Sleep aids for babies and toddlers

Here you can read about the effective measures you can take to help your child fall asleep – and how you can properly promote sleep from the start.

The sleep of one’s own children is an issue that keeps many parents awake at night.

  • We all want the best for our children and want to make sure he is safe.
  • The fact is that it is difficult for newborns and babies to distinguish between day and night.

That is why it is often the smallest of us who suffer from sleep problems. Usually mum and dad are also affected as they fight for every bit of rest during this time.

This article will walk you through the best ways to help your child fall asleep quickly.

Development stages and hurdles

Although newborns sleep up to 17 hours in the beginning, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they stick to the night hours.

  • The sleep rhythm is unbalanced and therefore actually not yet available.
  • When the baby is only a few weeks old, it learns the difference between day and night better.

Little by little, the sleep duration of babies continues to decrease . Meanwhile, you can slowly try to bring it to a sleep rhythm.

Tip: It is important to introduce healthy sleeping habits and maintain them right from the start.

In childhood, learned habits usually a lifetime stay long – and protect against later lack of sleep , maintaining sleep problems and sleep disorders .

Which can be a hindrance to falling asleep

As your baby develops and grows, there are always phases when he or she cannot sleep well.

 

Sometimes this is also related to certain developmental steps and conflicts.

  • By around 6 months, many babies are busy coping with separation anxiety.
  • The shooting in of the teeth (so-called teething ) also leads to problems again and again .

Tip: Find out more about sleep in children here .

Sleep aids for babies and toddlers

Would you like to know more about certain sleep aids for the very little ones?

Then you are in the right place. Many other areas of your child’s life can be positively influenced through sleep:

  • If your baby sleeps more restfully at night, it is automatically much more patient and calm.
  • Just as it is the case with us adults (because too little sleep also makes us grumpy).
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I’ve divided the tips for falling asleep into 3 different categories below:

  1. Aids & products that help you sleep
  2. Home remedies for falling asleep faster
  3. Changes in sleeping habits

All of these factors can significantly improve your child’s sleep – and can of course also be used at the same time.

Aids to sleep for the baby

Sometimes neither planning nor a perfect daily rhythm is enough: Babies and small children sometimes simply cannot or do not want to sleep.

Here are some resources that can best assist you during this time.

Cuddly toy or blanket

Introduce a cuddly object! These can be quite ordinary things, such as a stuffed animal, a cozy blanket or a cloth.

It helps the child feel safe when you are not in the room. Help the child accept it and get used to it.

  • You can add it to your evening ritual, for example, or when you cuddle during the day.
  • This, too, can sometimes be a bit of work. The first love object is a very important learning step.

Tip: There are numerous cuddly toys for every taste:

View cuddly toys

Provide exercise (e.g. with a sleeping swing)

When it comes to swinging and weighing, opinions differ. For some parents, exercise is one of the most important ways to help you fall asleep, others find it negative.

What’s right now?

The fact is: Many babies find rocking lightly to be very pleasant. Especially when they are in pain and whine.

  • For this reason, many experts even recommend a cradle that can be rocked .
  • The basis of all these considerations is that movement also takes place in the womb.

Whether it is right for your baby depends entirely on your child’s reaction. For many parents, a swing is a great tool.

But you shouldn’t expect miracles – if baby prefers to cry, then there is often no swing in the world.

In addition, babies get used to rocking over time and therefore do not find it easy to fall asleep themselves. But it is still worth trying.

The slightly gentler method:

With the Sleepy sleeping aid you can convert the cot into a cradle.

The product can be attached to the legs of the cradle. The gentle rocking is reminiscent of movement in the womb.

If your child moves, the bed will begin to swing slightly. This calms down the little one and, in the best case, falls asleep again.

Noises and music

Soothing noises, tones, voices and music have been used by people as sleep aids (e.g. music pillows) for a long time.

The fact that babies definitely have their preferences is shown not least by the fact that they recognize their mother’s voice in the womb.

Perhaps you still remember your favorite lullabies from your childhood and sing them to your own children.

  • It’s not about singing a perfect song.
  • Your baby will hear nothing better than your familiar, gentle voice.
  • Often, humming or speaking rhythmically is enough to calm babies.

White noise has been shown to help babies fall asleep.

Interesting: This study ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2405784 ) showed that 80 percent of newborns who heard white noise fell asleep spontaneously within 5 minutes.

Tip: The Doodoo Bear calms down with natural sounds from the womb and thus makes it easier to switch to the outside world.

Put on the right pillow

A suitable pillow is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to improve sleep.

  • It should be at the right height and support you in your individual sleeping position .
  • For neck problems, for example, a neck roll helps, if you sleep on your side, a side pillow is recommended.

You can’t start early enough to look for the right variant here.

 

You can read more about this here: Pillow purchase advice .

Home remedies for falling asleep

Herbal sleep aid is always better than taking medication right away. Especially when it comes to babies or toddlers, many parents want to stick with natural remedies.

  • Some of the most famous home remedies include some plants that you can also find in nature with us.
  • Those who prefer to be on the safe side can also find out more about various home remedies for babies in the pharmacy.

Warning: Be aware, however, that babies may suffer from allergies. Therefore, it is important to use these funds carefully at first.

chamomile

Chamomile contains a multitude of healthy ingredients and is considered to be a helpful remedy for problems falling asleep .

 

Chamomile is mostly available as a tea or in dried form .

In addition, chamomile also helps with abdominal pain, fever and other aches and pains. Many recommend the use especially in the dental phase or as a sleeping tea .

Tip: If you are unsure, it is best to discuss with your doctor how best to use the plant.

lavender

Lavender oil has been used for a long time for insomnia and restless sleep or to simply ensure better, deeper sleep – even in children.

It has a calming effect and helps with various restless states.

Add a few drops of the oil to the evening bath or place the bottle on the bedside table. Alternatively, you can buy a bath product that contains lavender.

Again, be sure to watch out for signs of an allergy!

Homeopathic sleep aid for toddlers

Especially when children have persistent or recurring sleep disorders, parents look for ways to treat them naturally.

 

Homeopathy can be very helpful here.

  • In short: sleep problems in children are often related to fears and insecurities.
  • This is exactly where many homeopathic remedies come into play – for example various globules.

These baby globules help babies sleep through the night. Simply place one or two small balls on your tongue with your last meal.

Change daily routine & sleeping habits

It is never too late to ensure a healthy sleep rhythm with restful sleep phases in order to have more energy yourself.

It is often difficult to establish a routine at first.

However, as soon as your child learns the difference between day and night, you can carefully introduce them to “night sleep”.

It is best to create an environment that supports your baby’s sleep:

Exploiting light

While darkness provokes the release of melatonin – a key hormone for sleeping – light activates and makes us wake up more easily.

With the right lighting conditions, you can naturally introduce your baby to a regular daily routine.

Keep the following rule of thumb in mind: keep the days bright and the nights dark!

During the day, sunlight ensures the correct hormone release

During the day you should let the sunlight into the rooms or, ideally, even go outside.

It can also be light in the room during a nap during the day .

  • If you want to stimulate the child’s sleepiness even better in the evening, you can install light dimmers.
  • You can dim the lights in the evening to naturally prepare the baby for sleep.

Tip: If your baby wakes up at night, make sure you switch on as few lights as possible (or preferably dimmed lights).

Opaque noise protection curtains ensure darkness and silence.

Wait for drowsiness

Many babies fall asleep while breastfeeding – or while being rocked around the room.

  • The problem with this is that they don’t get to know the right situation that should actually prevail when falling asleep.
  • Therefore, take your baby to bed when they are sleepy, not when they are asleep.

In this way, children learn to combine lying down in bed with falling asleep.

New routines take time to get used to, but it’s worth it

Even this habit may seem difficult to implement at first, but over time it can save you desperate hours.

  • Babies who fall asleep this way learn to calm down better.
  • It is therefore not recommended to use breastfeeding as a sleep aid.

Over time you will also find it easier to correctly assess how sleepy your baby is.

Bedtime routine

A sleep ritual gives your baby a sense of security.

It experiences in its own body that the same thing happens at the same time every day. So you can adjust to what is coming: going to bed.

Tip: In the best case scenario, the surroundings in the bedroom should always remain the same. Pay attention to the right humidity & align the bed appropriately .

The routine should be a calm and enjoyable activity. Habits that appeal to multiple senses work best. So even a little baby can understand it better.

The best sleeping rituals:

  • To take a bath
  • Read a story
  • Cuddling
  • Sing a lullaby

Of course, you can also combine several activities as long as your baby does not react excitedly.

Closing word

I hope you found this article on sleeping aids for children helpful.

You are also welcome to read the accompanying text for adults: The best sleep aids .

In addition, the article Sleep in Children: How to Promote it is very worth reading for parents.

 

On this page you can read everything you need to know about sleep – and find out what measures you can take to improve your night’s sleep:

  1. If you want to sleep better, then read on through these numerous sleeping tips .
  2. The bedroom category provides helpful tips on how to best furnish your bedroom .
  3. In the next section you will find more information on common sleep problems and sleep disorders .
  4. We explain current studies (understandable for everyone) in the category of sleep research .

You can significantly improve your sleep with just a few measures. In addition to habits like a sleep ritual, you can of course also rely on the right environment.

Take a few minutes to get a good night’s sleep.

I created Sleep Knowledge to share my interests and experiences on healthy sleeping with others. On this page I am therefore dealing with interesting questions about the optimal night’s sleep & everything else that goes with it.

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