Often, it seems fairly random whether or not babies sleep well. New parents will often discuss how they were simply “lucky” with one child as opposed to another. While it is true that in many cases how your child sleeps is largely out of your control, there remains many baby sleep tips you can employ to encourage better sleeping habits. One of the most important is to ensure that your baby is comfortable when he goes to sleep.

Bedtime is a transitional period for your child, and your efforts to make him sleep better should revolve around getting him to learn to sleep on his own. One of the most important elements of achieving this is to create an environment where your baby is as comfortable as possible. For this reason, the before-bed routine should always consist of changing and feedings – the worst thing for a baby, in terms of sleeping well, is to be in want of something when he is put to bed.

You should also be trying to make your baby as physically comfortable as possible when putting him to sleep. One of the most commonly overlooked aspects of this is allowing your baby to breathe easily through the nose. Most people, but especially babies, depend on clear nasal passages for a good night’s sleep. It’s important to remove all airborne allergens in the baby’s nursery: everything should be well dusted, and you should keep dust collecting items – like fuzzy blankets and stuffed animals – to a minimum. When your baby is very young it takes time for him to learn to breathe through his mouth, so you must carefully pay attention to his nasal breathing when putting him to sleep. If you notice the problem is persistent, you may benefit from installing an air filter in the room that is designed to remove dust particles and allergens – this also has the added bonus of creating a soothing hum that will help many babies sleep better.

You should also pay particular attention to your baby’s clothing. All babies are different in terms of their preferences, and you have to watch them closely. In many cases, things that look comfortable to you – very snug outfits, for example – may not be comfortable for your particular baby. Try both tight and loose fitting clothes and see which ones your baby seems to prefer.

Finally, consider how well your baby sleeps with wet diapers. Most babies will sleep well through the night with a wet diaper, but some will not. If this is the case, you can often solve your baby’s sleeping difficulties by giving him a change in the night.

The main thing to keep in mind in terms of your babies comfort is to pay close attention, and to trust your instincts. Although it is tempting to follow guides and stick to hard and fast rules, remember that the adage “mother knows best” is generally true. So if your baby seems uncomfortable in his clothes, don’t hesitate to change him into something that doesn’t “look” as comfortable. If you trust your own judgments over those of guides in terms of your baby’s comfort, it’s likely that he will sleep much better.

                          

Don’t feel too bad, most new parents go through it. Fortunately, there are a few simple and easy things you can do to help

As long as your little one’s sleep issues have no medical roots, there are plenty of ideas out there to help. There are even some great and rather unusual ideas, too.

But first things first though.

If you are having trouble getting her to catch a full 20 winks, make sure nothing is wrong. If her bedroom isn’t too hot or too cold, her clothing isn’t too tight or too loose, there is nothing physically wrong, and she is properly fed, move on to other options.

Some of the more off the wall ideas to try that actually have some results include:

* Massage. This is becoming a more common way to get even the tiniest of newborns down for the night. A simple, gentle massage or even patting can go a long way toward helping you to get baby to sleep. Don’t think deep tissue massage for a newborn, just a simple rub down in a soothing environment often helps greatly.

* White noise. This is an oldie, but a goodie. Basic background noises that don’t demand attention can really help you help baby sleep. Thinks like ceiling fans, special tapes and even dolls that play white noise can all help a great deal.

* The washing machine. It is not at all unheard of for parents of newborns to place their little ones in their car seats on top of running washing machines. The gentle movement (as long as the washer is balanced) coupled with the noise tends to sooth some little ones greatly.

* Warm sheets. Babies do not like to be cold. After all, they have spent roughly nine months is a pretty hot environment. To ensure you don’t set her down on a too cold surface, consider turning up the temperature in her room a little more or even getting flannel crib sheets.

* Swaddling. This is an old wife’s trick that works wonders. New parents are sometimes set aback by this one though. Swaddling involves nothing more than special clothing or blanket wrapping that keeps her arms and legs held in tight – just like they were in the womb in her last days inside. This is a great way to not only help baby sleep, but to calm her when she’s upset.

* Music. Think beyond regular lullabies. Some babies actually prefer slightly louder music. This tends to be especially the case if mom and dad listened to loud music a lot while she was in the womb. Rock and roll beats won’t destroy baby’s mind. Just make sure the volume isn’t turned up so loud to hurt her ears.

Learning how to help baby sleep sometimes requires thinking outside of the box. Be creative with your ideas.

As long as they won’t hurt her and they don’t jeopardize her safety while she’s sleeping, they are worth trying. If it works, you’ll thank yourself for being creative.

But what works for one baby might not necessarily for another. The trick is to find what works for your little one and stick with it.

                          

I feel your pain – people told me about the sleepless nights but I honestly wasn’t prepared for it at all. I had no idea how much the broken sleep/lack of sleep would affect my entire life!
Our little one had her first full night’s sleep on Sunday, and she is 15 weeks old. Hang on in there – I’m not going to patronise you and say you’ll get used to it because people who tell you that are blatant liars lol. However one thing that does help is when your baby starts smiling. Your baby is crying & you drag yourself out of bed feeling like cr*p, but then your baby beams at you and starts cooing – it never ceases to amaze me how when that happens you temporarily forget your lack of sleep, and it all feels worthwhile.

Misty

                          

My son is also 16 months. Some nights he sleeps all night (about 9 or so hours), some nights he wakes several times to nurse or drink some water or just to cuddle because he’s feeling sad or scared.
Only 50% of babies are actually sleeping through the night by 12 mo, so clearly both our sons are in that other 50% that start sleeping through after 12 mo.
In my oppinion, you can’t force a child to sleep. Sleeping through the night is a milestone like crawling, walking, or potty training. Some babies do it earlier, some do it later.
Does it bother you personally that he still wakes during the night, or is this simply other people talking about what he “should” be doing?
doxhaele

                          

 Cloud b Sleep Sheep can be attached to baby’s crib and turns itself off in 23 minutes. The winner of several awards including iParenting, comes highly recommended by Editor’s Choice, Good Housekeeping and has the National Parenting seal of approval. Also featured on CBS.