Getting Your Baby to Sleep When You Are Out

By Ashley Simmons

Parents can be extremely tired after taking care of their babies for an entire day. For many, taking a break is a miracle. Most babies have a hard time falling asleep, which is why parents who know how to accomplish this are winners. 

When the baby’s bedtime does not come at the right time (does it ever come?), you might be wondering whether you’re going crazy or not. This can add to the fatigue and make you uncomfortably grumpy. The baby’s not having a good time either. They need sleep just as much as you do. 

To avoid that overwhelming feeling of exhaustion, here is a short guide on how to get your baby to sleep when you’re out. 

 

Rocking and lullabies work

 

 

Biologically, a baby’s level of cortisol drops as soon as they start to feel sleepy. To put it shortly, the cortisol hormone keeps a baby awake. This is why singing to your baby and rocking them is a great way to get them to sleep easier. By rocking and singing lullabies, you calm them down quickly. Some other techniques you could try:

• Massage. This will definitely calm them down and help them fall asleep easier. Who doesn’t like a relaxing massage after all?
• Feeding them. Yep, this one’s almost always a winner. Feed them until they become a bit drowsy and then sing to them. They’ll fall asleep in no time.
• Playing music for them. Turn off the noisy tv and let them enjoy some soft classical music. 
• Repetitive movements like swaying or swinging. 
• Dim down the lights.

These are just some of the most common techniques to get your baby to fall asleep quicker, usually when at home. Let’s see how you can get them to fall asleep while you’re out with friends or visiting family. 

 

A car ride might be enjoyable 

 

 

While sleeping in the car is not the best habit to develop, this activity could definitely induce sleep. See how your baby’s doing when you take them out for a car ride. Pay attention to their eyes when stopping at a red light, for example. See if they’re about to fall asleep or if they like the ride per se. If they do, you’ve got yourself a plan. 

Next time you’re going out with friends, have the baby seat prepared in your car, feed them right before hitting the road, and drive slowly to help your little one fall asleep faster. By the time you’re out, they’ll already be sleeping, which is great for both of you! 

However, if you’re studying for PhD or Master’s, you should also take this into account. When I was tired but hadn’t finished my tasks, I had someone write my thesis for me. That’s because I wanted to take care of my baby while getting enough rest, being social, and keeping straight A’s. Getting help right when you need it should be normal. In the end, you’re a mom in need of some academic help, so that’s totally understandable. 

 

 

Keeping them active throughout the day

 

 

If you know you’ve got plans later – or you simply want to relax and get some sleep yourself – you’ve got to keep your baby active throughout the day. The more active they are during the day, the sleepier they’ll be at night. Here are some tips that might be of great use to you. 

• Keep the lights on during the day, don’t dim the lights, draw the curtains. This doesn’t mean moving your baby’s crib into the sunlight. It simply means make sure that they’ve got enough light.
• Avoid playing soft music during the day. Again, that doesn’t mean playing hard rock either. Just make sure your baby feels comfortable in his environment but not sleepy enough to take a nap.
• Play! Spend some quality time together. Go ahead and buy them some nice toys; this also helps their cognitive abilities develop. You could also look up games online or any other activity that could help them stay active. 
• Stick to their napping schedule, don’t change it often. Newborns will eat every 3-4 hours. Try to keep them active even after they ate. The less sleep they get during the day, the more they’ll nap during the night. 

 

This is what you should avoid 

 

Now that we’ve discussed how you can get your baby to sleep faster, here are some tips on what not to do. 

• Don’t try to keep your baby awake the whole day just so they can sleep at night. This doesn’t work and is not recommended by any medical doctor. The baby will accumulate stress throughout the day and might as well become sick. Please be aware of this. When your baby is tired during the day, let them nap.
• Please don’t hold your baby in your arms while falling asleep. You must keep them safe at all times. 
• Do not put cereal in their food bottle. You might think they get fuller by eating cereal, but this can also make them wake up during the night more often. 

 

Author Bio:

Ashley Simmons is a professional journalist, editor, and assignment help specialist. She has been working for a paper writing service in Salt Lake City for 4 years now. Ashley is also a content writing expert, offering professional writer service in topics such as psychology, modern education, business and marketing innovations. She is a master in her craft.