Are you struggling to get your little one to sleep? Both nap time and bed time can be difficult, though some parents find that they only have problems at nap time. Here are some natural tips to help your baby sleep that you may find helpful as you create a sleep routine with your little one.
Natural Tips to Help Your Baby Sleep
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1. More time in the fresh air.
Playing in the sunshine and fresh air for a couple of hours each day is always a goal at our house. While, I personally don’t get all that time in every day, I try to make sure that the boys do, both because it tires them out and because it helps to build their stores of Vitamin D for winter. Studies have shown that fresh air every day effects your baby’s circadian rhythm and will help them to sleep better at night. I would assume that if you get your little one out in the morning this would also help them to sleep better at nap time.
2. Black out shades and white noise.
We have both black out shades and white noise machines {fans}, but lately I’ve been making sure to keep all extra light to a minimum. Light is another thing that affects and interrupts your child’s circadian rhythm. The older boys have black out shades on their window and do not use a night-light. They have tried using a night-light a few times and it keeps them up longer and wakes them up earlier in the morning.
We also have fans in each room, and these definitely help the littles to fall asleep. If I forget to turn to turn on the boys’ fan before I leave the room, the boys remind me immediately. When we are camping they have a much harder time falling asleep than when we are home and they have the fan for white noise. There are many free apps for white noise that you can use as a natural way to help your baby sleep when you are on the go, but I don’t currently use one or have any recommendations.
3. Lavender and other calming essential oils.
If you don’t have a diffuser for essential oils, you could make your own by applying the oil of choice to a cotton ball and taping it to a fan blade. Some oils that are calming include: lavender, geranium, patchouli and palmarosa. You can find other calming oils and info here. I personally love lavender and Stress Away from Young Living and I use them with a diffuser that I got through Young Living. Here is a link to similar diffuser.
4. Have a scheduled rest time.
If you have an older child that you are trying to get to sleep, but they are just ready to get over naps, perhaps it is time to transition to rest time. The age that each child will grow out of naps varies from child to child. Some give up naps as toddlers, some nap every day until they are ten. Napping can depend on how much sleep that your child gets at night, and if they are having a growth spurt or not. There are some great ideas on Pinterest for quiet/rest time activity boxes that you may want to look into if you think that your child is ready to transition to rest time.
5. Limit screen time.
Even for babies it can be hard to limit screen time. If you pop in a movie while you get in the shower, use a iPad to entertain your baby in the doctor’s office, etc. they can rack up screen hours pretty quickly. There are so many educational apps for babies and toddlers now too that vie for your little one’s attention. One hour before bed all screens should be turned off, to help your child calm down and start to wind down. Screens and their lights are very stimulating and that movie you turn on for just a few minutes to try to help your children settle down may actually be part of the reason they are taking longer to fall asleep.
6. Have a bedtime routine.
Schedules and routines may seem confining to you, but infants, toddlers and preschoolers thrive on routines. Because they are not upset by unexpected things, they know how their day will go and what is coming next. A bedtime routine could include bath time, lotion massage- use calming scents like lavender and chamomile, nummies for nursing babies, a bottle, tea for older littles, some books, cuddle time with momma and daddy, and prayers.
I hope these natural tips to help your baby sleep will help you as you create a nap time and bed time routine for your little ones!
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I agree about the noise. We have a loud fan which tends to block out a lot of other noises like the TV which helps. Thanks for the other tips. Now, if I could just get him to sleep without the boob…
Aww, soon you’ll be wishing he was little again. 🙂 I know how frustrating it can be to have a baby continually nursing at night/nap though.
Glad that naptime is working out! So much of parenting is trial and error and just figuring out what strategy will work for which kid. 🙂
Definitely! I thought when I was done with school I was going to quit learning and studying, however I actually enjoy learning things now. The trial and error learning can be a little frustrating at times though. 🙂
Have a restful Christmas! 🙂
Thank you, Natalie!! You too!
Im so glad you found what works for YOU! It takes time and patience to see things forth. I think I became lazy and just didn’t do as much as I could. I guess each child is different huh?
Each child has their own personality, love language and hangups. 🙂 That is what makes us all special.
Lavender is wonderful. When Rory is in the hospital I always go out to the garden there and pick some lavender to tuck into her pillowcase. She loves it. 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Oh, I’ve always wanted a lavender plant, maybe I’ll get some in this coming spring. 🙂
I hope Rory isn’t in the hospital to often!
I think you are spot on with every single thing you are doing…all of which could be applied to adults too. 😉
Yes, I like all the suggestions on this list as well. I, myself can’t sleep without white noise or if it is to light in the room.
You’ve gathered some great tips here! Glad it’s working for you! Merry Christmas!!!
Thank you Kristen! 🙂 Happy Holidays!
White noise is not only helpful but can be calming.. only danger is when you are away. See if you can add a playlist of noise to play or you can even buy a small fan to bring with you. I bought my daughter ‘dvd’s (do they make these anymore? ) of diff noise.. type noises.. waterfalls, ocean, gentle rain.. something that can be used anywhere. My favorite at home was a fishtank.. how I loved sleeping to the water noise.. ! but oh so funny.. when we were kids my brother was so terrible at sleeping my mother used to plug in and run the electric broom outside his room (awful noise) and he instantly fell asleep!
Oh goodness, at least your mother knew what helped your brother to sleep. My oldest used to fall asleep only if the vacuum was going, that was as a newborn and before we started leaving the fan on for him. I think there are white noise apps… I should go look into it. 🙂
Thanks for sharing. We struggle with those issues in our house as well! I will try the essential oil one on the fan.
Let me know how it works!! 🙂
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These are great tips! I think I tried all possible things to get my kiddos to sleep at naptime!