The life of a baby can be tiring. Some babies sleep more than others – whether it’s for long periods or in short bursts. Some may sleep throughout the night, while others don’t manage this for quite a long time. Whether you’re a first-time parent or caregiver, or preparing for your third child, we’ll offer some tips and advice on how to get your baby to sleep through the night.
The ‘dos’ of how to get a baby to sleep
There are a few methods that can help your baby to sleep through the night.
Get into a consistent routine
Establishing a soothing routine can be really important for helping babies to settle in for the night. It can also help prevent sleep problems and give you quality time with your baby.
Bedtime routines can include a calming bath, changing into fresh clothes and nappy, reading a bedtime story, dimming the lights and singing a lullaby. If you’re looking for a tried and tested routine to follow, the AVEENO® Baby 3-step routine consists of a warm bath, massage and quiet time. This clinically proven routine helps your baby fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer*.
Get the environment right
Putting your baby to sleep in their own cot or bed in a quiet and dark room can help develop good sleep practices. It’s important to keep the room cool and avoid overheating. Using music to help your baby sleep can be an option, while some people find that white noise may be helpful to replicate sounds they experienced in the womb, as a way to help comfort them.
Put them down while they’re still awake
Putting your newborn baby to bed before they fall asleep, or just after a feed, can get them used to sleeping without you comforting them. This may be easier to do once your baby starts to stay alert for longer, or more frequently.
Make sure they’re not hungry
Your baby will have trouble sleeping if they’re hungry. Babies digest milk quickly and will be ready to fill their belly again during the night. Before putting them to sleep, try offering your little one breast milk or formula to rule out hunger if you’re finding that your baby won’t sleep at night.
Try swaddling
Swaddling is a technique that involves wrapping a baby up gently in a breathable blanket. The light fabric helps them feel sleepy and calm. When swaddling your baby, it’s important to only have their body wrapped and not their neck or head to avoid suffocation.
*Tested on babies 7 months+, 1 week + use
The ‘do nots’ of how to get your baby to sleep
Getting your newborn baby to sleep can come with a few challenges. Here are some things you should avoid to make bedtime a little easier.
Allowing lots of distractions
Babies are incredibly sensitive and can get overstimulated easily. As a result, it’s important to avoid distractions while trying to get a baby to sleep through the night. This includes keeping lights low, switching off devices and the TV, avoiding talking too much, and not playing with your baby before putting them down to sleep.
Letting them confuse day and night
Some babies may sleep well during the day but stay active at night, also known as a day/night reversal schedule. If this is causing you challenges, it can help to teach them the difference between night and day. This can include leaving the lights on to keep them bright and active during the day, and dimming the lights and keeping quiet at night. Sticking to this routine can help set and reset their body clock.
Building sleep associations
If your baby falls asleep while feeding or being rocked, they may form sleep associations. It’s important to avoid these associations if possible, as a child should learn how to fall asleep on their own without relying on you. Instead of holding your baby as they drift off, try putting them down as soon as they’ve been fed and changed, but still awake.
Giving them lengthy daytime naps
Babies need fewer naps as they grow. Letting them sleep for long periods during the day can interfere with their sleep and make them more likely to be alert during the night. Encouraging babies to be active during the day and keeping a calm nighttime routine, meanwhile, can bring them back to a healthy sleep schedule.
Tips on how to get baby to sleep in their crib
A crib – or bedside sleeper – is the safest place for babies to sleep. Here are some ways you can help your baby sleep more easily in theirs.
Approach changes gradually
Get your baby accustomed to their crib from day one. When they’re sleepy, try to get them to take their first nap of the day in the crib. Once that works, keep putting them in their crib for naptime until they’re used to going to sleep in every time.
Make their crib a comfortable space
Bedding should be ideally suited for your baby to get a good rest. Choose bedding that appeals to your baby, and allow them to spend quiet time in the crib with toys or board books while you’re nearby. This can create a positive experience around their time spent in the crib.
Return them to the crib after feeding or changing
If your baby fusses when placed in the crib, you can comfort them by gently shushing or singing to them. If you have to feed them, pick them up, or change them through the night, return them to the crib afterwards.
Determine what helps your baby drift off
If your baby is sleeping well during the day, but doesn’t seem to like their crib at night, try to establish why. Focus on the things that help your newborn sleep at night and make adjustments as needed. It’s also important to stick to routines consistently, for both naptimes and nighttime in general.
How to get a baby to sleep: FAQs
Babies need a quiet and dark environment to sleep. Keep their bedtime space cool and consider white noise to replicate sounds in the womb. Swaddling your baby may also help them to fall asleep.
Some babies find sleeping on their front or side comfortable. However, back sleeping is the safest position for naps and sleep to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The earlier you place your little one on their back to sleep, the more quickly they will adjust to the position.
Yes, you can give a newborn a dummy to sleep at different times depending on their situation. Breastfed babies should not have a dummy to sleep until they are at least four weeks old, and have established a breastfeeding routine. Bottle-fed babies can use a dummy to sleep at any age.
Many babies start to sleep throughout the night between three and six months of age. However, as they grow their sleep patterns change and can get disrupted again – this is known as sleep regression. At around four months, little ones will need fewer night feeds and may sleep for eight hours or even longer at night. That said, every baby is different, so don’t worry if it is not the same for you.
Sleeping through the night refers to naturally sleeping for longer periods of time, ideally from scheduled bedtime to scheduled waking up time. However, waking up and returning to sleep throughout the night is a natural part of the sleep cycle. This is actually common for babies in their first year, and can help to reduce the risk of SIDS.
Yes, babies can sleep through the night without feeding. Once they reach three months old, they can sleep for at least six hours without waking up for a feed. This extends to around eight hours as they get older.
Establishing a proper, relaxing bedtime routine can help your baby to sleep longer at night. This involves winding down with a soothing bath, getting them changed, and giving them cuddles. The AVEENO® Baby 3-step routine is clinically proven to help babies stay asleep for longer.