Tips for Better Baby Sleep

How to get baby to sleep? This is THE question all new parents have!

There are several items that you will need (props, let’s say) to help baby sleep better and longer.

But let’s not kid ourselves, people, the reason we want baby to sleep better is so WE can sleep better. Yes, indeed, a parent’s sleep is of the utmost importance.

Losing sleep can F with your brain SO bad. It will make you feel like a living, walking, breathing zombie. No amount of caffeine can fix you. You will feel numb on the inside and… gooey on the outside. Like a hangover wrapped in a coma.

But worry not. This only occurs for a short period of time… if you do it right…

The Routine

In the first month, your life will consist of a blur of the following:

Daytime: Baby wakes, baby eats, baby does stuff, baby nurses/feeds, baby sleeps. Rinse. And repeat. And repeat. Then do it again.

Nighttime: Baby sleeps, baby wakes (with a vengeance), baby nurses/feeds, mom or dad try to do the minimum possible amount of activity to get baby back down again.

For example, your nighttime schedule might look something like this:

~ baby “to bed” at 8 pm,
~ wakes at 11 pm (pawn this one off on your partner),
~ wakes at 3 am,
~ wakes at 6 or 7 am.

Each waking is followed by a feed and perhaps a diaper change (dirty only, don’t bother with the wet ones).

Since babies are up around the clock as newborns, your goal – over time – is to get your baby to aggregate sleep at night. Yes, there will still be plenty of napping during the day, but the sooner you can get him to sleep longer at night, the happier you will be. Pinky swear.

Read about how to start off right by switching him from a nocturnal to a diurnal schedule.

Onward.

Swaddle This

A swaddled baby is a happy baby. This is step one in how to get baby to sleep. Why? Because they aren’t used to having ARMS. Legs, yes. They kick their legs in utero (as you well know). But in the womb, their arms are tightly constrained. When they come out, their arms scare the crap out of them! And they have no control over them whatsoever. It’s like an octopus on meth.

SO – we help them by creating womb-like conditions: constraining the arms in a nice, snuggly package.

Yes, MacGyver, you can tie a swaddle with a regular blanket, but as a practical matter, it just doesn’t work very well. First of all, 97% of baby blankets out there simply are not big enough, are not shaped correctly (rectangular, what?), and/or do not have the right amount of stretch to tie a proper swaddle. Second, your baby just has to squirm a little to break out of a blanket swaddle. To re-tie the darn thing, you have to turn the lights on, re-position him, blah blah blah – it’s not something you want to be fumbling with at 3 am when you’re sleep deprived and ready to get the potato back in the oven.

So I highly recommend a swaddle aid, of sorts. These are a lifesaver in the first 3-4 months of baby’s life. Two suggestions:

1. Summer Infant SwaddleMe Original Swaddle (3-pack) ~$34 — Budget option
2. The Miracle Blanket ~$29 — Parent fave
3. Happiest Baby Sleepea ~$32 — Parent fave

Check out more of our favorite swaddles and sleep-related stuff.

Pacifiers

If your baby takes a paci (some don’t), use that to your advantage. The two favorites are:

1. Philips Avent “Soothie” (4-pack) ~$10
2. MAM Pacifier (MAM was created by a dentist) (2-pack) ~$8
3. Wubbanub Pacifiers ~$17 — a paci attached to a mini-stuffed animal — **GET ONE!

Check out more of our favorite pacifiers.

Sound Machines

Do not underestimate the power of a sound machine. In fact, these are a *must for helping baby get to sleep and stay asleep. They make all the difference in drowning out loud neighbors, cars, sirens… other siblings (ahem). For white noise only, the runaway favorites are the Yogasleep Dohm ($46) and the LectroFan ($47).

Check out our favorite sound machines.

Sleeping Around

I know. You have this beautiful nursery set up and ready to go. It contains a lovely and well-appointed crib with one or more personalized blankets that someone spent way too much money on. What’s not to love?

Well. It’s not that easy, you see. In the beginning (the first 3-4 months), most people find themselves sharing a room at night with babylicious. The main reason is for convenience. Plus, it just feels right.

Unless you are bed sharing (which I find completely nerve-wracking), you’ll need a temporary nest for your baby bird. What: a bassinet? A Moses Basket? Um, sure. Either of those will do the trick. But then after 3 or 4 months… what will you do with said apparatus? Store it? Sell it? Make it into a planter? Exactly. Why bother.

Some options:

1. Portable Bassinet

An affordable favorite is the Fisher-Price Portable Bassinet, which can fit next to any bed and can be easily carried from room to room.

Check out all of our favorite portable bassinets.

2. Play Yard

I find that a Pack ‘N Play (a.k.a. “play yard”) serves as a wonderful, portable in-room sleeping venue AND is a must-have travel item that you will use for years to come. Specifically, I recommend the PNPs that come with the Newborn Napper (it’s not just for napping, you know).

Check out all of our favorite play yards.

3. Sidecar Co-Sleeper

Looking to stretch your dollars beyond the first 6 months? The Arms Reach Co-Sleeper is the top pick in the “co-sleeper” category — it’s a bedside bassinet that mimics/offers the benefits of bed-sharing, less the nerves.

Check out all of our favorite sidecar co-sleepers. 

Light up the Night

Unless you love slamming your knee into the corner of your dresser (repeatedly), you need a bit of light to guide your groggy ass around your room during nighttime feedings.

Here are some great options — the first two look more “kid-y” and the last two are a little more sleek in terms of the aesthetic:

1. Munchkin Light My Way (~$11)
2. LumiPets Portable Night Light (~$24)
3. Yogasleep Duet (~$41) — a great night light/sound machine combo
4. Hatch Baby Rest (~$59) — it’s also a sound machine & an OK-to-wake-clock; check out our full review of the Hatch Baby Rest

These lights provide a soft, calming glow that isn’t too jarring for middle-of-the-night wakey wakes (and after you’re done using it with baby, you can use it for your scared-of-the-dark toddler).

You especially need a little light if you are nursing. Yes, in time you will master the getting-the-baby-on-the-boob-in-the-dark maneuver, but in the beginning… no.

Later, we’ll discuss crib bumpers, sleepy sacks, and crib paraphernalia, but this is all you need for a newborn.

Get the full story on sleeping here.

Until next time, rock on. Collins, out.

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