Trying to get your kid to sleep for more than one or two hours can often feel like a never-ending battle. Even though we know babies won't sleep longer until their bodies are biologically ready, we still sometimes find ourselves caught in a showdown with our children in the wee hours of the night simply because LO just ain't feeling it.
Thankfully, there are moms who've survived these battles and are here to tell their tales — including how they helped get baby to sleep while maintaining some semblance of their sanity. From wielding the power of viral "sorcery" to harnessing the benefits of common household appliances, here are some unusual ways moms got their babies to sleep a little longer that could work for your child.
The Fidget Spinner
"My husband had to lay my daughter on his chest, lay on the kitchen floor, and spin in circles." — Anonymous
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Dryer Magic
"I put her in her car seat, put the car seat on top of the dryer, and turned it on." — Anonymous
'Love Pats'
"Nighttime cough syrup works wonders … kidding! Honestly what put my kids to sleep was patting their bottoms until they got drowsy. My 1-year-old doesn't do it anymore but my 4-year-old will sometimes climb on the couch and request 'love pats' to relax him." — RDragoo, a CafeMom community member
Break Out the Vacuum
"One time I was having a little party at the house, and each person who arrived paused in the entryway, listened for a moment, and then asked, 'Is that your vacuum cleaner running upstairs?' At which point, I told them to just ignore it. It was in the hall outside my daughter's room because it was the only way I could get her to nap!" — Anonymous
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Bake Bread
"I lived in a small apartment above a bakery that was enchanted with the magical smell of baking bread you could almost taste. My husband and I ended up moving a few months after our daughter was born to a bigger place.
"I started noticing after time that my baby girl wouldn't cry as much whenever I baked bread in the oven — so I made it a point to try and keep dough ready in the event LO was having a tough day and needed to smell the enchanting aroma of bread baking in the oven.
"It worked every time." — Margaret G.
'Make Painful Noises'
"I make painful noises, as if I'm so tired, it hurts. They always take to that, because that is how tired they feel! So they feel heard, and they know I am aware of their pain. Just rock them to those noises and they all fall asleep!" — Anonymous
Sizzling Skillet
"My 5-month-old just loves the sound of something cooking in the kitchen. Bacon sizzling in the skillet: He goes to sleep. Pan-searing chicken: He goes to sleep. Making pancakes — and burning them: He goes to sleep. I've saved so much money eating in just to make sure he stays asleep! Thank you, son!!" — Beverly P.
Hike After Dark
"Put baby in a hiking backpack and walked two-plus miles every night after dark." — Anonymous
Drive to Grandma's
"My mother lives 20 minutes from my house. Whenever Tinsley [my baby girl] cries, I hop in the car and drive to Grandma's house and that usually knocks her out. My mom loves being able to kiss her forehead each time!" — Mariel Y.
Winter Stroll
"Whenever he [my son] was really fussy and we couldn't figure out why, my husband would just take him outside in the cold air and he'd calm right down and go back to sleep! He was born in January and has always been a 'hot sleeper.'" — Anonymous
More from CafeMom: 50 Tricks to Try When You Can't Get Your Baby to Sleep
Break Out the Video Games
"My husband often takes the nightshift — waking me up to nurse, but taking care of LO before and after. He's always into playing video games and would sometimes have troubles falling back asleep if and when our girl would cry through the night. We noticed Carli started falling asleep every time he played Call of Duty … so, guess what our go-to way to get her to sleep is?
"My husband gets to play his game, my daughter gets some rest, and I get time to myself. Win-win situation." — Everly S.
Master Somersaults
"One of my daughters had her nights and days switched around. I told my mom and she said turn her (somersault-style) head-over-heels three times. I was so desperate, I tried it. Sure enough, it worked. She was sleeping eight hours at night (most nights) by 6 weeks old." — Anonymous
'Om Sorcery'
"Did you see that Facebook video of a dad who wooed his baby to sleep with a chant?! I thought it was legit BS until I used his 'Om sorcery' to get my twins to sleep a couple weeks ago. It definitely works — and is the most random and awesome way to comfort crying babies to sleep!" — Rachel V.
Sing Baby-Making Music
"I should've known the very music used to help bring my son into the world would be the songs the help get him to bed. My little guy loves Marvin Gaye, Teddy Pendergrass, and some Jodeci." — Cheryl P.
Scare Your Kid
"My oldest was two when Monsters Inc. came out, and he loved it but was scared of Randall. He was really bad about going to bed and would fight, and fight, and fight to stay awake. One night, I was stretching and my toenail scraped along the wall and he freaked out huddling down saying that Randall was after him. I looked at him and he was laying so still with his eyes closed tight and the horrible Mommy that I am told him, 'If you stay really still and go to sleep Randall can't find you.' Five minutes later, he was out. I used that trick for two years without fail and now that he's 13, he still laughs and tells his friends how his mom got him to sleep at night." — Anonymous
Remain Silent
"Don't talk to baby, just get up, feed, diaper, back to sleep. No night light, nothing, just do everything you need to do in the dark." — celestegood, a CafeMom community member
More from CafeMom: The Biggest Baby Sleep Mistake You're Probably Making Right Now
Make No Eye Contact
"I don't do eye contact before bedtime. It always got her even more energized and excited, so I stop it about 20 minutes before it's time to put her down." — Anonymous
Wash Your Car
"I could've saved hundreds of dollars buying books about tips to help your child sleep when all I had to do was take my dirty car through the car wash. The best $9.99 spent that's my go-to — in case of emergency — way to get my daughter to sleep for more than three hours." — Caitlin W.
'Swimming Pool White Noise'
"When my daughter was just a few months old and my oldest was in swimming lessons, we found that every time we went to his lesson she would fall asleep and nap the entire time. So at home, we downloaded a swimming pool white noise recording and she would fall asleep within a couple of minutes." — Anonymous
Lavender Magic
"Lavender! I put some drops on a tissue, and put the tissue on the floor near the crib, and it works its magic." — Anonymous
Belt Out 'Bingo'
"The only thing that worked for her for quite some time was singing 'BINGO' (was his name-o) while touching her face. You had to sit down with her facing you in your lap, sing the song over and over, and just run your fingers over her cheeks. No other song would work and you could not skip the face thing. Otherwise she would fight sleep and cry like you wouldn't believe." — Anonymous
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Chill Out
"We got a box fan, and he used that for years. When I wanted him to wake up, I'd turn the fan off and his head would pop right up." — Anonymous
Swing by the Fire
"My youngest went through a period where she'd only sleep in her swing, facing the fireplace, with a fire going. We went through sooooo much firewood." — Anonymous
Become a One-Woman Circus
"With my son, every time I wanted to get him to sleep, I had to turn on the vacuum, nurse him, bounce him, sing to him, and pat his bottom. All at the same time for each and every nap and bedtime for a minimum of 15 minutes but sometimes up to two hours." — Anonymous
