Rock-a-Bye Baby (12 page)

My son Cole has this sheep toy that plays soothing sounds, like waves. I read a book, then turn on the sheep and a turtle that lights stars on the ceiling. That seems to quiet him down.
—Amy S
. (
NOTE
:
There are several baby accessories that help get baby to sleep. See “Resources,” page 138, for recommendations
.)

I have this CD of soothing music for babies that I play consistently. I put him up on my shoulder, dim the lights, and rock him. He knows it's his “sleepy music.”
—Sally P
. (
NOTE
:
See “Resources,” page 138, for suggestions
.)

My grandmother told me to bathe my babies in warm water, then give them their last bottles with a little bit of baby cereal in them. I had to make the holes a little larger so they could suck, but it made them feel full and content. And they slept through the night.
—Rachel M
.

When I brought my baby home from the hospital and couldn't get him to sleep, my mom suggested that I vacuum with one arm and hold the baby with the other. The motion and the sound of the vacuum were soothing.
—Candi W
.

The only way I could get my extremely colicky baby to sleep was while doing laundry. I would put him in his infant car seat on top of the dryer as I folded clothes. The motion and noise seemed to get him to sleep—and I sure did get a lot of laundry done!
—Rachel G
.

The
only
way we were able to get Julia to sleep for the first nine months of her life was to walk up and down the stairs—over and over, up and down—until she finally fell asleep. My mom, hubby, and I took turns.
—Cyrena W
.

I had twins, so getting them to sleep was especially important to me. We did what we called “sleep school.”

We put our babies down with something they could pick up and use themselves, such as a pacifier, rattle, or silky (a piece of silk fabric). When they cried, we'd go back in at three minutes, then wait six minutes, then nine, then twelve, until they were asleep. The next night, we did it in increments of five, then ten, fifteen, etc. When this was done consistently, they learned that they were safe and that we were there for them, so they could relax and go to sleep.
—Bonnie D
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Sometimes when one parent has trouble getting baby to sleep, the other parent does the trick. I realized that my husband, Dave, and I have different techniques, and what works for him (patting her back increasingly slowly and lightly) doesn't work for me. I sit and rock her, and she goes to sleep. So try to understand that every relationship with the baby is different, and what works for some doesn't necessarily work for others.
—Shauna M
.

I found that the sound of crickets outside the window helped my baby get to sleep. When we traveled with her, at night I had to make cricket sounds to get her to sleep. I don't know if you can buy a CD with cricket noises, but if it's available, it's worth a try!
—Patty G
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I'll either walk my baby to the park in his stroller or drive him there, both of which get him to sleep. While he sleeps in the shade, I catch up on writing or paperwork.
—Amy M
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I hold my baby in my arms all snuggled up, then sit on a big ball and bounce. My baby goes to sleep, while I get a good workout.
—Brie F
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