How to Help Your Baby Go to Sleep – Sleep Therapist Shares Useful Tips and Tricks

Sleep therapist Chrissy Lawler shares several helpful tips on putting newborn babies to sleep and allowing them to sleep better and more throughout the day.

Becoming a parent is one of the most significant responsibilities that anyone may face in a lifetime. With all the challenges that come with caring for one’s children, a parent can only imagine how this should balance out with other everyday struggles.

In a recent feature by “Good Morning America,” Chrissy Lawler, a sleep therapist, showed the ropes of how to put newborns to sleep in the best possible way. Several misconceptions held by most partners were debunked when it comes to soothing their children.

DEBUNKING MYTHS

The mom-of-four highlights that putting a baby to sleep is merely a matter of observing their sleep cues. Should the baby begin to exhibit redness around the eyes, deep breathes, subtle yawns, or even blank stares, it is time to prepare them for a nice nap.

Most parents presume that their baby would get the absolute best sleep by making them very tired. It is a common understanding between grown-ups that being exhausted leads to one of the deepest snoozes. The earlier a baby is put to bed, the longer they will snooze.

The founder of “The Peaceful Sleeper” targets these misunderstandings, pointing out that, for babies, good sleep leads to even better sleeping habits. “With babies, sleep begets sleep,” reiterated the specialist.

PUTTING BABIES TO SLEEP

The first step that can get a baby comfortable and ready for sleep is snug swaddling them, which is to tightly wrap them around in a soft swaddle to keep the little ones still. Only then can a parent do their other tricks.

During this part of the sleepy cycle, the body produces more nerve proteins, used as the building blocks of the brain.

Once wrapped, babies like a bouncing and swinging motion while on their parent’s arms while they have something to suck on. It is also quite helpful to make swooshing sounds that mimic what they heard in the womb.

STAYING ASLEEP

While it may be challenging to get a baby to sleep, making them stay asleep is just as tricky. Sometimes, a baby put to sleep wakes up and cries the second they are laid down.

Lawler suggests carefully placing an infant down on a crib, side first, before flipping them to their back. According to the professional, doing so can prevent the moral reflex from kick-starting.

In practicing good sleeping habits for babies, it is essential to stay consistent. Infants learn by repeated actions, so it would be best to have a daily schedule to get babies to have a good sleep.

BABY VS ADULT

Unlike adults, babies have shorter sleep cycles and are more vulnerable to waking up. Babies wake up if any feeling of discomfort, including hunger, happens.

Nevertheless, waking up in the middle of the night also has its benefits. According to sleep researchers, infants sleep better than adults because of their patterns.

Theory suggests that light sleeping helps brain development as it does not rest during REM sleep. During this part of the sleepy cycle, the body produces more nerve proteins, used as the building blocks of the brain.

Mothers go through difficulty at times when their child cannot fall asleep. Once, a mother could not sleep while her baby stared at something on the ceiling.