Strange (but true) ways to settle your baby

If you’ve ever spent hours pacing in the halls with a wakeful baby while the rest of the world snoozes, you’ll know how important a good toolkit for settling your little one can be. Forget coffee and breast pads, tried and true strategies that halt crying in its tracks and return sanity to the house are the real new mother essentials. If you’ve tried the walking and the white noise, the pram-pushing, and the patting
to no avail it may be time to mix things up.

We’ve compiled a list of the slightly quirkier strategies tested by mums Australia-wide. Print them out and stick them to the fridge for the next time you need some sleep magic. You never know, they might do the trick!

MUSIC AND MOVEMENT

Forget trying the baby Beethoven, something more contemporary could
be the ticket to snooze town for many children under the age of one..

MEL MILLER, mum to Daniel, 15, Tyler, four, and Henry, one, discovered
Enya was the magical musical elixir to
send her toddler son off to the land of nod.

“Tyler obviously loved my company, why else would he only want to sleep for 20 minutes at a time? We would try anything to encourage him to close his eyes. Driving around the streets at 4am, every baby swing on the market, baby wearing, singing, and nothing worked, until we found Enya! Maximum volume with a bouncing rock to match. Maybe my singing wasn’t up to his standards? Or perhaps he gave in so as not to be exposed to the shrieky tones any longer. Whatever it was, it worked!”

LET’S GET LOUD

While many parents tip-toe around the house when the baby is sleeping, cursing when the microwave dares
 to ding or the cat walks too loudly, some have found that turning up the volume is key to a peaceful nap time. Whether it’s the tumble dryer or lawn mower, the monotony of constant, loud noise that doesn’t change in pitch can actually be soothing.

DAFNI BOCKOS, mum to Jenna, three, and Alyssa, one, found it was the sound of the vacuum cleaner which did the trick for her eldest little lady.

“When my first daughter, Jenna, was a newborn she would scream the house down at 6pm every night without fail. I tried the usual ways to try and get her to settle; cuddles, patting and shooshing, rocking, feeding, but nothing would work. One night when I was feeling stressed and anxious, I started cleaning thinking it would help to clear my head. I started vacuuming outside Jenna’s bedroom door and within seconds she was fast asleep. So, for the next eight to 12 weeks I would consistently vacuum outside her door to help her settle, and surprisingly it really worked! I never thought a loud vacuum would help anyone sleep, but Jenna loved the constant humming sound, and it also helped to clear my head and calm me down when I was stressed, which made me a better mummy.”

DROP AND SQUAT

Walking with the pram is one thing but adding in some butt-crunching moves to the mix with the added bonus of a sleeping baby? This tactic sounds too good to be true!

SAMANTHA NEWLAND, mum to Katrina, three, and Sienna, one, found the rhythmic motion associated with exercises such as squats, alongside the closeness to mum’s chest, the perfect sleep tonic when settling her youngest baby.

“I settle Sienna by holding her close against my chest and doing squats. It originally started by me holding her when I was exercising and I noticed she seemed to drift off. So I started doing squats while holding her when it was time for her to go to sleep, and what do you know, it worked like a charm! Sleeping baby and my butt looks great, too!”

RAIN IS FALLING

Move over white noise, rainfall and water sounds is where it’s at! While technically a form of white noise, the melodious, relaxing tune of falling water is seemingly more effective in some cases, and appears to be just as appealing to newborns as it is to those enjoying a massage at a day spa.

COLETTE BEGUIN, mum to Elliot, three, realised just how powerful rain was as a settling and sleep cue when Elliot was first born.

“With my son, Elliot, I used the SleepStream app on my iPhone.
I used it to play the ocean sounds with piano playing heard in the background. I found it much more effective than the standard white noise and it wasn’t as annoying for me to listen to either! To this day, Elliot still likes sleeping with his ocean sounds.

LET’S GET LOUD

While many parents tip-toe around the house when the baby is sleeping, cursing when the microwave dares
to ding or the cat walks too loudly, some have found that turning up the volume is key to a peaceful nap time. Whether it’s the tumble dryer or lawn mower, the monotony of constant, loud noise that doesn’t change in pitch can actually be soothing.

DAFNI BOCKOS, mum to Jenna, three, and Alyssa, one, found it was the sound of the vacuum cleaner which did the trick for her eldest little lady.

“When my first daughter, Jenna, was a newborn she would scream the house down at 6pm every night without fail. I tried the usual ways to try and get her to settle; cuddles, patting and shooshing, rocking, feeding, but nothing would work. One night when I was feeling stressed and anxious, I started cleaning thinking it would help to clear my head. I started vacuuming outside Jenna’s bedroom door and within seconds she was fast asleep. So, for the next eight to 12 weeks I would consistently vacuum outside her door to help her settle, and surprisingly it really worked! I never thought a loud vacuum would help anyone sleep, but Jenna loved the constant humming sound, and it also helped to clear my head and calm me down when I was stressed, which made me a better mummy.”

THE SLING SNOOZE

Warm, comfy and cuddled close, it’s no wonder newborns and young babies often refuse to sleep anywhere apart from their mother’s chest. When you’ve got other little ones to take care of and a million daily jobs, hours spent on the couch aren’t always possible. Enter the sling snooze.

LEE PRICE, mum to James, three, and Molly, one, used her carrier to great effect, settling Molly in it for naps and sometimes during the night when all else failed.

“I’d never really used a baby carrier with James but when Molly arrived and I had two kids to manage, being hands-free became essential. I got
a Hug-A-Bub stretchy wrap carrier from a friend and it fast became Molly’s favourite spot to sleep. I was using it so much while out and about that it soon became an instant sleep cue and I started using it at home to settle her, especially during ‘witching hour’ or on those nights when nothing else would calm her. I even learned how to breastfeed in it, which added to its settling power.”