Rock-a-Bye Baby (11 page)

I was always told never to wake a sleeping baby, but my son took long naps and didn't sleep well at night. I started gently waking him after three hours of nap time, and that made a big difference in his nighttime sleep.
—Rena L
.

I used to just talk in a quiet voice and tell her everything that was happening, all my problems, just nonstop chatter with lots of repetition. I got to vent, while she got to sleep.
—Ann C
.

If your baby has been put down for bedtime, but you can hear him talking or playing in the crib, leave him alone. He'll soon grow tired and fall asleep on his own.
—Tracy P
.

Sing to your baby. It helps if you sing off-key, because the baby will go to sleep in self-defense. At least, it worked for me.
—Deanna M
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Contrary to most advice, which says not to go into baby's room unless he's really crying, I found that if I went in when he just began making those little waking noises and patted him, he'd eventually go back to sleep on his own.
—Julie L
.

In the beginning, I thought my baby would sleep better if I kept him awake a little longer when he showed signs of sleep. But when I realized that my baby was really overtired at that point, I put him down half an hour earlier than his regular schedule. Solved the problem immediately!
—Natalie L
.

I learned this from my nanny. She placed both hands on the crib mattress, on either side of my baby, and gently bounced the bed until he fell asleep.
—Bonnie J
.

I put my baby in a sling and went on with my daily routines. She loved the rhythm and movement, the warmth of my body, and the sense of security of being close to me.
—Ashley M
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Focus on the positive. Appreciate how much your baby
is
sleeping, instead of how little. Think about how much she's changing and growing and developing, and be confident that she will sleep longer over time. In the meantime, if your baby is awake a lot and you need catch-up sleep, hire a babysitter to watch him while you take a nap.
—Susan G
.

Sometimes your baby just isn't sleepy. This often seems to happen when she's learning new skills. After you've given it a try, give up, do some kind of activity, and then try again. Instead of becoming frustrated and upset and forcing her to nap or sleep, stop.
—Elizabeth M
.

My son needed motion to fall asleep, so we would drive him around in his car seat. When he dozed off, we just unsnapped the seat from the base, brought it in into the house, and let him sleep in it. I think the harness gave him the same feeling of security that swaddling does for young infants.
—Staci M
.

I had a ritual that when I put my baby down, I would repeat in a sing-song voice exactly the same thing each time. Mine went like this: “Bedtime, Bradley. Here's your dee-dee (his blanket). Here's your Elmo (his lovey). Kiss-kiss, night-night. Love you, Bradley.” After a few nights, it seemed to work like a hypnotic suggestion.
—Sue W
.