If you’ve ever had a baby that seems allergic to sleep, you know what a sleep-deprived nightmare it can be. How can it be so hard to get a baby to sleep when they’re clearly tired and sleep is a necessity? Isn’t it a natural instinct to sleep when you’re exhausted? Is there some trick to it that you’re somehow missing?
These questions plague countless parents, but sleep therapist Chrissy Lawler says getting a baby to sleep can be done quickly and easily if you stick to a few key principles.
Lawler, a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant and mother of four, shared her secrets for getting babies to sleep in 30 seconds to two minutes with Good Morning America. Her advice might help some desperate, exhausted parents find some relief.
“I am all about empowering women and parents and families to get good sleep because it benefits everybody’s mental health and happiness,” Lawler begins. She says “it’s so easy if you get the timing right” to get a baby to drift off quickly.
Here are Lawler’s tips:
1. Start putting them to sleep before they’re overtired
“The way that we deal with adult sleep troubles is the exact opposite of how we deal with baby sleep issues,” Lawler says. “So in the adult sleep space, the more tired you are, the better you’ll sleep, and as a result, the biggest mistake that parents make in trying to get their babies to sleep well is assuming if I can get my baby good and tired, then they’ll sleep better.” She says it’s a mistake to think that what will work for us will work for a baby. “But really, with babies, sleep begets sleep,” she says. “The more they sleep, the better they sleep, the more they will sleep.”
Lawler says babies offer subtle cues that they’re starting to get tired, such as getting red around the eyes and eyebrows, gazing off into space, subtle yawning or very early signs of fussing. By the time they are full-on showing classic tired baby symptoms, it will be harder to get them to sleep.
2. If the baby is a newborn, wrap them in a snug swaddle
The swaddle is a classic newborn sleep tool for a reason. “A good snug swaddle is everything,” Lawler says. “We want to focus on doing all of the things that can help them get calm. A good snug swaddle is the first step.” She demonstrates how to do a snug swaddle in the video:
A sleep therapist shares her secrets to putting a baby to sleep in 30 seconds l GMA
Good Morning America/YouTube
(Lawler also has advice on her website, The Peaceful Sleeper, about when to transition out of swaddling.)
3. Bounce and make “Shhh Shhh” sounds
Babies prefer to be on their side to go to sleep, says Lawler, and many like to have something to suck on like a pacifier. But after that, bouncing or swinging motions and making “Shhh Shhh” sounds are key. “You’re not telling them to shush, you’re making a loud whooshing sound like what they used to hear in the womb,” she says.
4. Gently stroke their eyebrows
“One of my other favorite interventions that you can do is a very subtle eyebrow stroke to just help their eyes close naturally,” Lawler says.”You can do this while you’re holding the passy in place and then they can just drift off to sleep.”
Lawler demonstrates how she gently strokes the baby right between the eyebrows to encourage them to close their eyes and drift off, and it’s as simple as it sounds.
5. Transfer them to their side before rolling them onto their back
Getting a baby to sleep in your arms is one thing, but transferring them into the crib without waking them up is another. Lawler also shares a trick for that—laying them on their side first. Babies have a startle reflex when you lay them on their back, but if you start them on their side and then gently roll them over onto their back, you can help avoid it.
“Parents, you are the expert for your baby,” says Lawler, “and you can take what you love and leave the rest.”
You can find more baby sleep help on Lawler’s website, The Peaceful Sleeper. You can also follow her on Facebook and Instagram.