3 parent techniques to help your baby fall asleep

Baby's sleep is an important milestone on the path to independence, and there are always so many questions about it. Parents want to support their baby as best they can when it comes to falling asleep, whether for naps or the evening bedtime, but finding THE technique that actually works isn't always easy. Every child is different, and what works for one won't necessarily work for another — even within the same family. As a parent, you have to adapt, try things out, and start again until you find what suits you. Here are 3 techniques to help your baby fall asleep:

Technique 1: Establishing a bedtime routine

After your baby's first few weeks, it is important to start putting in place what is known as a bedtime routine. From around 8 weeks old (give or take, depending on the child), a baby begins to distinguish day from night, and this is the moment when it is important to introduce small habits that will help reassure them.

Each evening, at around the same time, you could, for example, give your child a bath, then put them in their pyjamas, go to their room and read them a short story with the lights dimmed, give them their bottle or breastfeed them, and finally put them to bed.

It doesn't matter what you choose to do or in what order you do it, as long as it suits you and your baby. You simply need to keep to this routine — even when you're travelling — so that your baby maintains their sense of security.

Technique 2: Using mum's scent

A fairly simple technique that works very often is to reassure baby using their mum's scent. So, how does it work? Nothing could be simpler: take a comforter or a small clean cloth and keep it against you for a few hours. At bedtime, give it to your baby so they can have your scent close by — it will soothe them and help them fall asleep.

Technique 3: Swaddling

Swaddling involves wrapping your baby in a cloth in a very specific way so as to limit their movements. This technique helps to suppress the famous Moro reflex that newborns have up to a certain age, and also to contain them snugly, just as they were when inside their mother's womb.

Finally, do bear in mind that there are many other techniques parents use to get a baby to sleep, such as a night light, singing a song, the 5/10/15 method, rocking... Some parents try many before finding the one that works, but it's important to remain patient and stay as calm and relaxed as possible. Here are a few tips to help you establish a bedtime routine that can really help soothe your baby.

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