6 Secrets to Settle Your Baby to Sleep

Your baby has spent nine months tightly wrapped inside the womb. Then suddenly their arms and legs can go everywhere and they have no idea what to do with them.

A firm swaddle replicates that sense of containment. It also helps with the startle reflex, which can wake a sleeping baby just as they are drifting off. A well-wrapped baby is a much calmer baby.

Wrap them snugly with their arms tucked in. There are lots of swaddling tutorials online and a little practice goes a long way.

Sucking is one of the most powerful calming tools a newborn has. Breast, bottle, dummy or even a clean finger, the sucking reflex is deeply soothing for a new baby.

If you want your baby to take a dummy, it can take a little coaxing. Try tapping it gently and teasing it back slightly as they start to suck. This encourages them to hold on.

If you use your finger, use the pad of your pinky finger against the roof of their mouth. You might be surprised at the strength of that suck.

The womb is not a quiet place. It is full of the sounds of blood rushing, a heartbeat and constant digestive noise. Silence is unfamiliar to a newborn.

White noise works because it mimics that environment. If you are trying to settle a crying baby, you need to be louder than they are or they will not hear you at all. A hairdryer, a vacuum cleaner, a range hood or a very loud “SHHHHHH” right near their ear can all work.

I have put together a Spotify playlist with white noise, heartbeat sounds and brown noise. Play it loud on a speaker with plenty of bass for best results.

Open Sleep Playlist on Spotify

Most of us hold our babies in a cradle position with their faces pointing up. Try rolling your baby gently onto their side in your arms. Many babies settle significantly faster on their side or tummy.

Important: this tip is for holding your baby in your arms to settle them, not for putting them down to sleep. Once your baby is settled and calm, always place them in the cot on their back with nothing around them, in line with safe sleep guidelines.

Babies were in motion for nine months. Every time you walked, stretched or moved, your baby felt it. Stillness is new to them.

Hold your baby and sway from the hips, either side to side or in a slow figure of eight. Combine this with swaddling, sucking and shushing and you have a very powerful settling combination.

Newborns cannot regulate their own body temperature. The environment around them matters more than most parents realise.

Watch for the signs. A cold baby will have grey or mottled-looking skin. A hot baby will be red and may start breathing fast and shallow.

Experts recommend keeping the room at around 20 to 22 degrees Celsius for a wrapped newborn. Not too warm, not too cool.