Are you having trouble getting your baby to fall asleep? I know that feeling...I don't know if any of these tips will help your baby but if even one will help, I wanted to share them with you <3
1.) Have a Sleep Schedule
Babies love schedules...they may fight them but truly...it helps them so much! The best schedule that you can get your baby on is eating, staying awake and playing (whatever stage they are in), and then taking a nap. As they get older, the naps get spaced out more. Even if they fight the nap after playtime, it is important that they learn the schedule because they will fall asleep much better as they get older. (I have some tips for less crying later.)
2.) Make Sure They Aren't Overtired
If babies are overtired, they have a much harder time falling asleep. Of course, just as you get into the swing of a certain schedule, they change developmentally. But as you learn your baby, you'll start to know when they are overtired and catch that they need to have a sooner nap schedule.
3.) Try A Swaddler
When babies are young, many of them really love being swaddled tight to sleep. You probably already know about swaddlers but in case you didn't, they are the most amazing invention! My babies always wiggled out of blankets no matter how tight I got them...and then they would wake up! When I found swaddlers it was like a miracle! If you haven't tried them yet, you should!
4.) Use a Baby Swing
When my babies were small, I would lay them swaddled in the baby swing and turn it on. It worked very well to put them right to sleep at nap time. I would advise that you switch it up and not always put your baby to bed with motion. You need to make sure that your baby will fall asleep without always needing to be in motion because you want them to be able to sleep well as they get older without being in motion so I would try to make sure they slept the night in their crib even if they took naps in the baby swing during the day.
Of course, there were those nights when crib sleeping wasn't working, and I had to get some sleep and the baby went into the swing. No rules are ever set in concrete because babies are babies! You have to have grace with yourself and your baby.
5.) Use a Linen Spray
When my youngest was born, I found the most amazing linen spray with an essential oil created just for babies called Seedling Calm. When I sprayed her crib linens before laying down her nap, she would calm down considerably faster than if I didn't spray her crib linens...as in she would cry for about 5 minutes versus the normal 10 or 15 minutes. It was AMAZING!
Because our sense of smell is tied directly to our limbic system in our brain where our emotions & motivations are stored smelling certain oils can give a calming effect. I used the linen spray to train my baby to know when it was time to sleep and it was amazing! This is probably one of my favorite things I learned helping my babies to sleep...I just wish I had known about it earlier! Make sure you don't use an oil that isn't of very high quality essential oils around young children especially as they are much more sensitive.
There are so many different brands of essential oils. Check out my brand comparison guide here:
6.) Play Lullaby Music
This lullaby CD is the MOST amazing and calming CD for babies...it's called "Hidden In My Heart" by Jay Stocker. With our first baby, this CD was a God-send....this was before I knew the oil trick! She was crying and crying and I randomly decided to try turning on this CD...she instantly calmed down. We started playing this CD at night to help her calm down and sleep too.
7.) Try Not To Always Hold Them
Some people will call me callous for this tip but if you want your baby to fall asleep in their crib easily without crying a long time, it is important to teach them that they can sleep by themselves, at least some of the time. I'm not saying never hold your baby while they sleep...just make sure to also let them practice sleeping by themselves some of the time too! This will make naps in the future much easier on everyone.
I hope you find some of these tips helpful. I just hope you and your baby will sleep better <3
xo Rachelle <3
P.S. Whenever you’re ready... here are 4 ways I can help you take care of yourself and your family:
1. Grab a free copy of my guide
With 8 ways to ease the pain of natural childbirth...these are all the things I wish I had known and used with my first and second natural births! —Click Here
2. Join From Exhausted To Energized: Helping exhausted moms find emotional, physical, and financial freedom
It’s my new Facebook community of fearless mamas healing together — Click Here
3.) Come to a free educational class
To learn more about how to use oils safely and get the most benefits from them, come to one of my FREE online classes...no purchase necessary. To see the events planned for this month, visit my home page and click "EVENTS".
4.) Check out my brand comparison guide
There are so many different brands of essential oils. How do you know which one to choose? - Click Here
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