Getting Your Baby to Sleep

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SuperAbsorbent #CollectiveBias

As the mother of six, I’ve had my fair share of sleepless nights. Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade for getting a baby to sleep. I’ll share my best ideas, including using Huggies Little Snugglers Plus

1. Have realistic expectations

When you bring a baby home from the hospital, your nights of solid sleep are over, at least for a while. Tiny babies need to eat frequently, so they’re going to require a lot of your time and energy.

Start while you’re pregnant, to try to minimize the other demands on your time while your baby is small. Cut back on commitments and try to prepare now for baby’s arrival.

Try stocking your freezer with meals or ordering extra household items you’ll need. Planning ahead can save you time and stress.

One of the things that we ALWAYS do when there’s a new baby on the way? Stock up on diapers.

By building a diaper stockpile, you can take advantage of sales and rebates before the baby even arrives.

Huggies Little Snugglers Plus (Sizes 1&2) are $37.49 regularly priced. The price drops to $31.49 after a $6 discount plus free shipping from Costco.com (valid 9/1 to 9/25)
Huggies Little Movers Plus (Sizes 3, 4, 5, & 6) are $42.99 regularly priced. The price drops to $36.99 after a $6 discount plus free shipping from Costco.com (valid 9/1 –to 9/25).
Starting in August, you’ll also find Little Snugglers Plus in Newborn size. At 29.99, this makes a perfect welcome home gift for new babies. (available in select warehouses and online at Costco.com)

Since my youngest ‘baby’ is now is a size 5, we’ll be stocking up on this sale. We’ll also buy a package for my best friend who is expecting.

Picking up our Huggies Little Movers Plus from Costco saves me stress, money and time. It’s a win, win for expecting moms or moms with babies and toddlers at home.

2. Get your husband involved

Sit down and chat with your husband. There are many ways he can help out and reduce your stress level.

Ask him to change the baby’s diaper in the middle of the night before he brings the baby to you for a feeding. Encourage him to give the baby the evening bath, so that you can have a few moments to yourself. Baby wearing by fathers warms my heart and helps dads and babies bond.

These little things mean so much to me and let me know that my husband and I are on the same team. Brett has taken over many nights when I’ve been at my wits end.

3. Swaddling

I’m not sure why it took me until my 5th child to learn the value of swaddling. I don’t recall doing it at all with Abby, and only sporadically with the Kennedy Kaboodle.

Now, things are different. I splurged on luxurious swaddling blankets for Maeve. They are huge and so easy to wrap up a squirmy baby. My big kids like to swipe the blankets and wrap up their stuffed animals!

Swaddling seemed to help Maeve’s reflux. When she was fussy at nighttime, even laying her on the blanket, about to be swaddled, calmed her.

Some cons? You may miss some feeding cues like stretching or baby putting hands to his face.

4. Have a routine

Around here, we do a bath, then storytime as a family.

Even if I give my babies a bath during the day (like after a particularly messy lunch), it’s not uncommon that they take a nap soon afterwards. Something about the water soothes my children and makes them sleepy.

5. Swinging and Swaying

Most babies love to be rocked, either in your arms or in a mechanical swing.

Borrow a swing from a friend first before you commit to a purchase. Your mileage may vary with this one. My daughters all loved their swings, while my sons simply tolerated them.

A good rocker or glider is a necessity for your nursery. My current glider has made it through 5 children and is still going strong.

6. Co-sleeping, bed sharing or rooming in

I never intended to have my children sleep with me. Instead, it’s happened as a natural progression and sometimes the only way I can catch any rest.

We always start with the pack n play set up right beside our bed. When babies are tiny, I sit in bed, nurse them to sleep, then burp them and place them back to their bed.

During the middle of the night feeds, it was easier to lie down bedside the babies and nurse, which ended with both of us falling asleep.

Nowadays, my youngest child prefers to sleep right beside me. This works for our family, but may not be the right choice for yours.

If you choose to have your baby sleep with you, please be sure you’re following these safety tips.

7. Make the Baby Comfortable

If your baby is fussy and you can’t figure out what’s wrong, do a process of elimination.

Gas pains? How about some gas drops or change in position for burping.

Hungry? Nurse or give the baby a bottle. Some babies may want to comfort nurse or need a pacifier.

Diaper Check – Huggies Little Snugglers Plus are designed to keep babies’ skin clean and healthy, using Leak Lock® with up to 12 hour protection. When your babies get bigger and more active, graduate them to Huggies Little Movers Plus, with Double Grip strips for outstanding fit.

8. Make Some Noise

I don’t sing well, but my children don’t seem to mind. They’ve all enjoyed hearing me sing them to sleep. If you can’t come up with any good lullabies, try Pandora or Spotify.

Another option is a white noise machine. The womb is a noisy place. Your quiet house (never a problem here) may seem a little disconcerting to a little baby.

9. Make a change

Some babies are comfortable no matter how you lie them down, while others are very picky. Even when Maeve was tiny, she preferred to be held upright, high on my shoulder, to help her belly.

Her other favorite position? The football hold, perfected by her daddy. All my children have loved this, but only when Brett holds them this way.

Try baby wearing on for size if you’ve got a wee one who won’t sleep.

What sort of ‘been there, done that’ tip would you offer a new mom? I’d love to hear your answers!