In my last post I looked at why babies fall asleep more readily in a pram or stroller that is moving. But as with my daughter, some babies still seem to fight the sleep and resist drifting off for as long as is humanly possible.
Here are some tips from my own experience and from friends on how to get them asleep more quickly in the pram.
- Keep moving for at least 10 minutes without stopping. This may involve planning a route that doesn’t involve stopping to cross a busy road. After this period your baby should be in a deeper sleep.
- Wheeling over rougher ground or uneven paving stones creates the soothing rocking motion that calms the baby.
- Make sure your little one is warm enough in colder weather and cool enough in warm weather. This seems obvious I know, because even as adults we find it harder to fall asleep if we’re either too hot or freezing cold in bed.
- Linked to the point above, younger babies might prefer to be swaddled in the pram. The snug feeling of being wrapped could help them to relax and fall asleep more quickly.
- Keep the hood or sun shade up. This has 2 purposes, firstly it reduces visual stimuli that will intrigue your little one and keep them awake. The second reason is that moving between bright sunshine and shadows can disturb their sleep particularly if they are just drifting off.
Hopefully these tips are helpful..
You might also find this interesting: Why does my baby wake up when the pram stops moving?