How to Get Your Baby to Sleep in a Crib — 6 Easy Steps

 

Looking at your baby sleeping is such a special feeling. A wave of overpowering love. But, a little worry at the same time. 

• Worry that an adult bed isn’t the safest place for them.
  
  
• That they might be relying on you a bit too much to fall asleep.
  
  
• That neither of you is actually getting the rest you need.

Your worry is natural. What’s more is that it is helping you identify the next step in your baby care routine, and that is, getting your baby to sleep in a crib. A place that is completely safe for them. 

But that’s easier said than done. So, to help you out, here is a list of 6 easy steps that will get you started: 

1. Help your baby adapt to the crib. Try to make it into a space that is safe and comfortable. Incorporate familiar elements like a soft blanket they prefer or toys that they like. You can also let them engage in non-sleep activities like play in the crib to make it their happy place. Once you believe they have adjusted to the crib, you can begin the process of putting them to sleep there. 

2. Firstly, look for sleep cues in your baby. If they show signs such as:

• Yawning
• Rubbing eyes
• Reduced activity
• Gazing into space

Then it is time for them to sleep.

3. Swaddle them up, this helps in calming the baby and inhibits their startle. It is important to keep in mind that when your baby starts showing signs of rolling over, generally around 2-4 months of age, stop swaddling them. 

4. After making sure that the room is dark and quiet, place your baby in the crib.  Start patting their chest in a slow rhythm. You can also accompany this with low humming. This would eventually help them drift off to sleep. 

5. If your baby starts to show signs of being upset, pick them up, cuddle and rock them for a minute, and then put them back into the crib. Resume patting and humming. 

6. Continue to pat and hum for the next ten minutes. Try to make this into a consistent part of your sleep routine, before naps in the day and at night. 

Other things that can help:

1. Help your child associate patting and humming with naptime. When they are falling asleep in your arms, practice patting them and humming to them. This would make it easier for them to recognize the sleep cue when you place them in the cot. 

2. You must gradually phase out patting and humming from their sleep routine so that they don’t become entirely too dependent on it. Often, by the time babies are 2-4 months old, they show signs of wanting you to stop by wriggling or arching and pulling away. 

3. You can practice separation from them for a few minutes during the day, so that they get used to being away from you. This would make them more comfortable with sleeping alone in the crib. 

4. A crib mobile can be a helpful thing for a baby who is learning to fall asleep in the crib. It can lull them to sleep by distracting them through its gentle motion. 

5. It is important to keep your baby’s wake windows in mind when you’re trying to get them to sleep. Wake windows differ in babies according to their age and individual traits. If you try to make the baby sleep when they’re not likely to fall asleep, it can delay the process in its entirety. 

6. Establishing a good night time routine can also help in de-stressing the baby and in winding them down. Practices like a warm bath, massage and reading to them done right before sleeping, can become a predictable cue for them.

Setting up a good sleep routine for your little one is an important part of the early months of their life. The crib, the swaddle, and even the crib mobile you attach, should be expertly designed to provide the most comfort and relaxation to your child.

Laadlee, a UAE based baby care website, offers the best in baby care products for this very reason. From cribs that are sturdy yet adjustable to crib mobiles that have soothing lullabies, they have it all so that you can have the most beautiful journey with your child.