We just reached a milestone. Not sure if it’s a real milestone, but in my house it is! Sienna (my 3rd baby), has passed the 3-month mark. Why is that a milestone you ask? Because 3-months seems to be the sweet spot. The point where things start to become normal. A routine starts to develop. It no longer feels “new” having a baby around.

Like I said, I’m really not sure if that’s a thing. However, it applied to each of my 3 kids. So we are calling it a thing!

This time around, with Sienna, my biggest challenge has been sleep. This baby fights sleep like I have never seen before. I didn’t expect to feel so frustrated. So inadequate. Really like a first time mom that knew nothing about babies. How was it possible?!

Her first two weeks she slept all the time, like any newborn! Then the pendulum swung in the complete opposite direction. She didn’t sleep at all (except at night)! We are talking waking up at 8 AM. Passing out for the night at 1 AM. Maybe a total of 1 hour of sleep all day, spread out. I really didn’t know how it was possible that a newborn would be awake ALL DAY LONG!

It wasn’t for lack of trying. We tried EVERYTHING! Glider chair. Pack N Play. Crib. My bed. Rocking chair. Holding her. Regardless, she would drift off to sleep. You’d think you were home free. Then BAM! Wide awake. Never longer than 10 minutes at a time. It was like she wasn’t capable of sleep.

If anything, those first 3-months taught me that every kid is so very different! What works for one doesn’t always work for another. Also, the issues you have with one may not even come up with the other. Now that I’m on the other side of that 3-month mark, it also taught me that the 3-month milestone still applies!

I can tell you our days have been so much better the last couple of weeks! We’ve started to hit our stride. A routine is developing. Naps are happening…even if they are only in 20-30 minute increments. No longer does she fight sleep the way she did early on.

So here are my best sleep tips. The things that I tried to help save my sanity…and help her sleep. I can’t guarantee all of these will work for you. However, I hope they give you a place to start. Something to try. Also, the hope that when you hit your 3-month milestone you can look back and notice an improvement.

As they say, this too shall pass! Everything is temporary. It will get better!

Sleep Tips For When Your Baby Fights Sleep (in no particular order)
***Use your discretion. There are things mentioned that some mom’s may not be comfortable with.

• Watch for the baby’s natural pattern. Example – Sienna eats every 3-hours. I found that she always wakes and is ready to eat. Then she has alert time where she is awake. In the last hour  (sometimes hour and a half) of that cycle she starts to get a little restless. I have found that this is the best time to put her down for a nap. She goes to sleep easiest at this point. She may only sleep until her next feeding, but it’s sleep!
• White Noise – Get a sound machine or an app on your phone that plays white noise. Turn it up pretty loud. This does two things. First, it helps drown out any other noises in the house. Second, it helps mimic what she was used to in the womb. Apparently, it’s much louder in there than what you would expect so the louder the better.
• Swaddling never worked for any of my kids. They all hated having their arms secured. What I found was using a big crocheted blanket helped give them a little more sense of security. My aunt made one that is perfect because it’s bigger than your typical blanket (and heavier). It helps counteract their startle reflex a bit. Also, it stays in place well and can be tucked in around them for added support. I’ve never had any issues with any of my kids getting caught up in it and always felt it was safe.
• Use a pacifier. My kids always took a pacifier. I feel sometimes like I forced it on them to help them fall asleep better. Never had any issues getting rid of it later. The challenge is that if the baby falls asleep with it, when it falls out they may wake up when they realize it’s gone. Then you play the game of “replace the pacifier” for the next hour.
• Figure out what your baby likes. My 1st baby loved having his face stroked. You may have seen the viral video of the baby that falls asleep with the tissue being pulled down over his face? It’s exactly like that, but I used my fingers. Very lightly started at his forehead and slowly swept down his nose. My 2nd baby liked to be cradled and bounced while you walk around the room. My 3rd baby loves to run her fingers through her own hair. This is all trial and error.
• Put them to sleep where you want them to stay. So don’t hold them until they sleep and expect them to stay asleep when you put them down. Figure out how they best fall asleep while they are down in the place and position you want them in. Believe me, it’s better in the long run. Otherwise, they wake as soon as they realize they aren’t where they were when they fell asleep.
• Get a swing – This gave us some relief. It was not the miracle worker I was hoping for. However, I did get some napping out of it. Especially early on (5-8 weeks) she would sleep a long time (an hour or more). She also got to a point where she would be content sitting there for 15-30 minutes at a time. It gave me a break to get something else done.
• Belly Sleep – Try it! Again, I know there are a lot of mom’s that aren’t comfortable with this recommendation. Just make sure they are on a crib mattress or in a location you feel they can easily lift their head or turn it to breathe properly. You know your baby so use your discretion. I found early on that sometimes she slept better when on her belly. I would even pop the pacifier in her mouth. It’s worth a try.

My Method

Now I’m going to share with you how I put Sienna down to sleep. She and I perfected this so now whenever she’s tired, I can get her to sleep in a matter of minutes by following this process. I will reiterate again, there are likely things in this process not everyone would be comfortable with for their baby. I assure you, we have never had any issues.

1. I lay Sienna on her back. Most of the time she naps on my bed. Even when going to bed at night. Then I just move her to her bed later and she is sound asleep and never wakes.
2. Take her big, crocheted blanket and lay it across her. It should stop right under her arms so her arms are out. Then I take the corner (her left) and pull it up and lay it next to her face with her arm wrapped around it. She LOVES to rub her face on the blanket when she’s tired (photo below).
   
3. Place the pacifier in her mouth. She likes to face the blanket. The blanket then helps hold her pacifier in place. When she stops sucking and it begins to fall out of her mouth, she easily pulls it back when she wants it.
4. Sometimes, I will lay beside her. Always on her left side. Facing her. With her blanket in between us. She likes to have her face close to mine, especially if she’s fussy or having a hard time falling asleep. I typically only have to lay there 1-2 minutes. Then I can quietly move away and she falls asleep.

I’ve never had any concern or issue with the blanket being by her face. She has never pulled the blanket over her face to where she can’t breathe.

This method really is the ONLY way I’ve been able to get Sienna to actually fall asleep and stay that way. There are times she may only nap 20-30 minutes at a time. But the process of getting her to sleep is so simple now that we’ve figured it out!

Truly a lifesaver for my sanity!! What tips do you have to share?