One of the most timeless ways to help your baby relax and fall asleep is to give them a bath.  Ask new parents and old parents alike, and almost everyone will agree that giving a baby a bath is one of the best ways to help gently nudge them into the dreamland of baby sleep.

 

Why does this work so well for most babies?  The answer probably lies in a baby’s internal thermometer.  Sleep studies have shown that one of the body’s first physical reactions to sleep is a fairly rapid drop in body temperature.  In other words, when a person falls asleep, their body temperature drops off.

 

So, what does this have to do with giving your baby a bath?  To make it easier to understand, think of what happens to you when you step out of a hot bath, or a hot shower.  You’re probably very warm right away, but pretty soon you will cool down.  The same thing happens to your baby.  As soon as they come out of their warm bath, they are warm all over.  But within minutes, their body temperature starts to drop back down to normal, and it is this drop in body temperature that “tricks” their body to feel relaxed and sleepy.

 

Next time you need to get your baby to sleep, remember this little trick and break out the rubber-duckies and bubble bath!  A good night’s sleep for both you and your baby may be just around the corner.

 

Andrew Dolbin-MacNab

Pediasleep LLC

 

---

 

     About the Author:

 

Andrew Dolbin-MacNab is a father, sound-engineer, and the founding member of Pediasleep LLC, a leader in the production of white noise and other soothing sounds to aid the healthy sleep of infants, cosleepers, and parents. Having successfully survived his daughter's early sleep problems with the help of white noise, he is also an expert on infant sleep problems and their solutions. Pediasleep can be found online at http://www.Pediasleep.com.