How to Get Newborn to Sleep in Bassinet
In order to work out how to get your newborn to sleep in their bassinet, you need to work out why they won’t.
When you see it from their perspective, a bassinet it often cold, unfamiliar and away from you (even if you’re right next to them in bed).
Your newborn baby will want to sleep on you.
Fact.
You’re all they’ve ever known. You’ve been their home the past 9 - 10 months. You’re their comfort.
Contents
So, what can you do? The best way to get your baby to sleep in their bassinet is to make it a more soothing, welcoming place. The secret is a sheepskin on top of the baby mattress and underneath the sheet. Sheepskin has unbelievable properties.
In those first few early days, I couldn’t sleep a wink because I chose to let my baby sleep on me.
My newborn baby seemed so much happier but I was basically awake all night watching her sleep. Checking her airways were clear. Checking she was happy. Watching her beautiful face.
On reflection, those nights were magical. She was out of my belly and in the world! I had waited for so long to meet her and here she was. Her soft purr of her breath was the best noise in the world.
There’s nothing more peaceful than the whole world being asleep while you lay awake with your precious bundle of joy watching her sleep.
BUT, in reality I was in the most uncomfortable position ever with my head jutted forward from the bedstead and my lower back in absolute agony. I didn’t want to move an inch in case I woke up my newborn baby so I was frozen at the most uncomfortable angle pretty much all night.
There was no way I could carry on like that.
However, we had a problem.
Our newborn baby would NOT go down in her bassinet.
How to get newborn to sleep in bassinet was a mystery to me. And clearly is for so many parents.
And really, how can we expect a newborn baby to go to sleep in a bassinet or moses basket when they’ve never done that before? They want you, not a cold bassinet.
My daughter woke up the second we put her down. It was like she had bat like sensors. As soon as any part of her body touched that bassinet she was WIDE AWAKE.
All the empathy in the world wasn’t getting me anywhere. I couldn’t put her on my chest and watch her sleep all night because I needed sleep too.
The bassinet was my only option.
So, how to make a bassinet a more attractive option for your newborn?
Solution
Well, here’s the lifesaving answer
I worked out an amazing solution that made sure my baby WAS happy to go down in her bassinet as ultimately, at least for us, baby sleeping in the bassinet was the best thing for everyone.
How to get newborn to sleep in bassinet is quite the art form and I found one thing that worked every single time.
It was literally magical.
It is just one, expensive but bloody worth it, item that became my sleep staple.
A sheepskin.
You heard me right.
A sheepskin.
It has to be 100% natural. It can’t be dyed a different colour or half sheepskin, half polyester. It has to be pure sheepskin and absolutely natural.
This one is similar to the exact one I bought from Jojo Maman Bebe because it fitted in our Snuzpod bassinet perfectly and had a dense pile which is great for supporting baby.
The thing is, a sheepskin may seem expensive at first and a total luxury but you’ll end up wanting to buy two because you’ll use it literally everyday and take it everywhere.
My sheepskin was in the pram/stroller, the Moses basket and the Snuzpod.
In fact, at one point it felt like all I did was remove the sheepskin from the bassinet, put it into the pram and then take it out of the pram again at nap time and repeat!
Woe is me, but honestly the effort at the time! It felt like a lot.
But the point is, sheepskin works.
And it isn’t a fluke. It works for a reason. There are science backed, specific reasons why sheepskin is the solution on how to get a newborn to sleep in their bassinet.
The Magical Properties of Sheepskin
Here are the incredibly impressive reasons why sheepskin can help a newborn sleep in their bassinet
Sheepskin helps to regulate body temperature, which is perfect for newborns as they cannot yet regulate their own body temperature
Sheepskin is naturally hypoallergenic so it prevents dust mites naturally
Sheepskin also has excellent moisture wicking properties, which will keep your baby’s skin dry – helping to reduce skin irritation and rashes
Studies have shown that babies settle quicker and cry less when swaddled with merino wool (this will also apply to sheepskin)
Now, it’s totally understandable if you’ve never used sheepskin before and have some concerns.
Your number one priority as a parent is to ensure your baby is safe.
It’s important to do your own research, especially regarding SIDS
However, official studies have come up with the following statement:
“We conclude that if an infant needs to be placed prone to sleep for medical reasons, a sheepskin should not be used as underbedding. However, for infants placed supine to sleep, sheepskins are not associated with an increased risk of SIDS.” - PubMed
Supine means sleeping on your back and according to this study when a baby is sleeping on their back there is no impact on SIDs at all. It is absolutely safe.
And for us, sheepskin was like magic.
Our baby went from crying as soon as she was put down in her bassinet to not crying at all.
We put her down, waited for it, and no cry came.
It was perfect and felt like such a lovely way to soothe our baby without forcing her into some cry it out method when she was only newborn.
SO, how do you keep sheepskin totally safe?
So, let’s be clear – it is safe. The official report states that when a baby sleeps prone, sheepskin has no impact on SIDs.
Stick to shorthaired sheepskin. The dense pile gives better weight distribution and comfort
Make sure the sheepskin you choose is made without harmful chemicals so your baby doesn’t breathe in any dangerous chemicals from treating the sheepskin
Better yet, choose OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified sheepskin (baababy is a good website)
Best websites for sheepskin baby products
1. Baababy
2. Woolroom
3. Amazon
Other gorgeous sheepskin products for babies
Sheepskin Products
1. Flatbear (suitable after one year as no soft toy should be in your baby’s cot for the first year)
2. Pram liner
I cannot rave enough about wool.
It is the super power of all materials (apart from hemp and linen) but that’s a story for another day.
Wool could save the world
By choosing sheepskin you increase your baby’s frequency so they’re operating at a 500 mHz.
A healthy happy human being operates at a frequency of 100 mHz.
That means wool is operating at a higher frequency with the potential to energise and increase your frequency.
All we are is vibration - a solid, liquid or gas is only so because of the rate of vibration of it’s atoms.
That means it’s massively important what we expose ourselves and our babies to. A higher rate of vibration will make us feel happier, more energetic and more able to learn, grow and develop.
SO, enough vibration for one day let’s talk about laundry!!
The all important question is how on earth do you care for your sheepskin if the inevitable happens?
If you can’t throw your sheepskin in the washing machine is it going to become too high maintenance?
How to clean sheepskin
You won’t believe it but I actually ended up shampooing and blowdrying my sheepskin.
I had a sudden and unexpected house proud moment when my midwife came round and the sheepskin was looking a bit green (literally green. My baby had just been sick on it).
With a little bit of soapy water, a blast from a hair dryer and half an hour later, wow, it looked good.
There’s nothing more satisfying than a beautifully white, fluffy sheepskin.
My midwife was slightly bewildered that I had such a clean baby sheepskin but she was happy everything seemed to be going well!
How to clean sheepskin
Without becoming a sheepskin lady (like a cat lady but with sheepskin)
The truth is, you don’t have to wash it often. An air for thirty minutes outside is more than enough. Keep it simple. The only time you will have to wash your baby’s sheepskin is if an accident happens.
How to clean sheepskin
Do not machine wash
Hand wash - use a bowl of warm soapy water (try this liquid soap to be completely natural and safe)
Blow dry with a normal hairdryer
Brush as you blow dry for a super fluffy look
In total, I only ended up washing my sheepskin three times in it’s lifetime of three years. My sudden house proud moment was not repeated many times.
Each time I washed the sheepskin was because my baby was lying nappy-free on it. And you can guess what happened! SO, if you’re not a big cleaner or don’t want a high maintenance product, just make sure to only put your baby on it for ten minutes at a time before putting them in a nappy.
Nappy free time is important. However, when a sheepskin is about, it’s not worth the risk!
So, a sheepskin does not need to be high maintenance.
In fact, it’s naturally self-cleaning and so all it needs is a regular air outside.
You will only need to clean your baby sheepkin if the inevitable happens.
Especially, if your sheepskin remains under the cot sheet during the night and you only use a sheepskin in your baby’s pram/stroller during the day for the first year of their life.
You’ll need to wash a sheepskin more often if you continue to use it after your baby’s first year when it’s acting as a pram/stroller liner because there’ll be more snacks happening and of course, a much higher chance of spillages.
After the first year, when the bassinet became a distant memory in our household, we ended up keeping our sheepskin for holidays because it was the perfect thing to go on top of the travel cot mattress to make it more comfortable.
Summary of how to get newborn to sleep in bassinet
Let your baby sleep on you for a few nights if you’re comfortable and safe (follow the official guidelines to avoid SIDS)
The point is - recognise that things will be different for the first few nights with your newborn baby and they may need extra soothing as they have never slept without you before
A bassinet is the perfect place for baby to sleep next to your bed where you can rest in the knowledge that they’re safe
Try a natural sheepskin underneath the cot sheet of your bassinet. This creates a comfort and will soothe your baby. Sheepskin will naturally help to keep your newborn baby cool in the summer and warm in the winter
Newborn Baby Sheepskin Kit
Sheepskin
Castille Natural Soap - (how to clean sheepskin is with a handwash, lukewarm soapy water and a hairdryer and brush afterwards)
Sheepskin Brush
How to sleep from 7pm to 7am
Abundant Baby Sleep Course
If you want to learn how to sleep through the night from 7pm to 7am the Abundant Baby Sleep Course is a video sleep course with six extensive modules from newborn all the way to five years and beyond.
During the video course you will learn:
How get 12 hours of sleep at night and 2 - 3 hours during the day
A positive sleep routine which will benefit the growth and development of your wonderful baby and the happiness and energy of you, the wonderful mama!
Exact sleep schedules according to your baby’s age
Ideal solutions on how to cope with major sleep obstacles such as teething, separation anxiety and sleep regressions
Allow me to be your lifesaver and support you as you embark on a sleep journey with the Abundant Baby Sleep course.
Why not be one step ahead and purchase the course BEFORE giving birth or at the early newborn stage.
This is the perfect time to watch the course at your own pace and get ahead with exactly what to expect when your baby arrives.
By preparing beforehand you’re able to recognise sleep regressions and you won’t even blink when major sleep obstacles come along like teething, separation anxiety and learning to crawl.
PHEW, there’s a rollercoaster to come but with a solid sleep routine you’ll both get the sleep you need to feel happy, healthy and positive.