How To Get a Baby To Fall Asleep (Older Than 3 Months)

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Your baby used to go to bed so easily when she was tiny; now she pops right up and screams as soon as you head toward…more »
Added January 5, 2009

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You Will Need

A simple, consistent bedtime routine
Cooperative spouse and/or caregiver
Patience to spare
Blackout shades or heavy curtains
Electric fan or white noise machine

Step 1.
Block light and noise

Make baby’s room conducive to sleep by blocking out light with blackout shades or heavy curtains and drowning out distractions with a fan or white noise machine.
If your baby shares a room, consider moving the big sib out while you’re dealing with the baby’s sleep issues.
Step 2.
Stay on schedule

Stay on schedule with nap time. Young babies should get two siestas a day.
Step 3.
Get some sunshine

Make sure baby gets a little sunshine every day. Studies have found that babies who do sleep better at night.
Step 4.
Establish a routine

If you don’t have one already, start a bedtime routine that you can stick to every night. Keep it simple! A song and a story should suffice.
A warm bath just before bedtime is a great sleep inducer.
Step 5.
Say goodnight

After you’ve finished her bedtime ritual, put her in her crib, give her a kiss, and say, “Night-night. Time to go to sleep.” Turn off the light and leave the room.
Step 6.
Wait five minutes

If your baby starts to wail, don’t rush in right away. Give her five minutes to settle down on her own. If she doesn’t, go in, rub her back for a minute (but don’t pick her up!), then leave again.
Make sure that anyone else who puts your baby to bed at night or naptime follows the same steps you do.
Step 7.
Wait some more

Still crying? Wait a bit longer than five minutes before going back in. When you do, don’t stay for more than a minute, and don’t pick her up.
Step 8.
Repeat

Keep increasing the amount of time you wait before going in to comfort her, until she goes to sleep.
By age two, most kids will have spent more time asleep than awake. So why aren’t their parents getting more shut-eye?