Great Baby Stuff | Teaching an Infant to Sleep

When you have a new baby, you soon discover that teaching an infant to sleep through the night can be an overwhelming task. As it always happens when overwhelming tasks are involved, the solution is based upon simple actions that will make a slight difference until you have a marked change in what is happening: these are known as baby sleep patterns. We are going to focus in a special kind of these actions that can help your baby to find some comfort in her sleeping environment. Of course this will help your own sleep too.

Noise

Well, the truth is that even in a noisy environment is possible to give your baby some comfort and finally help her to sleep. When noise is having a rhythm, you have no longer a noise: you have a repeated pattern you can be accustomed to. Noise patterns are noises that are repetitive and almost monotonous. This will redirect your baby attention and will attenuate the effect of bad environmental noise.

Noise Patterns Can Be Predicted

Try it by yourself: when you hear a repeated noise, this will become familiar. Have you ever had a train trip?

Noise patterns work because being repetitive, they can be predicted, and so you can become accustomed to them. This is the essential process that makes this trick working and gives you a chance to get your baby to sleep through the night.

Sources of Noise Patterns

You are lucky: there are already plenty of noise pattern sources around you in your house. You could experiment with fans, vacuum cleaners, air conditioners, dryers, … Almost every electrical equipment in an operating status can do the job.

There are also non electrical solutions: an old clock with a ticking second hand or running water can be good as well. Music is also a kind of noise pattern (remember? Rhythm). Music with a gentle rhythm is a sensible choice for this kind of patterns.

Recording The Baby Sleep Patterns

If you find a pattern is working, you can record it in a tape and continuous play it when necessary. This can be applied in a myriad of variations: recording your baby's favourite lullaby can do the trick. You can also record mom and dad soft voices and play them to your baby.

You can find help even in your personal computer if you dare; mix a mom and dad's voices with a surrounding noise pattern (a gentle rhythm) and some soft music. You'll have a sure winner.

Learn About The Patterns

Of course there is no need to say that you have to keep track of the patterns you are trying and what you are getting back. Keep trying what worked last until it continues to work.

If you had a winning calming experience (e.g. did you try driving and it worked?) just try to extract the corresponding noise and simulate it some way (I did this with car noise and had much success).

When Noise Patterns Don't Work

Every technique has its flaws and this one isn't different. The point is: why isn't working?

The first cause is that the disturbing external noise is disturbing too much. In this case you can integrate your noise pattern with support. Swing your baby and keep her near your chest. This could give the right start for this strategy to work.

The second cause is that simply your baby doesn't like this noise pattern. You can try, of course, with an alternative noise pattern, especially one with a completely different rhythm.

Keep attention to what is not working and if your baby feels really disturbed by noise but no noise pattern seems to be able to give some relief, probably you are in the third option: some other underlying issue is ongoing and my suggestion is to see if some other basic need is uncovered (i.e. there is an underlying discomfort which is not satisfied): feed your baby, change the diaper, check the temperature and restart with a noise pattern strategy.

Page 2