It’s hard to believe that our last bundle of joy is turning a year old tomorrow. The past year has flown by so quickly since our little pandemic baby joined our family. She is such a sweet soul and is generally very happy and easy-going. But if you had told me even a couple months ago I’d be writing a blog post about how to get your baby to sleep during the night, I would have laughed.

our children’s history of sleep

I must admit–I thought I had it all figured out. When my son was born almost 11 years ago I was prepared for total sleep deprivation. I’d heard from everyone “sleep when the baby sleeps” and “you’ll be tired for the next 18 years”. But then he came. And he slept. In fact, at first he slept too much. As much as it went against all my instincts, I found myself waking him up to feed him when he was asleep so we could be cleared to leave the hospital. I’m not exaggerating when I say that he slept through the night by six weeks old. He napped a lot during the day too, continuing to take three naps a day when he was two years old! By the way–he still loves sleep to this day.

was it beginner’s luck?

Then our next baby came and I was ready. “Last time was a fluke, she’s going to sleep like a typical baby”, I though to myself. However, although she wasn’t as good of a sleeper as my son (I mean, is any baby?!) she also slept through the night by eight weeks and napped pretty well too. Baby number three showed up and I tried not to get my hopes up but she was the same. Baby number four also slept through the night “early” and had no real issues. By baby number five I was smug. I figured I had this whole sleep thing down. Finally, our last baby girl came along last year and I was served a big slice of humble pie.

She also slept through the night before she was two months old… but then she started waking up and I couldn’t figure out why. I tried everything and just when I thought I knew what was going on she’d change it up on me. I swaddled her differently, I made sure she ate more, I gave her medicine for her teething. Anything I tried seemed to work for a week or so, but then she’d start waking up again. Quite honestly, up until a few months ago I still wasn’t sure what to do with her. But now I’m thankful for our experience with her sleep habits because I really feel like I can share some valuable information with all of you!

Baby not sleeping? Consider the following:

Babies go through different developmental stages that will unfortunately disrupt their sleep habits. You might have heard of the term “baby leaps” before and that they affect sleep. Hand-in-hand comes the dreaded term “sleep regression”. Look, I get it, I studied child development. But I’ve also had six babies. Say it with me–all babies are different. You don’t need a fancy or scientific term for why they’re not sleeping. Just know that as your child gets more mobile and begins crawling, they’re probably going to be more restless at night. When they’re teething they’ll be more uncomfortable. And etcetera. Once you become familiar with your baby you’ll be able to help them sleep more soundly through their different developmental milestones. Then of course they’ll switch things up on you as soon as you figure out what’s going on, wink wink.

how to get your baby to sleep: 4 things to try

1. Is your baby eating enough? If your baby is waking up and demanding to eat in the middle of the night it could be that they’re going through a growth spurt and need more food during the day. Make sure to feed them a big dinner (whether solid food or breastmilk/formula depending on your child’s age). Consider implementing or bringing back a “dream feeding” as well.
2. Are you going through a routine with your baby? Your baby may need cues that it’s time to go to sleep. Come up with a bedtime schedule and stick to it. I recommend some version of bath, eat, sing. I know some parents that like to use essential oils before bed, or read a story. Whatever you choose to do just try to be somewhat consistent with routine and timing so your baby recognizes when it’s time to be awake and when it’s time to be asleep.
3. Is your baby comfortable? Just like you don’t like to sleep if you’re too hot or too cold, neither does your baby. Despite our desire to bundle babies up like a snug bug in a rug, they really only need one additional layer. And for older children, if you’re a comfortable temperature they probably are too. If they’re still being swaddled make sure they’re not so tight that they’re overheating or are having difficulty breathing.
4. Is your baby sleeping during the day? I’ve always been a big believer in the saying “sleep begets sleep”. My firstborn was still napping three times a day at two years old, for crying out loud. However, I finally realized with baby girl she was getting too much sleep during the day. For her there was a fine line between not napping enough and being overtired at night, and napping too much so that she slept restlessly. The sweet spot for her seems to be two naps (if possible) that are 1-2 hours each.

Are you a new or expectant mom? Be sure to follow my “Mom Life” and “Baby Life” boards on Pinterest!

What have been your experiences with getting your baby to sleep? Has it been easy or hard for you?

The photography in this post was taken by Shelby Mousley Photography. If you are in Northern California or surrounding regions I highly recommend her.

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