Some ways to soothe your baby to sleep through the night are to create a comfortable environment, hold your baby close to your body, give a relaxing massage, or give your baby a warm bath.
The baby becomes irritable and cries when he has a fever or is hungry, sleepy, cold, hot or when his diaper is dirty and therefore the first step to calm a baby who is super agitated is to satisfy his basic needs, and for this reason, you must – check the baby for a fever and breastfeed or change the diaper before bed.
Furthermore, it is important to have regular consultations with the pediatrician to assess the health status and monitor the baby’s development, as some babies may have difficulty sleeping or have restless sleep, due to colic or gastroesophageal reflux, for example. See the main causes of restless sleep in babies.
See tips from Dr. Clementina, psychologist and baby sleep specialist to help your baby relax:
12 tips to soothe your baby to sleep through the night
Some ways to calm your baby to sleep through the night are:
1. Check if the baby has a fever
When the baby has a fever, he may become more agitated, and it is important to check his body temperature, using a thermometer in the armpits or rectum. See how to identify a fever in your baby.
A baby’s fever can be a sign of infections, but it can also be caused by heat, excess clothing, teething or a reaction to the vaccine.
In these cases, to reduce the fever and calm the baby, it is recommended to give him a warm bath or remove excess clothing. However, if the temperature does not drop within 30 minutes, you should call your pediatrician or take the baby to the hospital to identify the cause of the fever and provide the most appropriate treatment. See other ways to lower your baby’s fever.
Don’t ignore the signs your body is giving you!
2. Breastfeed the baby
The baby can also become fussy when hungry, so one of the ways to calm the baby to sleep through the night is to breastfeed with breast milk or formula.
However, you should avoid giving your baby a very full tummy, as this can cause discomfort and make it difficult to sleep. Check out all the benefits of breastfeeding.
3. Changing the diaper before bed
Changing the diaper before bed prevents the baby from becoming agitated and uncomfortable with a dirty diaper, being a good way to calm the baby to sleep through the night.
Therefore, the diaper must be changed by cleaning and washing the genital area so that the child always feels clean, dry and comfortable. Learn how to clean your baby properly.
4. Holding the baby close to the body
Holding the baby close to the body can help reduce anxiety and calm the baby, facilitating sleep and helping the baby sleep through the night.
Furthermore, holding the baby close to the body creates emotional bonds, improves the baby’s response to pain, and is essential for the development of the baby’s brain and cognition.
5. Rocking the baby
Rocking the baby, walking calmly around the room for a few minutes, can also help the baby to calm down, especially when they are crying, making it easier to sleep. See other ways to help a drinker stop crying.
6. Create a comfortable environment
Creating a comfortable environment, with little light, little noise and an adequate temperature in the room, not too hot or too cold, can help make the baby calmer and sleep faster. Check out other tips on how to get your baby to sleep faster.
7. Use a pilates ball
This activity can be used with babies over 3 months old, which is when they can hold their neck better. The activity consists of:
- Place the baby face down on a ball large enough so that the baby’s hands and feet do not touch the floor;
- Hold the baby by placing your hands on the baby’s back and
- Slide the ball a few centimeters back and forth.
Another way to relax the baby is to sit with the baby on your lap on a Pilates ball and gently “bouncing” the ball using your own body weight.
Doing this exercise for 3 to 5 minutes is good because the ball’s oscillation movement is very relaxing and calms the baby, but he or she needs to feel safe during the activity for it to be successful. It is also important to use gentle movements so as not to stimulate the child further.
8. Take a bath
A warm bath is a great strategy to keep your baby calm. Letting the stream of water fall on your baby’s back and shoulders for a few minutes while talking to him calmly can help change his mood in a short time.
If possible, it is recommended to dim the light or light a candle to create a more serene environment.
9. Get a relaxing massage
Right after the bath, you can apply almond oil all over the body, gently kneading all the baby’s folds, massaging the chest, belly, arms, legs and feet, as well as the back and bottom.
You should take the opportunity to look into the baby’s eyes and talk to him calmly. See the steps to give your baby a relaxing massage.
10. Play calm music
The music that most calms babies is classical music or sounds of nature, but instrumental music focusing on the guitar or piano are also excellent options to keep playing in the car or in the baby’s room, providing a moment of relaxation.
11. Continuous noise
The continuous sound of the fan, hairdryer or washing machine is called white noise, which works as well as an off-station radio.
This type of sound calms babies because the sound resembles the noise the baby heard when he was inside his mother’s belly, the place where he felt completely safe and calm. Leaving one of these sounds next to your baby’s crib can help your baby sleep peacefully all night long.
12. Avoid too many stimuli before bed
Avoiding too much stimulation before bed can help calm the baby and help him sleep more peacefully and calmly.
Therefore, you should avoid using devices, such as TV, cell phones, video games or tablets, for about 2 hours before bed.
This is because these devices emit blue light that interferes with the production of melatonin in the body, which is a hormone produced in response to darkness and its levels increase at night to prepare the body for sleep.
But in addition to following all these steps, you must take into account the child’s age, because it is normal for a newborn baby to sleep only 2 or 3 hours and wake up hungry, while an 8-month-old baby has an easier time sleeping. sleep more than 6 hours straight. See other tips for making your baby sleep through the night.
