Baby who won't fall asleep

Some babies can fall asleep on their own naturally, but many need help. Some just a few minutes of nursing or rocking, while others have considerably more difficulty falling asleep and the process can take a long time. This page is for you if you have a baby who struggles to fall asleep, primarily aged 0 to 4 months.

You've probably already tried a dark room, white noise, patting, the pram, the car and adjusting wake windows. Here are additional strategies to try, with the available research behind them.

Why does baby scream and refuse to sleep?

This is sometimes called the "witching hour." It means that a baby who is usually content becomes very unsettled in the evening, often between 5 PM and 11 PM. The period typically starts at a few weeks of age, peaks around weeks 6–8, and fades by 3–4 months. The pattern follows the so-called normal crying curve and has been observed in every culture studied.¹

During this period, it's especially important to try to avoid overtiredness. When an infant has been awake for a long time, arousal and stress levels increase, which can make it harder to wind down and fall asleep. Advice to "let them get even more tired" usually makes things worse. But even if you do everything you can to avoid overtiredness, the evening fussiness may persist. It's biologically driven and will pass.¹

A well-fed baby falls asleep more easily

The "eat, play, sleep" tip, not feeding baby close to sleep, is popular in parenting forums. The idea is to prevent the baby from associating feeding with falling asleep. This can be a good tip if the baby already falls asleep relatively easily, or if you're planning to sleep train. But if you have a baby who doesn't fall asleep easily on their own, this tip can make things harder, since you then need to work harder to get them to sleep. Not all babies fall asleep from nursing or bottle-feeding either, but a well-fed baby falls asleep more easily, which can be worth taking advantage of.

Rocking in your arms

Rocking the baby in your arms is the most common way to help an infant fall asleep. The most common position is probably the classic cradle hold (baby lying in the crook of your arm), but many babies prefer being held upright against the chest or shoulder, or face-down on your forearm (sometimes called the colic hold).

The reason rocking works so well is that rhythmic movement activates the vestibular system (the sense of balance), which has a documented calming effect on infants.² Skin-to-skin contact can support physiological stability and stress regulation, and several studies report lower cortisol reactivity or lower cortisol after skin-to-skin contact, particularly in connection with stressors.³ ⁴ Most studies on skin-to-skin contact have been conducted on premature infants, but the underlying biological mechanisms (oxytocin release, cortisol reduction) apply to full-term babies as well.

Baby carrier or wrap

Carrying the baby in a wrap or carrier provides the same type of rhythmic movement and body contact as rocking in your arms, but frees your hands and reduces strain on your back. Carrying itself, especially combined with walking, activates the transport response and lowers heart rate.⁵ ⁶

The movement pattern also matters. Some babies prefer small, quick movements while others are soothed better by slow, wide swaying. There is no research comparing which movement patterns work best, but a study (1981) found that continuous rocking soothed newborns more effectively than rocking with pauses.⁷ It can be worth trying different combinations of position and movement to see what works.

Bounce on an exercise ball

Sitting on an exercise ball and bouncing with baby in your arms is a method that works for many parents, even when other approaches don't. It's less physically demanding than walking around, though it can cause back strain over time. The rhythmic movement is the same type as rocking and stimulates the same calming vestibular system.²

There are no specific studies on exercise balls with infants. Biomechanical research on related everyday activities (such as bouncing on the knee) shows that these movements produce low accelerations.⁸ Always support the baby's head and neck, especially if the baby cannot yet hold their head up on their own.

Nurse and rock simultaneously in a carrier

If you breastfeed, it can be effective to combine nursing with carrying and rocking, for example nursing in a wrap or carrier during a walk. This combines several calming factors at once: closeness, sucking, satiety, and rhythmic movement.⁵ ⁶

Take breaks for your own sake

It can be demanding to try to get an unsettled baby to sleep, especially when it takes a long time. It's perfectly okay to take breaks, even if it means the baby falls asleep later. If you feel frustrated: put the baby down in a safe place and take a short break. It's easier to calm the baby when you yourself are calm. A baby's difficulty falling asleep is not caused by something the parent is doing wrong. Some babies simply need more help.⁹