Rock-a-Bye Baby (13 page)

I played certain classical music to my pregnant belly every day, so after my son was born, I would just put on that same CD and he would fall asleep!
—Tessa L
.

My grandson pulls a small scrap of blanket over his eyes or next to his face, and it calms him down and puts him out. You might try draping a piece of fabric over your baby's forehead and eyes to help him shut down.
—Shirley D. (
note:
Make sure the piece of fabric is less than 5 inches square to prevent suffocation.)

The only thing that's worked for me so far is listening for those little noises that come just before my son wakes up, then going into the room and cuddling with him or patting him through the transition phase so he never really awakens. The idea is for him to learn to put himself back to sleep.
—Jennifer A
.

My son covers up Elmo with a little blanket and says good night, and if Elmo is asleep, he thinks everyone is going to sleep—so he goes to sleep! You might try this with your baby's favorite stuffed animal.
—Amy S
.

I used to put my baby on my tummy, lie down, and let her go to sleep that way.
—Zoe G
.

Here's a strange one, but it worked on my nephew.

He would only go to sleep if you patted him on the back for what seemed like a long time. We discovered that you could pat him slower for a few minutes, put a book on his back to imitate the feel of the hand, and then leave. We'd remove the book after he fell asleep. It worked great.
—Anne G
.

Take a “dry shower.” Stand in the bathroom (but not
in
the shower) with the shower running while holding your baby. The running water imitates the sounds of the womb.
—Kelly G
.

I found that if I covered my baby's feet with soft little socks, he fell asleep faster.
—Sue W
.

Wrap a clock in something soft and lay it near the baby so she can hear the muffled ticking. She will be comforted, because it sounds like mother's heartbeat.
—Kay A
.

If I'm tense when trying to put my fifteen-month-old son to sleep, the whole endeavor is pointless. So I take a few deep breaths and consciously relax my body. His little body almost immediately reacts the same way.
—Arianna O
.

My baby wouldn't go back to sleep after I changed him. I finally figured out that the wipes were too cold! I bought a wipe warmer, and that made a huge difference.
—Melissa A
.

I found that running water put my baby to sleep, so I put my baby's port-a-crib in the kitchen and turned on the faucet for a little while.
—Gail P
.