Newborn Not Sleeping Tricks That Can Help

Having a newborn baby is a joyous occasion, but it also comes with its fair share of difficulties. Bringing up infants is a difficult task. And the first few nights are the worst because of the lack of sleep.

1. Purchase or make light-blocking curtains. You might not need them when your baby is a newborn, but they will be so helpful later. Some parents swear that massaging their babies or even gently wiping a tissue over their face helps them calm down and sleep.

3. Thread an X-shaped loop of the thick rubber band through both door knobs and over the latch to stop that irritating door click. Stealthy!

4. Place the newborn baby to sleep without disturbing them:

• Watch where they look. If your baby’s eyes move around under their eyelids, it means that they are sleeping deeply. Wait until their muscles are loose, and they can take deep breaths. Then do the floppy-arm test: lift one arm and let it fall. If the baby doesn’t move, you can leave.

• Keep a hand on their back and the other on their stomach as you carefully put them in their crib. That pressure will make the change easier. If you scare them, pat their stomach before you sneak away.

• Please keep them in the same position as you pick them up and set them back down. Put your newborn baby in the crib flat, not head first. If you need to get up higher, use a step stool.

5. Be aware of when a baby is awake. In the first four months of life, most babies only sleep 30 to 60 minutes at a time. Put them into a sound sleep as soon as they seem tired.

6. Always change the baby’s diaper before the night feed so you don’t wake them up too much. And unless your baby has pooped or wet through their diaper, you probably don’t want to change in the middle of the night, especially if they’re only waking up to eat.

7. Don’t turn on bright lights when you get up at night to feed your pet. Buy an LED push night light that runs on batteries and can be turned on with a quick touch. This also makes it harder for the parent and newborn baby’s brains to send “wake-up” signals, making it easier to fall back asleep after feeding.

8. Put a warm water bottle in the bassinet or crib to warm it up. Moving the baby from your arms to the bed can make it easier. (Don’t forget to take the hot water bottle out before bringing the newborn baby!)