Baby sleep hack: 47 ways to get a baby to sleep through the night

You fed and took care of the baby. But he became fussy and cried, unwilling to go to sleep.

You tried all the tricks you read in the books and watch in videos, but none seemed to work.

You waited all day on the baby and just wished he would go to sleep so you can rest too. but it never happened.

It’s not your fault, the baby is not just ready to sleep.

But what I tell you there are things you can do to make your baby sleep?

I have 100 baby sleep hacks that will help you get your fussy baby to sleep fast and throughout the night too.

But you will want to know the reasons babies don’t want to sleep. So, let’s consider it briefly before we move on.

Why babies don’t want to sleep

The thing is, new-born babies have an immature nervous system. They are born with few instincts to soothe themselves. When they are in the womb, they enjoy the warmth inside and all they know to do to soothe themselves is to suck. So, when they come out to a strange environment after 9 months, they don’t know what to do to soothe themselves. This is where you have to help them relax and fall asleep easily.

Second, newborns’ wake time is around 45 mins to 1 hour including feeding and changing. Once you feed and change your baby, put them down to sleep or nap. Now, if you miss this sleep window, you will have a fussy and cranky baby who just won’t sleep.

Below are 47 ways to get a baby to sleep through the night.

Let’s get started.

How to get a baby to sleep through the night

1. Develop a consistent bedtime schedule:  It is will interest you to know that babies love schedules. It makes them feel comfortable. Have a set time you put your baby to bed every single night.
2. Develop a routine for bedtime: There should some things you do for the baby prior to bedtime to help them sleep better and faster. This includes giving them a warm bath and massage every night, reading to your baby, sleeping sleepy songs, etc. When you line up the schedule, the baby will get used to it and know that the bedtime is getting near.
3. Develop a feeding schedule: Babies need at least 2-3 hours to be fed both during the day and at night. What you can do is to make sure you feed your baby 20 minutes before bedtime. This will enable them to sleep faster.
4. Reduce the amount of stimulus per day:  If you have visitors come over to see the baby daily, it will make the baby to be overstimulated and have a hard time to sleep. Make sure you regulate the number of people who comes to visit.
5. Lie down on the bed to feed your baby:  Newborns sleep a lot. They eat, sleep and wake up and then the cycle repeats itself again. When you lie down to feed your baby, it helps you and the baby to sleep. Co-sleeping can help to feed the baby to sleep. However, ensure that there are no pillows for the baby or soft toys so it will not hurt or suffocate the baby.
6. Make the night time as uninteresting as possible for the baby. It will help your baby to know that nighttime is for sleeping.
7. Pace up and down:  This is a trick you can use to get your baby to fall asleep faster. This is because it produces a rhythmic motion and warmth from your closeness. These helps the baby to feel safer and sleep faster.
8. Use rocking motions: Rocking your baby is one of the best ways to get them to sleep. As you rock the baby place your hand gently on his chest. It helps the baby feel you close to them. For this, get a good rocking chair.
9. Place a soft tissue over the baby’s face: Gently rub the face of your baby with soft nice tissue during the bedtime routine.
10. Control the room lighting:  Ensure you have enough light in the house during the day. Open the windows and allow the lights to come in. In the night, ensure you close all the curtains and let the room be darker. Darkness triggers a sleep hormone known as melatonin. It helps babies and even an adult to sleep better.

How to get a newborn to sleep in a bassinet or crib

Babies love to feel the warmth from their mom’s body or parents. It makes them feel safe and they can easily fall asleep in your arms. But the thing is, you cannot always hold the baby to sleep, there are times you need to house chores or work. At such a time, a bassinet or crib is useful. However, most babies haven gotten used to being carried, and they may not want to sleep in a bassinet. Below are hacks and tricks you can use to get them to sleep easily.

1. Sing a lullaby to the baby in the bassinet. Since the baby is used to your voice in the daytime, songs will soothe the baby and let them know you are around.
2. Swaddle your baby in a receiving blanket. Sometimes your baby might need warmth and a squashed environment to sleep. Swaddling the baby in a blanket will help keep it warm before you place them in the bassinet or crib.
3. Place your baby in the bassinet when they are awake: Once your baby is well-fed and changed for the night, put him in the bassinet when he’s drowsy and not when he is asleep. This will help him recognize the sleep environment and so he will fall asleep on his own.
4. Create a consistent routine leading to putting your baby in the bassinet. It can be songs or taking a warm bath before you dress them and put them in the bassinet.
5. Create a smell that looks like you:  Babies smell their parents when they are still very young. After a few days of being born, your baby knows what you smell like. To make them sleep easily, use some blankets to sleep so that your smell can be on it and use it as a bedding for your baby or put one or two of your clothing on the blanket. Once, they smell it; they know you are closer and they will drift to sleep easily.
6. Raise the bassinet slightly:  Some babies are used to sleeping on a bouncer, but not on a bassinet. It is sometimes the positioning. Try raising the bassinet slightly up and your baby may sleep better and feel reassured.
7. Ensure the baby is not hot. Regulate the temperate in the room, it should not be too hot or too cold. If it is too hot, the baby will not sleep, so adjust the air temp accordingly.
8. Use a pacifier: If the baby refuses to sleep in the bassinet, you can use a pacifier like this one.
9. Burp the baby: Help your baby to release unwanted gas in the stomach that can lead to discomfort. Try rubbing the bottom left side of a baby’s back where the stomach is located. The baby will burp immediately and be able to sleep without fusing.
10. Use soft baby friendly sheets.  When the sheets on the baby bassinet are too rough, the baby may not sleep. Ensure you use soft sheets to enable them to sleep well like this one.

Hacks to get newborn to sleep without being held

1. Use lavender oil:  Lavender oil is a great sleep stimulant. Put it on a tissue paper close to your baby’s crib or bassinet and watch it calm their nerves. Use it in the water for bath time and watch your baby sleep easily.
2. Layer the bedding to make it feel cozy: Ensure your baby’s bassinet or crib is cozy. You can use waterproof mattresses protectors plus fitted sheep to create a crib lasagna.
3. Get blackout blinds:  Most babies, especially toddlers are sensitive to light in a room. If you want to get your newborn to sleep without being held, ensure that you get blackout blinds or curtains when they are still young.
4. Break every habit associated with sleep:  This includes feeding, sucking, rocking and singing. Reduce the baby’s dependency on you to sleep.
5. Limit all activities during bedtime. Wind down all activities about 30 minutes before bedtime to allow your baby to adjust to sleep.          
6. Ensure your baby has enough to eat before bedtime. It will reduce the time you need to carry and feed them when they wake in the night.

How to change baby sleep pattern from day to night

Most babies are fond of being fussy before they sleep in the day and at night. It is called the newborn’s day/night confusion. They don’t know the difference between the day and the night and so you have to help because the pattern will not help you. Help your baby to sleep less during the day so they can sleep more during the night with the 10 hacks below:

1. Make daytime lively: Help your infant to have fun during the day. You can take them out for a walk to enjoy sceneries. Let the baby know that daytime is when we have fun while the night is for sleep.
2. Don’t make eye contact: Most babies will not sleep when you are always making eye contact with them. They will be in a playful mood and want to play with you.
3. Reduce their day time nap: Babies love to sleep a lot, but if you want to improve their sleep in the night, ensure that they do not sleep for over two hours at a time. When they do, wake them up. They may become cranky, but they will get used to it. This will help them sleep better at night.
4. Limit the activities that can use their energy during the day: The truth is, it is easy for babies to sleep when they are tired. Don’t engage your babies in tiring activities during the day. Schedule it for later at night when their sleeping time is close.
5. Feed your baby in broad daylight: Don’t feed your baby where there is not enough light, feed them in broad daylight and use deem light when feeding at night. Your baby will soon get used to differentiate between night and day.              
6. Make a noise: Make as much noise as you need. Put on music, the TV to let the baby knows that it is noisy in the daytime while it is quiet at night. Even though they still sleep with the noise, their brain will pick up the environmental noise. She will learn to stay awake during the day and sleep at night.

How to get a baby to sleep in the day (10 hacks)

1. Use babywearing stuff:  Babies are mostly active in the daytime. To make them sleep so you can do your chores done wear the baby with a baby wrap such as this one. This will enable you to do your house chores and work easily. Before you are done with your task, the baby will be fast asleep.
2. Hold your baby while you walk: Carry the baby in your arms while you walk around the house or outside on the street. The warmth in your arms and the steady movement of your walk will lure the baby to sleep easily. This is because they recognize your movement while they were in the womb, so it is easy to create the same scenery and get them to sleep fast.
3. Put the baby on your chest:  There is a magic to the skin to skin contact. There is a feeling of deep love and connection between you and your baby when you placed them on your chest. The feel of the baby’s heartbeat and the breath relaxes them to sleep.
4. Vacuum your home: Many moms swear by this strategy.  When your baby won’t sleep, vacuum your home. The sound of the vacuum will put the baby to sleep or calm them down.
5. Go for a car ride: Have you ever noticed children sleep in the car as soon as a little breeze blows them? It works at all times. If your baby refuses to sleep in the daytime, take them for a car ride around the neighborhood and watch them fall asleep fast.
6. Co-sleep with your baby:  Although some parents are against it, it is all a matter of choice. If you want your baby to sleep in the day, simply sleep with them. It can be on the same bed or in a crib close to your bed.
7. Make the crib cozy and comfortable: Ensure that the baby’s crib is free from distractions that can keep them awake. Make it a cozy environment just like it was in the womb. This is where bassinets are more useful than cribs.
8. Avoid any eye contact with the baby:  When you always look at the baby’s eye, they will be in a playful mood. Stop looking at them and it will be easy to fall asleep during the day.
9. Rub your hands gently on your baby’s face: Rub your baby’s face gently down to their belly. It will stimulate them to sleep easily.
10. Put on the fan:  The noise of the fan can help to lure your little newborn to sleep easily. The whirling noise plus the cooling temperature from the fan makes it easy for babies to fall asleep.

List of products that can make your baby sleep faster through the night

1. Get a Sleep soundtrack:  The baby sleep soundtrack helps to lure the baby to sleep under 12 seconds. It may not be fast at the beginning as the baby gets used to it, but with time, your baby will recognize the sound. Make sure you follow the routine and everything will fall into place. Check out these sleep soundtracks.
2. Use a white noise machine: The white noise machine helps to drown every noise in and around the baby that can prevent it from sleeping faster or better. It works because the white noise mimics the sound of the womb which is always quiet. Check out different white noise machines here.
3. Use a baby swing or baby bouncer: It is easy for babies to sleep in a baby bouncer or swing. Use a battery-operated baby bouncer because it sends gentle vibrations through the bounce easily. The motion of the baby helps babies to fall asleep easily and fast too. Check out different baby bouncers here.
4. Use a baby sling: A baby sling helps your baby to be close to you and thus be fearless. It is also a warm place for them to fall asleep easily.
5. Try everything at the same time:  If after trying all these hacks, your baby still won’t sleep (I doubt it), do about five of them together. Vacuum, sing a lullaby, rock the baby and let’s see if the baby still has the energy to refuse sleep. Lol.

When can babies fall asleep on their own?

Now, you have learned all the tricks in the book to make your baby sleep. Like I said earlier, feel free to combine one or two hacks together to make your baby sleep. Remember, your baby is not a toy or robot, use different methods to discover what works for your baby.