How to Get a Sick Baby to Sleep

Is your baby feeling unwell and struggling to sleep? Learn how to get a sick baby to sleep and keep him comfortable.

After almost a year of never being sick, my baby finally succumbed to a fever and cold. Sure, the fever was only 99.6 degrees, but that, combined with a bad cold for the last few days, made going to sleep nearly impossible.

Over the previous few months, I finally helped him sleep through the night. But now that he was sick, we were back to frequent wake-ups and sleeping a couple hours at a time. He’d wake up crying, which didn’t exactly encourage him to go back to sleep.

As tough as learning how to get a sick baby to sleep can be, it’s one that every mom will face at some point.

Perhaps you have no idea what to do to help your little one sleep. Evenings are a challenge, taking several hours just to get him to finally settle down. You’ve relented to getting him to sleep whatever way you can—placing him in the swing or sitting in a recliner while holding him in your arms.

As awful as you feel for him, being sick also affects your day, from not getting anything done, to having to take time off of work. With a fever and stuffy nose, he’s more restless, refusing to sleep in his usual spots. And forget about naps—the longest stretches you can get him to sleep is all but 25 minutes.

With a sick baby screaming at night, sleep regression has never been this bad.

How to get a sick baby to sleep

The good news is that common colds and sick issues are temporary. As tough as they are, at least you know they’ll eventually end.

Still, that doesn’t make the days or nights any easier while you’re in the thick of it. And you might even worry that these new habits—co-sleeping, waking through the night, feeding to sleep—will be difficult to undo.

Rest assured, friend, even if you can’t remember what a good night feels like anymore, you’re not alone. Take a look at what you can do to help your sick baby finally fall asleep:

1. Keep wake times shorter than usual

The biggest frustration with getting a sick baby to sleep is that you know just how important it is for him to actually fall asleep. Rest is, after all, the best thing anyone sick can do. Our bodies simply need to shut down and rest.

But with congestion and coughing, your baby doesn’t exactly have the best chances of sleeping in long stretches. Plus, this lack of sleep only makes him grumpy and fussy, which makes falling asleep even more challenging than it already is.

The best thing to do? Limit how long your baby is awake. If he’s normally awake for two hours, keep him up for no more than an hour and a half. Avoid stimulating experiences, and stay at home instead.

By keeping wake times short and your days subdued, you’re giving him more chances to fall asleep—even if he sleeps in short chunks. Even better: let him sleep all day if he needs to. Ditch the schedule and give him the chance to rest and catch up on lost sleep.

Free resource: Interested in learning about teaching him to self soothe? Join my newsletter and get a preview of How to Teach Your Baby to Self Soothe. This chapter is all about the mindset needed for successful self-soothing and helping him put himself to sleep. As one parent said:

As one parent said:

“Hi just wanted to say thank you. I bought your baby sleep guide and it worked from the first night. We are on our third night and our six month old daughter is settling herself in her own room. Your guide really resonated with me and out of three sleep guides I bought, it was yours that gave me the best mindset and confidence to do it. Your guide is really the best I have come across because you covered all scenarios which gave me the confidence not to give up. I didn’t panic when she cried as you had prepared me for that. I wish I had come across you first as I was really struggling with sleep deprivation so I am grateful for your help. Thank you so much!” -Donna Fendick

2. Keep your baby comfortable

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links, which means I will earn a commission—at no extra cost to you—if you make a purchase.

Increase your baby’s chances of falling asleep by making his sleep experience as comfortable as possible. You might:

Give him medicine to keep his fever down (check with his pediatrician first)
Use a humidifier in his room
Clear his nose with a nasal aspirator and saline solution
Turn on white noise so he isn’t startled awake by random sounds
Dress him in comfortable clothes

He already feels miserable from being sick as it is. Helping him stay comfortable can increase his chances of falling and staying asleep.

Is your 6 month old waking every 2 hours? Here’s what to do.

3. Keep your baby’s head elevated

Most common colds are extra uncomfortable when we sleep completely horizontally. And since most babies sleep on flat surfaces with no pillows, it’s no wonder many wake up mid-sleep crying and frustrated.

Instead, keep your baby’s head elevated as he sleeps. One idea is to fold a towel and place it on top of the mattress but beneath the sheet for his head to rest on.

You can also keep him sleeping upright by holding him in your arms in a recliner, or wearing him in a baby wrap. While he may not usually sleep this way, sometimes you need to do things out of the ordinary to help him along.

4. Keep your baby hydrated

Besides rest, staying hydrated is the other best thing sick babies need to feel better. If your baby is already drinking water regularly, offer him more by keeping a sippy cup nearby for frequent drinking. And if he’s mostly drinking formula or breast milk, make sure to feed on demand rather than on a schedule.

Staying on a schedule is important, but being sick often means doing things you typically don’t do anymore, including feeding on demand. But frequent feeding can be just the thing he needs to feel better and avoid being dehydrated.

So, ditch the feeding schedules for now, and instead offer to feed often, especially when he’s fussy. You can always “regulate” him to your schedule once he’s better.

Conclusion

No matter the ailment, figuring out how to get a sick baby to sleep can be a challenge for many parents. Thankfully, it’s temporary, and not without its own solutions.

Help your baby fall—and stay—asleep by keeping awake time shorter than usual and not exerting him any more than he needs to. Keep him comfortable, from dressing him in simple clothes to clearing out his nasal passages.

Make sure his head stays elevated while he sleeps, from as little of an incline on the crib to holding him to sleep in your arms. And finally, keep him hydrated by feeding on demand or keeping a sippy cup handy.

I got lucky that my eldest was able to hold off getting sick for nearly a year, but I knew the day would inevitably arrive when he’d come down with a cold and cough. At least the frequent wake-ups and miserable days and nights were temporary—especially with the help of these tips.

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