Having a peaceful night’s sleep is every parent’s dream every single time they put their child to bed. But when a baby comes into the world, the greatest revolution ever for a family has just begun, and new rhythms and techniques must be found.

Normally, parents get used to new rhythms in the few months of their baby’s life, but not everyone is so lucky, and even the best snoozers may find themselves deprived of sleep…

Remember that sleep is vital to children growth because it aids their brain’s development, and strengthens the memory of all the things they have learnt during the day. So, if your child is a restless baby and you are searching for help, take a look at the tips we suggest below you to soothe child’s night-time fussiness.

Micro-awakenings are normal and they are often due to frequent night feedings. If the lapse time between micro-awakenings shortens, we talk about sleep regression. Many babies experience this after four months. There are a lot of things that can keep a baby awake, but sleep regression occurs more frequently during this time.

Mixing up day and night

When your baby sleeps all day and stays up all night, it’s not a party for you, so just try to keep calm, as your baby needs routine and you must therefore plan for it. To help your baby differentiate between day and night you can:

  • Keep your baby’s room dark during naps
  • Reduce any external noises
  • Avoid turning on the TV during nighttime feeds
  • Sing the same lullaby or tell the same tale repeatedly
  • Create a dim atmosphere and play tender music

Doing such things helps your little ones realise that the day is done. You can drift them peacefully off  to sleep with this wonderful Musical Cloud Light that you can attach to their bassinet.  It even comes with a sensor that will activate the cloud if your baby wakes up crying!

Colics

One of the most common things that prevents a newborn baby from sleeping peacefully is colic. Firstly, you have to recognise the symptoms: inconsolable crying, screaming, extending or pulling up of legs to tummy, enlarged or distended stomach or a red face after a long episode of crying.

If the above symptoms are present the following methods can be used to try and calm your child:

  • Give them a gentle massage, tummy down
  • Rock your baby in your arms or in a rocking chair or swing; motion and close contact can soothe your little one’s discomfort
  • Offer a pacifier
  • Push the legs up bringing them closer to baby’s chest to ease the pain

Over-tired babies

A non-physiological reason that could explain all the fussinesses your child exhibits is over-tiredness. Babies can be very easily overstimulated and suffer from sensory overload. In this case, they need your help to relax. You can do this by going to a quiet spot in your house, singing or putting soft music on and gently rocking the child.

By rocking in a very rhythmic way, you will calm your child and encourage peaceful sleep. And, if that doesn’t work ,you can try to giving your baby a bath.

Next time, try to avoid over-stimulating your child before bedtime.

Theething pain

The arrival of a tooth can cause children much discomfort during their early days. If your baby is showing signs of theething during the day (such as drooling, biting, feeding  fussiness, and general annoyance) that may keep them up at night, just try to stay calm and offer some reassuring glances and gentle pats. And, of course, teething ring is a magical tool during these trying times!

Some rings need to be refrigerated half an hour before they are used. Teething toys help alleviate some of the pain your baby feels during this time as they provide a safe chewing surface which relieves pressure on the gums.

Independence time

How happy are we to say “my baby has just taken their first steps”?

When babies start crawling or walking they are acquiring the independence needed to explore the world “alone”. The enthusiasm they recieve during this time galvanises them but it can affect their sleep/wake rhythms.

“Mummy, why do I have to sleep if there is an entire world to be discovered?” your baby may think, and you may find them standing up in their bassinet in the middle of the night. So how to deal with that?

At some time before going to bed, inform your child that play-time is almost over, and help them to greet the world. This allows the child to “choose” to say goodbye and not to feel upset.

Another good habit can be to let the baby choose a bedtime toy that will go with them in the bassinet. It will become something which baby can rely on immediately if they wake up.

Moreover, you must set a solid goodnight routine, repeating the same actions every night, so that the baby will realise quickly when it’s time to rest.

Routine habit changes

At this point we understand that sleep is affected by any changes in the routine. When mum has to go back to work, for example, children can get anxious, and as parents, you must give them the tools they need to soften any uncomfortable news.

It can be helpful to play a game that involves separation and rejoin for short periods. The Hape Flowerini is the perfect toy to do such a thing with. Play the oldest game ever, peekaboo, and put the toy near the baby during the moments you are not there. If they take the same toy to bed at night, they won’t feel lonely if woken up.

In this way, babies can get used to being alone, which comes in handy when you must take the baby to Kindergarten and so on.

Whatever the reason is for your baby’s fussiness, you must remember that children need to be reassured and feel your presence in some small way. Once you have calmed the baby, you can think about solving your baby’s fussiness.

In most cases they need routine, so try to plan accordingly and let us know if our tips work. Good luck!