Most children will naturally fall asleep within twenty minutes or so of going to bed. But this certainly isn’t the case for every infant. If you’re finding it difficult to get your little one to settle at night and are worried about the quality of their sleep as a result, then these ten top tips will help you train your infant to improve their sleep habits while also encouraging strong attachment between each of you.
1 – Feed your infant at the right time
If your child is hungry when you put them down to sleep, they will struggle to settle and are likely to cry. It’s a good idea to get into the habit of feeding your infant almost immediately before bed. Not only does this ensure your child goes to bed satisfied, but it also helps with the next point, which is all about routine.
2 – Develop and stick to a night-time routine
For sleep to become a habit for your infant, it’s so important that you develop a routine around their bedtime. Begin by deciding on what time you want your child to go to sleep, be it 6, 7, or 8 pm, for instance. Then work back and plan the other activities that occur around bedtime. You should think about feeding, bath, a bedtime story, and then sleep. Systematizing a bedtime routine is such an important step to ensuring your child develops healthy sleep habits.
3 – Limit daytime naps
While it might be tempting to put your little one down for a nap to give you some respite, doing so is likely to cause them to wake up more during the night. Research suggests that three hours is more than enough time for an afternoon nap for your infant, and you should ensure that they’re awake by 4 pm at the latest, or they won’t be ready to go back to sleep when it comes to their bedtime.
4 – Plan energetic activities before naptime/sleep
One simple yet effective way of encouraging your infant to fall asleep at the right time is to tire them out. Plan to stimulate and encourage your little one to expend as much energy as possible in a short space of time, and you will find that they will tire themselves out willingly! This then makes your job of getting them down for sleep much easier.
5 – Understand how much sleep your child needs
Infants need, on average, between 14-15 hours of sleep every night. As your child grows, the amount they need to sleep decreases, and toddlers only require 12-13 hours of sleep, and by the time they get to preschool age, this can drop down to 11-12 hours each night. School-age children should still try and get a minimum of ten hours of sleep to ensure they’re as productive as possible during the day at school.
6 – Stop using electronics before bedtime
If you use various electronics as pacifiers with your infant, then it’s important not to use them an hour before bedtime. This is because electronic back-lit devices emit blue light, which has been proven to delay the production of melatonin and decrease feelings of tiredness. Shut off all screens – including your smartphone – in the hour that you’re preparing your infant for bed, and consider reading them a story instead. Not only will this help them sleep, but it will also strengthen the bond between you.
7 – Put your child to bed before they’re ready to sleep
While this might sound counterproductive, it’s actually a handy trick to try if your infant typically takes a long time to fall asleep. Perhaps thirty minutes or so before their normal bedtime, take them to their bed and sit with them for a while, even with the light on. While you can try reading or singing to them, you may find that sitting with them is enough to get them to drift off naturally.
8 – Clear your infant’s room of distractions
We’ve already mentioned the issues associated with electronic devices, but you should also ensure your infant’s room isn’t full of distractions. If you’re trying to get your infant to go to sleep next to some of their favourite toys, it’s going to make your life much more difficult. Keeping their room free from clutter and distractions is an excellent way to add to the ambiance and will encourage them to fall asleep soon after hitting the pillow.
9 – Avoid the temptation of sending your infant to bed with a bottle
While it can be tempting to send your infant to bed with a bottle, doing so can cause cavities to form in their mouth, which leads to tooth decay. It’s absolutely fine to feed your child right before bed to ensure they’re satisfied when they lie down but don’t send them to bed with their bottle.
10 – Don’t pick your infant from their cot if they cry during the night
When your infant is around six months old, it’s still normal for them to cry if they wake up during the night. Of course, you need to check on them, but try and avoid lifting them out of their cot. Instead, you should comfort them by speaking gently to them and perhaps stroking their head. This is a really important step towards self-soothing, which will ultimately help them return to sleep on their own, without summoning you for reassurance.
Final thoughts
It can be a worrying time if your infant isn’t sleeping properly at night. Not only does it affect their health and development, but it also affects your mood and stress levels and can make life a lot more difficult for everyone in your home. Hopefully, these ten tips will help you get your infant off to sleep at night and will encourage them to fall into healthy sleep habits. If none of these work for you, then it’s perhaps time to seek out the help of a medical professional to see if there’s anything that can be done to help you get your baby off to sleep.
