If you’ve recently discovered that you're going to be a dad, or your wife has just given birth to your little one, seasoned veterans will be keen to tell you one important fact. You can kiss your sleep goodbye. To be honest, they’re not wrong. It can be incredibly difficult to sleep as a parent which is why most books recommend that if the baby is sleeping you too should be having a good old snooze. That’s why you might find yourself taking a power nap, wrapped in your duvet at 3pm. Although, that does require you to actually get the baby to sleep in the first place and this, my dear friends, is anything but easy. Luckily for you, there are tricks of the trade that can give you sweet dreams.
Give Me Static, Stat!
No idea why this works but it’s been noted enough times on parenting blogs and forums that I tend to believe it. Supposedly, static can be soothing for little ones. It does sound rather odd, but it’s worth a shot if it gives you a solid hour or two of snooze isn’t it? Static, for those who are completely technologically inept, can be achieved by tuning a radio to a frequency with nothing on it. We can only hope it’s not because ghosts love nothing more than singing restless babies to sleep. If you don’t know what I’m on about do check out the ridiculously bad horror movie, White Noise!
Rockabye Baby
Hey, if it’s in a nursery rhyme, there must be something to it, right? You might consider taking your little one out in a pram for a walk around the block before bedtime. A pram naturally rocks a little one as you go for your walk, so by the time you get home you might find they are snoozing softly. Alternatively, you might get the first piece of evidence that your blue eye babe gets travel sick. On the plus side, it’s best to find this one out sooner rather than later. If you don’t want to go for a walk to get your baby to dream then why not look at the wide range of cribs you can rock gently in your home like the Moses basket. Perfectly cosy, this could be the ultimate option for a restless babe.
I Wrote This Song For You Baby Blue
If you are musically inclined, you might want to try singing your little one to sleep or perhaps playing a musical instrument. This might work if you’re not completely tone deaf. Interestingly, babies often remember songs that you sing to them well into their early childhood years. It can be a connection that lasts forever and a rather beautiful way to bond as father and daughter or father and son. Bonus points to the dads who write an original song for their little bundle of joy.
Feels Like Home
Or last but not least, try to recreate their previous environment and let them listen to the mother’s heartbeat. You can record this and then play it back close to the little one. You’ll soon find that they recall their time in the womb and soon drift off to slumberland. Interestingly, this also works for little pups whining accept you can replicate the heartbeat with the tick of the clock. The more you know, huh?