Sleep Aids for Babies – 10 Mistakes to Avoid

Babies and Sleep - "What Are We Doing Wrong?"

Sometimes this can turn into a real challenge for parents.

The problem is probably familiar to all parents, at least more or less. The baby just doesn't sleep the way the parents would like: it falls asleep badly, it doesn't fall asleep on its own, it doesn't sleep through the night and turns night into day. As parents, you feel like you're running on fumes, because sleep deprivation can be pretty taxing. 

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That’s a question that concerned parents ask themselves. Rightfully so? Is it the parents' "fault" if the baby doesn't want to sleep? Of course it isn't. Yet babies absolutely depend on parents to help them - with everything. Even when it comes to going to sleep. However, of course, they don't want to "listen" to parents when it comes to sleep. It could all be so simple. In any case, getting the baby to fall asleep can be a real feat, especially for new parents. And mistakes can happen along the way. But that's totally normal, because who's perfect? Not even parents. 

Here are a few typical mistakes you can make when putting your baby to sleep. Maybe you can avoid them and get a little more sleep from now on. 

The Parents Are Inconsistent

It's only human and quite understandable: When parents come home late from work in the evening, they probably want to spend some quality time with their little one. So bedtime gets pushed back a bit. The routine that should absolutely be followed before putting the baby to bed is shortened or dropped altogether. But it is truly incredibly important for babies and toddlers to maintain both reliable bedtime rituals as well as fixed bedtimes.

Let's be honest: Nobody manages to be consistent all the time. Nevertheless, it's undeniable that the baby has a hard time finding a rhythm if the bedtime always varies. How could it? The organism can’t settle down without a steady routine, the baby doesn't know that it's bedtime. 

Therefore, it's better if you stick to fixed bedtime rituals and fixed bedtimes - at least as much as possible. 

Ignoring the First Signs of Fatigue

This is also often a real problem: The baby is already tired and shows it, only the parents don't want to see it. If baby yawns, rubs its eyes, grimaces or frowns remarkably often, if it also turns away from the action, that usually means that it’s tired and wants its rest. Parents should never ignore these signs. Because if the baby doesn't get some rest now, its body will release stress hormones and then it will become increasingly difficult to fall asleep.

In this context, people also speak of "sleep windows". If the sleep window is open, the baby is ready to fall asleep. If it closes however, the child is past the certain point of falling asleep. And then it usually gets cranky. However, it will certainly not fall asleep now. 

There's only one thing to do: Watch your baby very closely and pay attention to the signals it gives you.

Many Stimuli

Even if most parents simply mean well for their offspring, permanent exposure to stimuli can quickly become overkill. Although the baby finds everything new incredibly exciting, it cannot process that much information. As a result, it has trouble falling asleep. 

Above all, make sure that your baby doesn't experience anything exciting for at least an hour before bedtime. Wild games that could get the baby excited are also to be avoided now.

The day and especially the evening should be a time of quiet for babies who are quickly overwhelmed by stimuli, true to the motto less is more.

Did you know that our swing2sleep is one of, if not the best, help to protect babies from too many sensory impressions?

The elevated side walls create a secluded atmosphere that provides protection from outside stimuli.

Switching Between Family Bed and Baby Crib

Whether you choose the family bed or the baby crib is entirely up to you. Opinions on this subject are more divided than on almost any other. Co-sleeping has advantages, but also disadvantages. 

However, you should stick to the option you have decided on as far as possible and not keep switching back and forth. Because that's exactly what can lead to sleep problems for your offspring. If you constantly switch between having them sleep in their own crib and co-sleeping, everyone's sleep rhythm will be significantly disturbed. A restful night's sleep is no longer possible that way. 

So as a couple, agree on whether you will choose one or the other option and then really try to stick to this agreement.

If you can't come to an agreement choose the swing2sleep baby hammock with motor like most Germans do. Click here to buy it!  All these problems can be solved with this number #1 baby product you won't regret buying.

Letting the Baby Sleep Anywhere

If the day was particularly exciting, it's only logical that your offspring can just fall asleep anywhere on the spot. While this makes for cute moments, and is also incredibly practical, you actually really shouldn't let your baby sleep everywhere all the time, at least not after a certain age. A nap in a car seat is nowhere near as relaxing as a sound sleep in a crib. Not to mention, the sleeping position in children’s seats is anything but healthy. 

But there is another reason why you should avoid it: In the long run, your child should learn to associate the word bed with sleep, and vice versa.

Whenever possible, put your baby to sleep in its bed at fixed times. It is guaranteed to sleep better in a sleeping bag in its crib than in a car seat. 

Keeping the Baby Awake

It's a tempting idea to be able to sleep through a whole night again. So it seems like a great idea to keep the baby awake for so long that it is as tired as humanly possible in the evening and then sleeps through until the next morning. Right? Wrong, unfortunately. In fact, this almost never works. The baby can be as tired as it wants, but it will probably still wake up in the middle of the night or very early the next morning. The problem with this is that the baby might end up in a bad mood simply because it hasn't slept enough. You can't just push sleep back and forth as you please.

It is therefore a mistake to deprive the baby of sleep in the hope that it will then sleep longer at night. 

It's a different story however if your baby naps for hours and then doesn't want to go to bed at night. A three-hour nap may give you a breather, but it's still a little too long. In this case you can wake your child after two hours. 

Or if your offspring is dog-tired at 6 o'clock in the evening and about to fall asleep - in that case it can make sense to keep it awake for another hour or two until it's time for a good night's sleep. After all, if it falls asleep at 6 o'clock, it's foreseeable that the night will be over for good at four o'clock in the morning. 

It’s Too Early for a Toddler Bed

Many parents make the mistake of letting their child sleep in the big crib too quickly. But toddlers can still sleep in the crib for a while. In the best case even until they are three years old. That’s soon enough for making the transition to a bigger bed. Before that, if the child doesn't feel like sleeping, it will simply crawl out of the bed and explore the house. This won’t happen with a crib. 

Disagreement Among Parents

When mom and dad disagree on the subject of sleep in general, things get messy. This prevents the baby from finding a rhythm once and for all. You should therefore agree on when the child should go to bed and both stick to it with the necessary consistency. 

However, this does not mean that your bedtime rituals have to be exactly the same. On the contrary, children quickly learn that mom and dad have different habits. Nevertheless, you should establish fixed bedtimes and avoid wild games before bedtime. 

You should support and endorse each other on this issue and not work against each other. 

Persevere

Many parents are so frustrated that they are tempted to just give up. Their child simply doesn’t sleep like it should, and somehow nothing seems to change. That is not true though! Even bad sleeping habits can be changed at some point, but it takes patience. Eventually it will get better anyway, because every baby inevitably learns to sleep through the night at some point in its life. Even if it may not seem like it at all. 

Try to be consistent and you might have it a little easier later on. 

I wish you and your baby restful nights.

Yours Maik