Useful Tips on How to Get Baby to Sleep in Crib

Transitioning your baby from your bed to the crib is hard for both you and your baby. You must learn the tactic of how to get baby to sleep in crib. This is especially true if for whatever reason your baby does not want to sleep in the crib. The first thing you check is the crib obviously, the mattress, the sheets, and the bedding. If there is nothing wrong with the crib and the bedding, there are some other reasons your baby does not want to sleep there. So you must find out the problems and think about how to get newborn to sleep in the crib.

Know the Mystery before you learn about how to get baby to sleep in crib

Your baby does not know how to fall asleep in the crib. Your baby does not know that it is now time to stop sleeping in your bed and start sleeping in the crib. There is no baby book he/she reads on. So you will have to train them, and it will need time and practice. Putting them inside and expecting them to fall asleep will not work.
The crib is new to them. Your baby has gotten used to sleeping with you for six months, and this place where you want them to sleep now is a new environment which they are not used to. It will hardly be easy for them. Thus they hate crib sleeping. You need to get the baby familiar with their room. Make it a happy place and not the scary place they have been exiled to alone. Hang out in there all of you as a family, play in there, sing songs, read and reenact fun books, make the place feel warm.
Your unease and fear about being detached from your baby communicate to the baby and this affects his attitude toward the crib. You may be fearful of being far from your baby, and since babies can’t understand what you say yet they are sensitive to emotions, and they pick up on this.
You may have unknowingly taught your baby to hate the crib. Most times parents put babies in the crib when they become fussy or inconsolable, and they need a break. It becomes like a little time out jail. The baby then associates the crib with negative emotions.

Tips on how to get baby to sleep in Crib

That being said, there are some things you can do to make your newborn to get used to sleeping in the crib. Let’s look at some of the simple plans for how to get baby to sleep in crib below.

Tasks During Bedtime:

Even before you introduce your baby to the crib, you need to establish a routine. It will let your baby know that it is bedtime no matter where they are. Starting the routine before transitioning your baby to the crib. It will make the baby know that it is time to sleep. Even when you change where they sleep to the crib. The routine can be as short or as long as you want. But it needs to be consistent, do it every day. You may already have unknowingly established bedtime patterns. So analyze your pre-bedtime routines and reinforce them as much as possible.
Most babies are soothed into sleeping by a small warm bath. You should follow this by wrapping the baby in a warm blanket and holding them close to add warmth and comfort. Some babies, however, are more active after a bath and if this is your baby, you should give them a bath way before bedtime.
Lullabies help the baby relax and wind down and make it a great addition to the bedtime routine. When transitioning your baby, you can start by singing the lullaby when holding them. But after some weeks you should start singing the lullaby when they are already in the crib. This is the essential elements of how to get baby to sleep in the crib.
Toys designed explicitly for bedtime gives the baby a sense of security when placed in the crib. For example, you can put a stuffed animal that plays soothing music in the crib. For younger babies, the toys can be placed overhead or far from reach to prevent them from rolling onto the toy. Security blankets may also be used instead of a toy.

Getting your Baby Used to the Crib:

One of best tips on how to get baby to sleep in crib is to get your baby used to the crib. As we said earlier, you should make the crib a fun place to be. But you should also establish the crib as a place to sleep and not to play, so don’t let your baby play too long in the crib.
Being placed in the crib in the dark is a significant cause of anxiety for your baby. Start by letting your baby sleep theirs during nap times in the day. When they can see everything and still fall asleep, it will help them get over their fear of the crib.
Before you give your baby a whole room to himself, you might want to consider placing the crib in your bedroom first. The baby can adjust to sleeping in the crib easier if she can still see you when they fall asleep. Once they are can fall sleeping comfortably in the crib move it into their own room but spend some nights in there with them. This will help them get over the fear of their new surroundings. Wean yourself away slowly and before you realize you will be back in your own bed.
Before moving your baby to the crib, you can use a bassinet or a small cradle close to your bed. It will help your baby getting used to the crib. It will also help the baby get comfortable to sleeping separately before moving him to the crib entirely.

Make the Conditions Just Right:

Another way to improve skills on how to get baby to sleep in crib is to make the conditions right.

You can try and play soothing recorded music like lullabies as the baby sleeps or use toys than play soothing sounds in the crib at night as they sleep. The rhythmic quality in music helps the child fall asleep.
You can use the scents on your bedding to the bedding in the crib. This will make it feel more familiar and comfortable.
Dim the lights and reduce the noise. Most babies associate light and noise with activity. Hence a little light and minimal noise will help the baby fall asleep faster and stay asleep. Some parents have also found a white noise machine in the baby’s room useful.

Final thought:

Getting your child to sleep in the crib may be a stressful process, but not have to be hard. Just follow the tips and advice on how to get baby to sleep in crib. You can add some of your own which may work on your baby. Good luck.

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