Wednesday 31 December 2008

Baby Sleep Aids - So Everyone Can Sleep Well

How many times in the last few weeks have you tried to get your baby to sleep but to no avail? Millions of families go through this every night and when all else fails, baby sleep aids can help you to get some of the sleep you deserve and need.

The problem is that there are many baby sleep aids to choose from, so which one do you pick? Here are a few examples of baby sleep aids that are commonly used and may wish to try to see if they'll help to solve your baby's sleeping problem.

Firstly, how can you go wrong with the good old blanket? At some point, every single one of us has us clung on to a blanket as babies. The comfort, security, and warmth will leave a baby feeling cozy and allow him to relax if he's having trouble sleeping. It's one of the best and most used baby sleep aids ever.

As a variation of this, you could use some other transitional object such as a teddy bear, or possibly mom's t-shirt, so that your baby can settle down with a smell that he or she is comfortable with.

Unfortunately though, there are times when a blanket or other transitional object just won't be enough, so you may wish to consider utilizing another baby sleep aid or baby sleep technique.

Night lights are also common baby sleep aids and can help make your child feel a little more comfortable in their dark surroundings. Although we may not know it, babies may often wake up and cry because they aren't used to being alone and they don't recognise their surroundings. A night light will give them security when they open their eyes. Being in familiar surroundings and being able to see the baby toys above the bed or stars on the ceiling will put them at ease.

Music or sounds are also great types of baby sleep aids you might want to try if you haven't already. Soft, carefree music such as classical musical at low volumes is very soothing for a baby's ears which can help get them to sleep. You could even leave this music playing through the entire night if it helped. Alternatively, white noise, which can sound horrible to adults, can be extremely soothing for a baby. A fan, having the television on, or even the sounds of nature .... birds, rain or whale sounds are very common. There are also white noise CD's you can buy with the sound of a vacuum cleaner or washing machine etc. Again, these sound rather strange but really can help.

Although all of these are all capable baby sleep aids and many parents will testify to their effectiveness, it is also possible that none of them may work for your child. No two children are the same and so there is unfortunately no single cure-all for baby sleeping problems. However, with some tried and tested baby sleep techniques, a good baby sleep routine and the odd baby sleep aid thrown in for good measure, you and your baby can soon be getting the full nights sleep that you richly deserve.


For more details of Baby Sleep Aids and for an easy solution to your baby's sleeping problems, visit Baby sleep solution.

Tuesday 30 December 2008

How to solve Baby Sleep Problems - Establishing a routine

Establishing a sleep routine for your baby may be easier said than done, but don't give up, it can be one of the most important things you can encourage
your baby to do to avoid baby sleep problems. Allowing your baby to fall asleep while on the bottle or at the breast may be easy, but it may also mean that baby never learns to fall asleep by themseleves, which is esstential. Once your baby is 6-8 weeks then you can begin to establish a regular bedtime routine which will help your baby learn that night time and sleeping go hand in hand.

Try encorparating the following ideas into your bedtime routine:



A nice warm bath before bed will help your baby to relax and wind down at the end of the day.

Dressing your baby in comfortable sleepwear.

Snuggle up with baby and read a favourite book.

Put your baby into his/her crib/cot when it is time to sleep, so that baby will come to associate it with sleeping.

Place your baby on there back to fall asleep to reduce the risk of cot death or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Cover your baby gently with a soft blanket, do not use pillows or duvets until baby is at least one year old.

Talk or sing softly throughout the routine to soothe your baby.

Make sure that your baby's nursery is dark enough, warm enough, and quiet enough for your baby to sleep properly.



Do things to help your child learn the routine and after a while your baby will know it's bedtime, and there will be no more baby sleep problems.