How To Get My Baby To Sleep

If you’ve found yourself Googling “How to Get My Baby To Sleep”, you have probably spent many nights struggling with a baby who won’t sleep. Meg Faure can help you find the answer and get your baby sleeping well – by teaching your baby to self-soothe.

Sleep cycles

During sleep, we move from deep sleep to light sleep. The period from deep sleep to light sleep and back into deep sleep is called a sleep cycle. When we are comfortable and calm, we do not wake during light sleep states. An adult’s sleep cycle is about 1 ½ hours long. A baby cycles into light sleep every 45 minutes to an hour (toddlers). If your baby is comfortable and calm and has learned to self-soothe they will link sleep cycles and sleep well.

If your baby wakes in the light sleep state it may be because they are hungry, uncomfortable or cold. If you have ruled out these causes of waking, it is likely that your baby has simply not learned to self-soothe.

Self-soothing

Research has proven that good sleepers are those babies who can self-soothe at night. Self-soothing usually involves touch or sucking. Try to encourage these self-soothing strategies in your baby:

Sucking a dummy or a thumb – either method works to help babies sleep well.
Holding a soft toy, such as a bunny or teddy. Be consistent with the toy you offer at sleep time.
Feeling certain textures – your baby will probably show a preference for a comforter or sleep blanky that has a specific texture – such as soft fleece or satin tags. Offer this consistently once you see a preference for it.
Some babies position their bodies or bang their legs to fall asleep. As much as this looks disruptive or uncomfortable, it can be soothing for babies.
Sounds such as humming can also soothe your little one. If they hum to themselves before sleep, recognize this as a self-soothing tool.

Sleeping ‘through’

This leads to the question: “When can I expect my baby sleep through?” Once your baby can self-soothe and all their physical needs are met so that they are comfortable, your baby will be able to sleep through the night.

Sleeping through is defined as sleeping for 10 – 12 hours at night without waking. The reality is that few babies can do this until they are on a full solids diet, which includes protein. This full diet is only recommended from 6 months onwards. Thus prior to 6 months few babies will sleep for more than 10 hours at a stretch.

Having said that, little babies who are not disturbed at night may begin to stretch the length of time they sleep and may occasionally ‘sleep through’

Many of these ‘good sleepers’ will experience sleep disruptions as their nutritional needs change between 3 and 6 months.

Babies who have not learned to self-soothe at all by 6 months old, such as those who depend on being breast or bottle fed to sleep or on being rocked to sleep, will continue to experience sleep disruptions and thus not sleep through.

The key to helping your baby to sleep ‘like a baby’ is:

Make sure their needs and comforts are met at night
Teach them to self-soothe from at least 4 months onwards by consistently encouraging a self-soothing tool.