Tips for getting 3 month old to fall asleep faster!

[Eryr22]

I have a 3 month old and it seems to be taking longer and longer to get her to sleep each night.

Our bedtime routine consists of keeping lights dim/ voices low, change nappy, get dressed into pjs and sleep suit, feed, dummy and stroking her head until she falls asleep (she won't fall asleep without the dummy!)

It's started taking 90 mins, this evening I'm 90 mins in and no sign of sleep!

Any tips for getting her to fall asleep faster? Help!

Do you bath her? I found my son loved baths and he fell asleep pretty quickly after one x

I'll just add. She was awake for 1 hour before I started her bedtime routine.

I haven't tried a bath. I'm doing it all alone and by the evening I'm so tired that I can't muster up the energy. I think I'll give it a go this week because a 20 minute bath would be a lot less tiring than sitting up with her for 2 hours!! X

My advice is get rid of dummy cold-turkey, it'll be tough for a few days, but you'll find things a lot easier than now (imo). You'll be glad you did when the 4 months regression hits.

And start encouraging self-soothing for day naps at 4 months.

Ultimately its up to you, and you'll approach however you feel is best. Good luck

It sounds like she isn't tired. You can't make anyone go to sleep quicker. Your post is at 7:30, so presumably she was put down at 6, which is very early. Try less late nap or later bed time.

Definitely try it! I hope it helps your baba. Hopefully it'll relax her enough to fall asleep. Whats her naps like during the day? X

At 3m my DCs were falling asleep about 8.30 after cluster feeding all evening. 6pm would have been a nap. We didn't have much success with a routine until later. Whilst what you are doing sounds great, I wouldn't get too hung up on spending hours stroking.

Thank you everyone. It looks like I need to push the bedtime to the right a bit! She usually gets very cranky if I keep her up past 7 but her likes/ dislikes change so quickly that maybe you're right and she just isn't tired?!

@Emmamoo89 During the day she usually has 4 naps that are 40 minutes long. However the last week that has changed and she now seems to be having 3 naps with the middle nap being about 2 hours! Bliss! X

On second thought, that makes me think maybe her sleeping habits have changed this week and that's why she's suddenly taking so long to get to sleep! It used to take 15 minutes and I haven't changed anything 😅

Just keep doing what you're doing. Try bathtime and do a later bedtime 😊 X

If you don't want to bath every night I have some baby lavender oil I think it was £1.50 froma asda I give him a little rub down nice baby massage. If you've never done it google some ways really easy and calming for baby.

DS is a similar age. We let him sleep on us/in the Moses basket downstairs until we’re ready to go to bed. Is this is the sleep you’re thing to get from her or are you putting her to bed in your room then going to bed yourself? Can you wait for her to fall asleep then transfer?

Thank you everyone. I think you're all right that I'm putting her to bed way too early and she's not tired enough.

I'm going to try putting her to bed later and a bath/ massage.

@LeafHunter I tend to put her to sleep in my bedroom, quickly sort her bottles and bits downstairs once she's asleep (with the baby camera on) and then come up and scroll through my phone/ read a book until dream feed time, then I go to sleep. She doesn't like contact naps anymore. I'm so gutted about it 🥺 I miss them now they're gone!