Tips to Help Baby Fall Asleep at Night

A baby does not sleep on a schedule, at least not at the very beginning. While they typically sleep 14 to 17 hours a day, their slumber comes at timings unknown. This could mean your baby being randomly awake during the daytime or nighttime, sleeping throughout the day, and waking up at an ungodly hour. It may be fine as long as your baby is getting enough sleep. But the tiring thing is when your baby does not sleep at night, neither do you. And if you’re a working parent, this can affect your focus at work as your sleep is disrupted, and you become even more sleep-deprived than you already are.

First, let’s get into the ‘why’. Do you know why babies tend to wake up or be more active at night, even when fed enough? If you don’t, today’s your lucky day! Here are several reasons why your baby loves staying up and what you could do to put them to sleep.

Why Your Baby Won’t Sleep And The Solutions

Reason 1: Separation Anxiety

“My baby keeps waking up or gets scared at night.”

Separation anxiety happens commonly in children between 6 months to 3 years old. However, you don’t have to worry about this situation as it is normal in a baby’s development. Separation anxiety can occur when your baby realises their dependence on the person who cared for them. They become more aware of the world around them, which can sometimes feel unpleasant and unsafe.

Solution 1:

You might feel stressed when your little one cries due to this, but the first step you have to take is not to feel guilty for leaving your baby. Instead, try to focus on helping your baby understand the situation and let them feel more secure. You may try to be separate from them for a short while and gradually increase the duration.

During the separation, you should also try to leave something with them that makes them feel connected to you to help them calm down. For instance, a blanket or toy you normally use or play with them. This sort of action can help them feel more calm and secure, making them feel like you are nearby.

Reason 2: Confused Between Day & Night

“My baby sleeps more during the daytime and is more awake at night.”

Can you believe that baby was born by not knowing it is day or night? It’s almost funny to think about as adults, but it’s true! When they are still in the tummy, they won’t know when it is morning or night, as they are unable to see through the world outside. This may continue until you establish a certain routine for them based on the daylight and nighttime.

Solution 2:

To help your child differentiate daytime and nighttime, you may try limiting their daytime naps and letting them stay up more. When night comes, you can try to keep the room as dark and quiet as possible so that they are able to understand that it is time for sleep!

Reason 3: Teething

“My baby cannot sleep at night AND during the day!”

Teething is a stage of baby development that is impossible to avoid. Most babies begin teething somewhere between 4 to 7 months of age, of course, some babies might start later. However, it can be stressful for you and them, especially as they struggle with pain from the tiny teeth breakthrough! A fussy teething baby may be harder to calm down, regardless of whether it is day or night.

Solution 3:

To know how to calm your baby, first, you should identify if it is teething that is disrupting your baby’s sleep. A baby that drools excessively, loves to chew on something or is fussy could be a sign of teething. There are several methods you can consider to solve this:

As teething can cause sore and irritable gums, resulting in fussiness, you can provide your baby with a teether or teething ring to calm their irritated gum. You may also give your baby a cooling gum massage! Make sure to clean the teethers regularly and avoid sharp items for the baby to chew on, as it can be risky or hurt your baby’s gum.
Give your baby a cooling treatment as sore gum can be relieved by the cooling sensation. One way you could do it is by using a clean cloth and soaking it in the water before putting it into the freezer for 30 to 60 minutes. Once it’s cold, you can take it out, and once it is at a more comfortable temperature, simply apply it to your baby’s gum!
Try applying gentle pressure to their gum or simply rub it with your fingers (make sure your fingers are clean before sticking it into your baby’s mouth) to provide relief for the baby’s sore gum.

Reason 4: Overstimulation

“My baby is always very active at night and doesn’t want to sleep.”

You might have noticed that your baby becomes very excited after some visitors play with them and most probably cannot fall asleep, even after an hour. This is because your baby is overstimulated by somebody playing with them, which might have messed up their daily sleeping routine.

Solution 4:

To avoid this situation, you should stick to your baby’s regular sleeping hours as the usual night routine every night. You might have to stop the playtime about half an hour before bedtime. You should also try your best to keep your baby in a quiet area away from loud noises and bright light.

When a situation arises that you need to put your baby to sleep later than usual, you can always try encouraging them to feel sleepy by giving them a relaxing newborn massage. If your baby is prone to colic, you can try giving them the colic baby massage, which focuses more on their abdomen to ensure they are fully comfortable before sleep. If you do not know how to do baby massage for colic, you can learn from our massage therapist or your family doctor for in-depth demonstration and knowledge.

Here are some extra tips you can follow to help your little one fall asleep at night so you can get your rest as well.

Develop a calming bedtime routine

When it’s bedtime, your baby might not get the message if you simply try to put him or her down to bed. So, it’s a good idea to create and repeat the same steps every day for your baby to get used to. For example, bathing your baby first, then feeding one last time for the day, singing softly, settling him or her in the crib and switching off the lights. This way, your baby starts associating the flow from bath to gentle singing to the bed and lights out as a signal to sleep.

Remember that consistency is key. By developing a routine, everything becomes a habit and will come naturally. In no time, your baby will start to become sleepy during the routine, especially if it is done at the same time every night.

Drown out sounds during bedtime

Sometimes, having the room be too quiet may not be the best thing. This is because the slightest sound, such as the doorknob turning, the ringing of your phone in another room, or the toilet flush, may disturb and wake your baby from sleep. And when your baby’s sleep is disrupted… Well, you know what comes next.

To prevent all that, you could get a white noise machine to drown out the sounds. This way, you could even watch Netflix with your baby in the same room without him or her being startled awake because the white noise becomes background noise that covers the sounds. But of course, this does not mean loud sounds would be fine. After all, the white noise can only cover sounds up to a certain level. So, it would be best to keep still the volume low.

Give your baby time to settle down

You may be ready to rest, but your baby may not be. It could take some time for your little one to relax enough to sleep. There are plenty of reasons why a baby might not be able to sleep so easily. He or she could be finding a comfortable position to settle down in, be restless, or be upset at something. What you need to do here is reassure your baby. You could speak softly and gently and be comforting while providing a safe space. That might just do the trick.

The important thing is not to force your baby to sleep. If you do, your baby might start associating bedtime with conflict and stress, making it even more challenging to put him or her to bed. Being too pushy and forcing your baby to fall asleep will not make things easier. In fact, the harder you push, the more excited your baby gets. And that could result in you having a long night.

Give your baby a massage

Massaging your baby regularly could get his or her circadian rhythm running the ideal way: sleeping at night and being awake during the daytime. In addition, massages help with a common occurrence in babies, colic, which is said to be caused by gas and indigestion. Colic can keep babies awake and crying at night. So, one way to soothe your little one is by giving your baby massage for colic. A colic baby massage is a little different from a normal baby massage in Singapore, as the former is more focused on the tummy. The massage will require some rubbing, gentle stroking, and light pressing. By doing it correctly, it could ease your baby of the discomfort.

Here at PNSG, our postnatal massage package comes with a free tutorial on baby massage Singapore, where our therapists share knowledge and steps on how to massage your baby properly. What are you waiting for? Contact us and learn from our masseuse, who can guide you and give you a demonstration.