the swing. You might want to try using the swing at naptime before putting it to use for your baby’s bedtime.