Top ten ways to get your baby to sleep

1.  White/background noise. Some use a the sound of rain or a hairdryer sound on continuous repeat while your baby is daytime napping and at night. It's a supporting approach that helps baby sleep well while parents sleep well.  There don't appear to be any bad side effects, and it makes sense to gradually lower the volume and move on from white noise after a few months.

2. Swaddling. If you are a parent then you have probably already heard about this technique.  A tight swaddle in a comfortable blanket keeps your baby from swinging their hands around and waking themselves up, it is a key to good sleep. You may want to spend the money on a Miracle Blanket but a tight swaddle from a normal blanket can work fine. Again its a good idea to transition out of this technique as the months go by because you don't want your child becoming dependent on the swaddle for sleeping.

3. Don't react to everything:  Small noises should be ignored at night. Often first time parents are ready to jump up and feed or comfort their child on the basis of any sound at night, this can be fine in their early weeks when the child isn't a good sleeper. Remember that a baby will really tell you when it needs something; peeps and snorts can be safely ignored because babies will rise out of heavy sleep into light and back into it many times a night. Better to wait for real noise--not minutes of screaming, but a real "wah wah".  It's tough but you will find that you can suddenly start to have some real sleep, making more quality time available when your baby needs it. From all reports it doesn't damage the child whilst if you leap up every time he or she peeps, you're disturbing his or her sleep. 

Some have suggested using a clock or watch and really waiting for that 10-15 mins to go by - one minute of crying can seem like half and hour to a heart struck parent and the use of a clock or watch can help deal with the pull of the child's sounds.

4. Make night-time feedings, changings, and comforting "dark, quiet, and boring". There is no need to sign and rock late at night to get your child to sleep.  You can see instant improvement from this technique and can apply it pretty much straight away. If you really need to rock your baby back to sleep at night, then perhaps do it rhythmically in a glider chair in the almost dark with perhaps a few nightlights. Avoid the daytime "play sounds" or singing too much as your child will think it is time to wake up fully.

6. "Vitamin  A&D ointment" with nightime nappies:  Then don't change unless you really have to overnight. You may find that you do need to change your baby at some point during the night, but often you may find that 6 to 8 hours can go by before a change is required.  The Vitamin A&D Ointment prevents diaper/nappy rash.  As infants get older their nighttime diapers/nappies may shift from being a mix to almost entirely wet and not very. Check whether you can wait until morning but probably best to be cautious early on or the cot/crib can become a real mess.

7. Consider a Co-sleeper crib/cot. Basically a co-sleeper is a bed sidecar. It means parents can keep their bed as the adult bed whilst keeping your child nearby for nursing and other nighttime needs. Your baby will get used to sleeping in his/her own space, without being too far off.  Arm's Reach seems to make the only co-sleeper and it may be tough to get your hands on one if you are outside the US.  Some may not like this idea as your baby's every move/grumble is likely to wake you.  Another more high-tech option is to buy yourself a baby monitor (which monitors sounds from another room) and then you can listen in or tune out depending on your preference at that time.

8. Daytime naps every 90 to 120 minutes. Babies should generally take a nap from every 1 1/2 to 2 hours during the day. The nap can last from 30 minutes to 2 to 3 hours, but should be in a normal room: maybe a crib/cot with all the general noise and light of the daytime. Remember this is a nap, not nighttime sleep.  Start this only after about 6 weeks and remember to put your baby on their back not just allow a sleep in other positions, also try to use the same cot as you use in the evenings so that your baby is more used to this space for sleeping. Infants may fight the nap for 10 to 15 minutes but with a little rocking, singing, or bouncing on a ball your child can nap well thereafter. These naps can help a lot for the nightime stretch.