Parentpedia

What Experts Say

Putting a baby to sleep should be no problem, right? At least, that's probably what you thought before you had children. Now you might be wondering if she'll ever go to sleep without a fight -- not to mention, when you will get some hard-earned shut-eye. Fortunately, there are strategies that can help turn the task from a nightmare into a dream. Well, almost.

Ask any sleep expert what's the key to successful bedtimes for babies and toddlers, and you'll get the same answer: routine, routine, routine. In fact, a recent study found that when babies ages 7-18 months had the same 30-minute routine every night, they fell asleep 37 percent faster than babies whose parents didn't follow a routine.

Starting when your baby is as young as 1 month, put her to bed at the same time every night. It will help her anticipate that sleep time is near, and will calm her down. It doesn't need to be a complicated process. Something as simple as a bath, reading a book, or singing a lullaby, nursing, or giving your baby a bottle, then settling your baby in her crib will do the trick.

"Just as important is how you put your baby to bed," says pediatrician Harvey Karp, M.D., author of "The Happiest Baby on the Block." "If she falls asleep in your arms or during a feeding, lay her down in her crib, then gently wake her up."

Why, you may ask, would any sane parent wake up a sleeping baby? According to Karp, if your baby consistently falls asleep in your arms during a feeding (or for that matter from being rocked to sleep), she'll become dependent on it to doze off -- even when she wakes up at 2 a.m. By making sure she's drowsy but awake when you put her in the crib, she'll learn to soothe herself to sleep.

Another key to helping your little one doze off on her own? Make some noise. "The womb is an incredibly loud place. Try recreating that feeling for your baby with white noise," explains Dr. Karp. "Using a white noise CD or a fan is like giving your baby an auditory teddy bear and will help her fall asleep faster and have better, more prolonged sleep."

Tips for Less Stressful Bedtimes

• Starting an hour before your baby's bedtime, dim the lights in the house. This will calm your baby and signal that sleeptime is near.
• Avoid doing anything that can wind your baby up just before bed, from talking in a loud voice to playing peek-a-boo. In addition, while some babies are soothed by a bath during their bedtime routine, others may be overly stimulated by it. If that's the case with your child, move her bath to earlier in the day.
• Consider making massage part of your baby's bedtime routine. It's a great way to calm your baby down after a hectic day. Plus, studies have shown that massaged babies grow faster and have lower stress levels than babies who aren't.
• Make your little one as comfortable as possible for sleep. This may mean using a softer fitted sheet in her crib or checking for scratchy tags in her pajamas.
• Once you've put your infant in her crib or bassinet, turn on the monitor, and leave. Don't immediately rush back to her if she starts crying. Many babies will fuss for a few minutes as they wind down but will soon fall asleep on their own.