Parenting Tips To Help Your Baby Sleep

We have teamed up with some parent bloggers who share their own experiences of being a parent. and Anna, a first time mum gives a few sleep tips for babies or young children.

Hello! I'm Anna and this is Alba and we've teamed up with Legal & General to bring you 5 sleep tips and for parents.

Getting your baby or young child to sleep can seem like a daunting task at the best of times particularly if you have a new- born and you are exhausted too. So here are our top tips for cultivating good sleep patterns with your baby.

Sleep tips for parents video

Tip 1 ‘Big Cot’

As soon as you can, when you bring baby home try and get them used to their big cot. New-borns will probably live on you for the first few weeks, but putting them down in their cot for even a few minutes each day can help them feel happy and secure in their own bed. It may take anything from a few months to 2 years to persuade your little one to sleep through the night in their own cot, but the earlier you try, the easier a task you’ll have easing them into it.

Tip 2 ‘Manky blanky’

From an early age you can introduce a favourite toy or blanky to your little one, that's always present when they nap. They then begin to associate that toy with sleep. Alba has two: this is Corgi and this is Mr kangaroo. She will always quickly fall asleep with them by her side. And the trick is to keep them as stinky and gross as possible, as that delicious smell is going to help your child or baby associate sleep. Oh, but always buy a backup. Woe betide the day that Mr kangaroo accidentally hops off and can't be found...

Tip 3 ‘Blackout’

Blackout blinds or curtains can really help create a dark, calm environment for your baby or young child to sleep in. The curtains have a dark material as the backing and makes the room as dark as possible. This is really helpful particularly in the summer months when it may still be light outside at bedtime. Alba always knows, when the curtains are shut, it’s time for some shut-eye.

Tip 4 ‘Electronic’

Now I didn’t use one of these, but I had friends who would swear by Ewan the Sheep.  Ewan sits at a safe distance from baby in the cot, and soothes them to sleep with noises such as a recording of your own heartbeat, rain and the vacuum. He also emits a soothing glow that will send your baby to sleep. Other apps and toys are also out there on the market, that can help baby sleep. Some friends even used white noise off YouTube, or a metronome to help baby off to the land of nod…

Tip 5 ‘Routine’

Everyone is different, has different schedules and different ideas of what kind of parent they want to become. I was always really against routine when I was pregnant…but now I love it. From around 6 months I made sure Alba went to bed at the same time each night, and had the same routine. We would have a bath, brush our teeth, get into our pjs, have a story and milk, then she would get into bed at the same time each evening. Same for her afternoon nap. And the best bit is that she doesn’t mind now who does her routine – whether it’s Gaga (Grandma) or her baby-sitter, she knows her routine and what the outcome will be – sleep! 

There will always be bumps along the road, but getting some sleep will happen eventually. That's before you've even mastered the good cop, bad cop routine. So why not try a sleep tip today, or even share your own tips with Legal & General on Facebook or Twitter? Alba, say bye bye…!