Oh Dear, Am I getting myself into the deep end. However, let’s try this. We’ll deal with the how to make baby sleep today, and do keeping baby asleep later!
When all fails… PRAY! Oh God, Please make baby sleep was my constant mantra almost every night. I guess, I can look back and think its funny now, but at 1am in the morning, belief me, it really felt like chinese torture chamber. So here goes.
1. We normally try to let baby have the last heavy meal about 2 hours before her bedtime. She will nevertheless have her milk right before she sleeps.
2. Put on some calming music - classical preferably. It is also good to have the same piece of music all the time. This helps baby get into a rhythm of sleep.
3. People tell me to just put the baby down, do not pat or rock the baby. You can try it, it didn’t work for 2 out of the 3 children we have. Repetitive actions actually do work. You can sing along with the music or pat to the beat. Interestingly, my daugthers are very musically inclined and have good sense of beat with music without being thought. I think, those actions may have helped them
4. If you’re carrying baby, make sure she is in deep sleep before putting her down. 1 second sooner and you may have to start from step 1 again!. So how do you know? I do the “drop hand test’. if her hands are really heavy, you know there is a good chance she has fallen into deep sleep.
5. When putting her down, make sure you do it gently, even if it means you have to squeeze your butt and hold your breath for 1 minute. Do not sneeze and dropping pins are not allowed as well. Otherwise, start from 1 again.
6. If baby wakes up, try to use the same music.
Basically, babies cry for a reason. sometimes because we are too tense. Relax yourself and enjoy your baby. Remember, she won’t be a baby forever.
For more information, you can refer to this link:
Sleeping habits
