It’s 3 in the morning, and your baby is up in the middle of the night again…crying. You look closely at the monitor and see your little one rolling back and forth. You wearily get up and try to help soothe them back to sleep. 2 hours later…you finally lay down in bed, but at this point, you can not go back to sleep. The same question replays over and over in your mind. When will my baby sleep through the night? How do I get them to go back to sleep at night? There are many effective ways to get your baby back to sleep at night so that you can both enjoy nice, long, uninterrupted nights of sleep.
How to Get Your Baby Back to Sleep at Night
It is extremely common for babies to wake up during the night. A lot of times, parents aren’t quite sure what the best way to get their baby back to sleep is. A common occurrence is to take your baby to bed with you so that you can hopefully both get back to sleep faster and easier. This can easily develop into co-sleeping, which typically means no one is getting quality sleep. Safe sleep is vital and the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly discourages co-sleeping due to the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). The AAP also recommends that you always place your baby on their back to sleep in a crib with a firm mattress and no soft bedding. This practice also reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and promotes safe sleep habits.
Depending on your baby’s age, if they are a bit younger, they may be waking up to eat during the night and have their diaper changed. If they’re older, they may be waking up because they haven’t learned the skills yet to soothe themselves back to sleep. By around 6 or so months, most babies have the ability to sleep through the night. If they have not been sleep trained or taught how to soothe themselves to sleep, you can almost guarantee that you will encounter many overnight wakeups.
I know that it can be so frustrating and exhausting to have to wake up constantly throughout the night to then try and get your baby back to sleep. But luckily, sleeping through the night is a learned skill that you can definitely teach your baby!
Tips for Helping your Baby Fall Back Asleep
Bedtime Routine
Having a consistent bedtime routine sets the foundation for your child’s entire night of sleep. A good bedtime routine doesn’t need to be a long, drawn out process. It’s simply a set of tasks or activities that you do every night before settling down for bed. You can start with a super basic routine from the earliest newborn days.
A basic routine can be as simple as feeding your baby, putting on pajamas, reading a book, turning on their white noise, rocking and snuggling and then putting your baby down in their crib for bed. Having a set sleep routine triggers your baby’s brain to recognize that once the routine starts, sleep will follow. When your baby learns the skill of soothing themselves to sleep each night, they will have the ability to fall back asleep on their own during the night. Consistency signals to your baby that it’s time to wind down and prepare for sleep.
Sleep Training
Once your baby reaches around four months of age, they have the ability to sleep longer stretches. This is the PERFECT time for sleep training. Sleep training is basically the process of teaching your baby to sleep on their own. When your sleep trained baby wakes up during the night, they have the skill to fall back asleep without any intervention from you. Even if your baby is still doing nighttime feedings, if they are sleep trained, they will have the ability to go back to sleep on their own. Techniques like the “Ferber Method” or “Pick Up/Put Down” can help your baby learn to self soothe and fall back asleep independently during nighttime wakings.
I have an entire blog post about the benefits of sleep training. And no, sleep training is not just letting your baby cry in their crib alone! Please check it out if you have any questions about how sleep training can be beneficial to you and your baby.
Change Diaper Before Feeding
If your baby is feeding during the night, be sure to change their diaper if they’ve had a bowel movement before you sit down to feed them. Only change your baby’s diaper during night wakings if it is totally necessary. Frequent diaper changes can disrupt their sleep cycle.
Calm Environment
If your baby is waking up during the night, and you decide to go in their room to soothe or feed them, be sure to keep the environment as calm as possible. The best way to get your baby back to sleep is to keep them from getting over stimulated. Like I mentioned above, if your baby needs a diaper change, do it first so that you can calm them down quickly and quietly afterwards.
Another way to keep the environment calm, is to keep your interaction all business. The less talking the better as you don’t want to over stimulate them and get them wide awake and ready to party at 1 AM! Keep the nursery dimly lit and quiet during nighttime feedings or soothing sessions. Avoid stimulating activities or bright lights to help your baby transition back to sleep more easily.
Wean Night Feedings
If you feel you’ve reached the point where nighttime feedings are hindering your child’s sleep more than helping you can choose to wean them from overnight feedings. Before weaning, consult with your pediatrician to ensure your little one has appropriate weight gain and is physically ready to wean. When it comes to dropping night feedings, you have a few options. You can try the cold turkey method. This might be tough on you and your baby at first, at first. Try staying consistent with your response and decision, it will only take a few days. You can also try a bit gentler method by slowly decreasing the amount of time or ounces your child is getting during the night.
If breastfeeding, reduce their feeding time by one minute per night until you reach zero. If bottle feeding, reduce by one ounce each night until you reach zero. You can also offer an extra feeding throughout the day to make up for removing the night feed. The key to dropping a nighttime feeding is to stay consistent every night until your baby is no longer waking to eat at night. If you have any questions about dropping feedings, be sure to check with your pediatrician!
Be Patient
Be sure to be patient with your baby and yourself! Baby sleep can be a complex thing for parents and each baby is different. There isn’t a one size fits all approach to baby sleep. And there are also so many different factors that can affect a baby’s sleep schedule, wake windows, and sleep pattern.
There are sleep regressions that your baby will go through, their sleep can be thrown off by an illness or teething. During periods of teething, growth spurts, and development, your baby may experience temporary sleep disturbances. They may just be plain overtired and this is causing them to wake up during the night. Breaking sleep related associations can take time. Remember to be patient and help your baby at night as best as you can. Comforting them with gentle soothing techniques and maintaining a consistent bedtime routine is key.
Follow Your Instinct
At the end of the day (or night), follow your instincts when it comes to how to get your baby to sleep at night! Sleep training and teaching your baby to self soothe isn’t a rigid, black and white process! If your baby is crying during the night and your instinct is telling you that they need you, go in and check on them! If it turns into an ongoing thing that is causing major disruptions in your sleep or theirs, reach out and I’m happy to help you get your baby’s sleep (day and night) on track!
Sleep Shore Sleep Consulting
Is your little one having difficulty self-soothing for naps and overnight? If your child is unable to fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake up at a normal time, it may be time to consider sleep training. Sleep Shore offers personalized solutions for each unique sleeping situation to get your little one on track- whether they’re a newborn, infant, or toddler. We also offer in home sleep training services in the Boston, Massachusetts, Central Michigan (Midland, Clare, Mt. Pleasant) and Traverse City, Michigan. Sleep training offers babies and children with the skills to fall asleep on their own so they can wake up feeling more well-rested- and in turn, you’ll feel more energized, too! See what this mama had to say about our sleep services below:
“We did a one week sleep training with Danielle and could not be more happy with how it went. I was nervous to try sleep training with my 6 month old, but Danielle created an attainable and easy to follow sleep plan for my son based around what was already working for us. She is very kind, patient and responsive and would answer my SOS emails very quickly when trying to figure out nap/ bed times throughout the day. I would recommend to anyone looking for some sleep help!”
– Mom of 6-Month-Old