Getting a baby to sleep has to be one of the hardest tasks known to the human race! Sure, when they are a newborn you have to accept that they will be up every few hours for much-needed nutrition for their little tummies. But once they are of a certain age, their tummies are big enough to hold enough to food to let them sleep a lot longer every night.
There are things you can do to increase your baby’s chances of getting a good night’s sleep. If you are successful you will make life a lot easier for yourself, as not only will you get a good night’s sleep too, you will be more patient in the morning and your baby will be in better spirits too. You need the 4 Bs – and here they are!
Blinds
Don’t expect your child to be able to nod off for the night if there is still plenty of daylight – it will feel wrong to them even at that early age. If you put up black-out blinds, you will provide the darkness they need to nod off naturally.
Make sure the blinds are made of a really thick material that will block out as much sun as possible, and also make sure that they are big enough to cover the whole window so that no cracks of light appear.
A dark room is much more conducive to a good night’s sleep – you know that yourself already. Create a nice dark space for your baby and he or she will be far more likely to be able to crash out. Don’t forget to put a little nightlight in for them so they are not in total pitch black – that might freak them out.
Bath, Bottle, Bed
Establishing a routine is a really good idea from the get-go. It may not always work, but if you persevere it will pay off in the long run. The bedtime routine should be the same every night to help your child get into a pattern. Give them a nice warm bath, 
then cuddle up with them for a bottle and some stories. Don’t expect them to go from full-steam-ahead to sleep in a matter of minutes. Everybody needs to wind down before they nod off for the night and your child is no different.
Talk soothingly to them, give them lots of kisses and cuddles, and put them down gently for the night, stroking their forehead. If they resist, just keep going in from time to time doing the same thing. Don’t get stressed out or they will pick up on it, and then there is no chance of them sleeping at all!
So, blinds, bath, bottle and bed – that’s it, you’re sorted! Of course you won’t get great results straight away, but the sooner you implement the routine, the better. Blacking out the room is something you need to do right now, so get online and have a look at who provides black-out blinds in your local area.
The author of this post, Penny Wolowitz, works for Dynamite Colours, which provides a wide array of shutters in Oakville. Painting and decorating her own space are a few of her favorite things to do. To know more about her work, click here.
