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would squeak every time we opened it, which would wake the baby, so I oiled the door. No more noise, no more wake-ups.
—Mike M
.

Toys in Babeland
    Put some of your baby’s favorite toys in the crib so when he wakes up, he can play with his toys until he feels sleepy again. (Just make sure the toys are safe ones.)
—Chad A
.
    SONGS FOR DADS TO SING
    (
Even If They Don’t Know All the Words)
    â€œ99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”
    â€œWho Let the Dogs Out?”
    â€œTake Me Out to the Ball Game”
    â€œDon’t Worry, Be Happy”
    â€œA Pirate’s Life for Me” (from the
Pirates of the Caribbean
ride)
    â€œWe Are the Champions”
    â€œEye of the Tiger”
    â€œWhere Everybody Knows Your Name” (theme from
Cheers
)
    Notre Dame fight song
    â€œStairway to Heaven” The Alphabet Song
Bottles of Beer?
    Singing “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” often did the trick. It sometimes took 199 or 299, though.
—Geoff P
.

Tickle Teddy
    A vibrating toy, such as a teddy bear, will help a baby get to sleep.
—Mike M
.

Chill the Pacifier
    When my son was teething, he didn’t sleep well, so I would put his pacifier in the freezer to get it nice and cold, then give it to him.
—Geoff P
.

Snack Time
    To keep him from waking in the night, we fed our son more during the day.
—Ray C
.

Dad Style
    My wife and I hold our son differently. She holds him close, while I tend to hold him like a football, across my arm, to get him to sleep.
—Len S
.

Bundle Blanket
    We got a blanket-sleeper. You put the kid inside and zip it up, and when he kicks, he can’t kick the blanket off and wake up. Seems to make him feel all cozy and warm and safe.
—Dennis B
.

Minimize the Monitor
    Turn down the baby monitor when you go to bed, so you don’t hear every little wake-up sound. You’ll still hear the big ones that mean “Come and get me!” but you’ll sleep through the little ones, when your baby may be awake but he’s content and will probably go back to sleep on his own.
—Dave M
.

Vibrating Crib
    I broke down and got a vibrating baby bed. My wife was against it, but we both tried rocking him, and that really didn’t work. A friend of mine said it was great, and sure enough, it worked like a charm.
—Patrick G
.

Light and Dark
    While holding the baby, move back and forth between light and dark rooms. It causes the baby to close her eyes and eventually fall asleep.
—Wayne Y
.

Countdown to Crib
    I started this early on and kept it up with all my kids. It’s called the Crib Countdown. When it’s time for bed, I count from one to ten and match an action to each number. Here’s my countdown: “One hug” (I hug him and carry him off to bed). “Two kisses” (one on each cheek). “Three night-nights” (I wave three times). “Four corners” (I tuck in each of the four corners of the blanket). “Five fingers” (I count his fingers). “Six toys” (I count his toys nearby). “Seven belly rubs” (I rub his belly). “Eight hair strokes” (I stroke his hair). “Nine pats” (I pat him lightly). And “ten steps” (I step backward out of the room, counting to ten).
—Mike M
.

Lay on Hands
    All I had to do was place my big, warm hand on my son’s back, and he would immediately relax and fall back asleep. My wife thought I had the magic touch.
—Geoff P
.

Lower Your Voice
    I think it was my deep voice that got our baby to sleep. All I had to do was talk to him or sing a little, and he’d fall asleep.
—Charles M
.

Mickey Mouse
    Take him to Disneyland for the day. He’ll sleep like a log all night.
—Brad E
.

Let It Rain
    Use a “rain stick” with your baby. It’s a tube made from dried cactus, with little seeds inside that make the sound of rain when you turn it over and over. You can find them at