Top 5 Settling Techniques for a Newborn

Your new little person has arrived safely, you’ve left hospital where they were sleeping perfectly and now you can’t get them to sleep... 

As a mum, I have been there so i totally understand; With my firstborn I remember days and days of worrying that he wouldn’t sleep and spending hours settling him to sleep only to wake up 20 minutes later!

These are my Top 5 techniques that really made a difference for me: 

Make sure bub has had a Really good feed! -

When you’re breastfeeding it’s hard to know when your baby has had enough. I had a few things i did that really helped me feed as long as possible so that i new bub was full: 

• Take their clothes off. A warm baby is much more likely to fall asleep when feeding so taking their clothes off helps. 

• I used to keep the room i was feeding in a little cooler

• I tickled their feet as I fed. 

All of these things meant that there was less chance that bub would fall asleep which was my biggest issue. 

Make sure you have burped them.

I remember in the beginning thinking if they hadn’t burped after a few seconds they weren't going to. I soon learned it could take up a few minutes, I found holding them up on my shoulder and patting their back was the best for me to get them to burp. My sister used to lie her babies across her knees and pat.

It can take a little while to work out what works best for you baby so don’t be afraid to try a few different things until you find what works for you. 

Wrapping or sleeping bag?

My babies seemed to have such a strong startle reflex that everytime they stirred they would startle and wake themselves up, so I quickly worked out that wrapping is a must.

There are lots of different techniques for wrapping, so find the one that is easiest for you but always remember to wrap firmly so they can’t escape too easily. These days there are loads of sleeping bags that can work well without the need to wrap.

If you have a winter baby it’s easier as summer babies can get quite warm so it is best to use a lighter wrap in summer. 

Have sound in the room and don’t keep the house too quiet. 

Having sound playing while your baby sleeps means that they are less likely to wake at a loud noise. I remember a girlfriend who would insist on total silence when her kids were sleeping. She would usher us to sit in her backyard id the babies needed to sleep when we were visiting and we would have to walk in whispers. She had signs all over her front door not to ring the doorbell… her babies never slept well.

I used to have the radio or TV playing in the background and I never closed the baby's door. I found that they went off to sleep much more easily if they could hear the sounds around them. 

The bonus was that they used to wake up happy as well and i could hear them chatting in their cot and I didn’t need to worry straight away as soon as they woke. 

The “If all else fails”

We can try everything possible but there are days where no matter what you try your baby is not going to fall asleep. On those days, I used to hop in the car and go for a drive. There are very few babies that aren't settled by the movement and the noise of a car/ It can guarantee a good sleep and means that you don't have to deal with an overtired baby until it’s bedtime!