• Home
  • About
  • Contact
    • Work With Me
  • My Shop
  • Start Here

A Mother Far from Home

  • Discipline
    • Toys And Play
    • Big Family
    • Family Culture
    • Diapers & Potty Training
    • Irish Twins
    • Teething
  • Emotions
  • Faith
    • Christian Holidays
    • Church Related
    • Spiritual Principles
  • Home
    • Cleaning & Chores
    • Meal Time & Eating
    • Organizing, Tidying & Decluttering
    • Emergency Preparedness For Families
  • Motherhood
    • Mental & Emotional Wholeness
    • Mother’s Helper
    • Type A Wife and Mom
    • Books to Read
    • Pregnancy
  • Routine
    • Baby Schedules & Routines
    • Toddler Routines & Schedules
    • Mom Schedules & Routines
    • School Routines
  • Sleeping
    • Sleep Troubleshooting
    • Napping Tips
    • Basic Sleep Tips
Home » Sleeping » White Noise: How to Help Baby Nap With Loud Older Siblings

White Noise: How to Help Baby Nap With Loud Older Siblings

Updated June 17, 2020

889shares

Want simple chaos-erasing family routines? Who doesn't? Check out our Family Routines Reboot!

Want simple chaos-erasing family routines? Who doesn't? Check out our Family Routines Reboot!

Got loud older kids who wake up the baby? Here’s how you can help protect the baby’s nap and it’s something that’s relatively inexpensive… white noise.


Little kids are curious.

They are loud.

They talk nonstop.

And they are hyper. 

This does not stop when a new baby comes home. In fact, this amps things way up. They are more curious, more excited to hug, cuddle, and squeeze the baby, and all around in a more agitated state.

At least for a little while.

baby napping with stuffed animal

Then things slow down a bit.

Your newborn gets in a good sleep routine, you learn to mentally survive the postpartum phase, and the home starts to settle… you realize the baby can find it hard to nap with all the excitement in the home.

How to Protect Baby’s Nap

I’ll just let this image do the talking…

if newborn ain't nappin' mama ain't happy. if mam ain't happy, ain't nobody happy-a mother far from home

Here are some ways you can help protect your baby’s nap with all the noise and life going on around you. If you have a deep sleeper, I’d still advise these. If your baby is a light sleeper, well, all hands on deck!

Create Clear Rules for Siblings

The toddlers and preschoolers need to know what they can and cannot do. These will be particular to your own situation, but those in our house include:

  • do not go into the baby’s room
  • do not go down the hall near the baby’s room unless you are going to the potty
  • and do not yell anywhere near the baby’s “wing” of the house

These work fine for us because the house has ample room to play in areas far away from the baby. Plus they can always go outside. The trick is to be very clear on your expectations with your kids so they know what to expect. Also, make clear consequences if they breach those expectations.

Consequences will vary with the age of the child. What works with an 18 month old is clearly not appropriate for a 4 year old.

House Rule: don’t go in the baby’s room while napping.

Consequence for breaking the rule: you must do a chore with mommy then sit on the couch quietly and read (instead of free play) until baby wakes up.

Use White Noise

I am in love with white noise. It is a lifesaver. Every single person under 30 in our home sleeps with white noise. Scratch that, I use it too.

From the baby to the Kindergartener, it’s a lifesaver.

And the beauty of it is that I can hear when any of the children call out from their rooms in the night, whether from a nightmare or needing assistance with a potty.

device that makes white noise

Sound becomes a positive sleep association and your baby will have an easier time sleeping in the stroller or when they need to go down for a nap at someone else’s house.

Occupy Older Siblings

This is a great way to prevent baby from waking up prematurely (or from not being able to get to sleep). When it’s the baby’s naptime (see all my sample schedules here) I occupy the older kids.

They may go outside, have independent play time, or even have some screen time if they haven’t been whining lately.

In short, if you keep them busy they won’t go messing with the baby. If they are running wild and free (which I do encourage throughout the day) odds are baby won’t get to nap well.

Baby doesn’t nap = mom frazzled = everyone melting down

Read: How to teach kids to play on their own

Find Creative Nap Locations

If you have a few children at home during the day, this will be a lifesaver. We’ve slept kids in laundry rooms, other bedrooms, walk-in closets, and anywhere else there’s thicker walls and more distance from the main living room.

A reader told me once her baby slept in the master walk-in closet and I think this is genius.

A dear friend slept her baby in the guest bathroom with the exhaust fan on.

Again… genius.

Get creative. Baby doesn’t have to sleep in their shared room or nursery. Oh, and if a toddler does share with a baby then this is an absolute must read for safety.

Read: Get creative with sleeping arrangements

Have Similar Nap Times

“I’m not tired.”

“I don’t want to nap.”

“I’d rather play.”

These words are unintelligible to me. I cannot even hear them. In our home, naptimes are at the same times for all those over 18 months old. Everyone goes down for a rest or a nap at 1:00 p.m. Even if they’re not tired.

Even if they don’t feel like it.

White noise goes in everyone’s rooms and quiet reigns. The older ones may not nap, they may simply rest or play quietly and that’s okay. Not only does this help baby sleep, it helps mama have some time too.

Read: Finding time alone in the everyday

printable routine cards for toddlers and preschoolers

Get printable routine cards for your morning, evening, bedtime, and more.

All in all, you’ve gotta be flexible. You know what they say…

Blessed are the flexible for they shall not break when bent.

::

I’ve created a free email series just for you! There are truly only a few reasons why babies and toddlers have struggles sleeping… really, I mean it. I am going to teach you the main 3 reasons and how to start making small changes to help your baby go from:

  • fighting sleep to embracing it
  • night wakings to sleeping through
  • needing you to jump through hoops to going to sleep on their own

Click here to sign up for my free email series or simply click on the image below.

Baby Sleep Funnel Opt In With Free

Rachel

New to this community? Start here, friend.

889shares

Filed Under: Napping Tips, Sleeping

« You’re Taking It Personally… Here’s How To Stop
Anger’s Not The Enemy… Helping Your Children Cope »

Recommended For You From Our Shop

Coos To Snooze (Baby Sleep Course)

In this step-by-step course, you will learn the keys to teaching your baby to sleep.

You know there's got to be some way for baby to sleep better. Don't waste more hours and nights in an exhaustion induced fog, learn the secrets that have helped thousands of babies (and their mothers) sleep through the night.

Click For Personalized Help

I'm Rachel, mother of 5 young kids living in the Florida panhandle with my Australian husband. I write about family culture, family rhythms and routines, and boundaries in motherhood and life. You can see snippets of my daily life here and visit my shop for baby sleep, organizing, and routine help.

“Inside my brain”

Geeezzz, it was like you were inside my brain today!  (and most days recently)  I needed this badly.

Thank you!!!
Andrea P.

“Nothing was working…”

I just wanted to say thank you for your easy peasy routine for 2 year olds! I day-weaned my 2 year old a month ago and have been trying everything to get him to go down for a nap without the nursing. Nothing was working and I was starting to think he would never have a nap again.

Anyways I started following your routine and we just sat in bed and had what I told him was “quiet time.” We sat and read and made a fort and had warm milk. Then today I told him it was quiet time again and he tried to escape the bed a couple times, but in the end he snuggled up after the warm bottle and fell asleep for 3 hours! I was almost in tears I was so excited! So thank you!

Meghan

“Thanks for your bundle!”

Thanks for for doing this Everyday Mom Super Bundle sale. I’m four months into my parenthood journey with a sweet and spirited boy.

I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated just yesterday, thinking if only I had the right resources and “trail guides” I could figure this all out. Your sale is serendipitous. I can’t wait to dig into my download materials and start learning from your tips.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

Lauren N.

“It’s a breath of fresh air”

I just wanted to let you know that your blog and emails have been a tremendous help to me. Your practical, honest, and humble writing is a breath of fresh air!

With help and encouragement drawn from your writing, I have made some incredible changes in the order (and sanity) of our home, in just the past few weeks. My kids are doing chores daily, and I also have clearer expectations of myself.

My husband is in awe!

Which helps reinforce what you said- the problem wasn’t me; it was my systems. Our home is in much better order, and so is my mind. So, thank you!!!! You have made a difference for me and my family.

Ann S.

“We are slowly getting back to normal…”

I stumbled upon your blog one morning after praying night after night for God to fix my home! I had just had a baby this May 1st and also have a 2 and 4 year old and my home broke out in complete chaos!

Even my marriage seemed like it was on the brink of extinction and this had happened in 2 weeks! I read numerous amounts of your entries and applied them to my home life and I am happy to say we are slowly getting back to normal. Thank you Rachel! 

Madison S.

“You’ve been a life saver!”

I’m a first time mom to a 15 day old baby girl. I had no idea what I was doing and couldn’t get her to sleep in her crib until I found your blog.

You’ve been a life saver!

Candace R.

“Within a week or two our little girl changed!”

I tumbled into post partum depression/anxiety and didn’t know what to do anymore. I was a mess, baby girl was a mess and I don’t even know how my husband was dealing with it all… 

I googled everything I could think about but there was never really something that felt right, that felt genuine instead of just telling do’s and don’ts. 

And then I found your website and read your pieces about sleeping and eating. I carefully read through your schedules and decided to try it.

IT WORKED!! 

And within a week or two our little girl changed from a frustrated baby into this happy dappy smiling ray of sunshine, that is able to settle herself down by sucking on her fists, even in the middle of the night. At 12 weeks baby girl slept through the night and now at 20 weeks old she sleeps a good 10 to 12 hours every night. 

I just wanted to thank you for sharing your experience online. The way you wrote your experiences made it understandable, seeing it from the babys side but also the moms side. Maybe we were lucky that your way fitted our baby, but it worked and I tell it to everyone that wants to know!

Stephanie P.

“Had tremendous success from Day One!”

I just wanted to thank you for your sample routine.  I’ve been using it for a week with my 13 month old and had tremendous success from day 2! Wind down time is so important and so is consistency.  Thank you so much!!!

Sam M.

“In a few short days…”

I am grateful to have found your blog, as I do a great deal of searching on Pinterest when I am up against a parenting moment that I do not feel qualified to handle.

I will say though that since reading your blog I am really focusing on remembering that every moment is a learning \ experience for my son and I try to take a breath and count to ten. In the few short days that I have been exercising this method I truly have noticed a change for the better in his response to me.

Tami K.

Comments

  1. Lydia says

    That little critter is cute :) I’ve been using an old iPhone as my daughter’s white noise machine and it’s worked nicely, but I know someday it’s just going to die, and we have another on the way next month. Does the soundbub shut off after a certain time or does it just play as long as it’s on? This might be a good option for us!

    • Rachel Norman says

      You can choose 30 minutes, 60 or infinite. It actually keeps a charge a good long while!

  2. Stephanie says

    Hi Rachel,
    Do you know if they are sold in Europe? WavHello does only sell in the US.

    • Rachel Norman says

      Oh no, I’m not sure! Have you tried googling it to find it? I tmay not be released overseas yet :(

Hey y'all, I'm Rachel Norman, BA, MS, Language of Listening® parenting coach, mother to 5 babies in 5 years on 3 continents, no multiples. Join me in parenting without losing your mind. Read More >>

Search

Copyright © 2021 All Rights Reserved | A Mother Far From Home | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Accessibility














The top 3 reasons babies don't sleep (and the solutions!)

- The #1 thing you should do when baby isn't napping or sleeping well


- The way to get baby to go to sleep and wake up at the same times every day (it's so effective it's hard not to call this a "trick")


- The process for changing unhelpful habits to healthy ones, step-by-step

envelope
envelope
close
x













The top 3 reasons babies don't sleep well (and the solutions!)

- The #1 thing you should do when baby isn't napping well


- How to get baby to go to sleep and wake up at the same times every day (and this means way after 5 a.m.)


- The step-by-step process for changing unhelpful habits to healthy ones​

envelope
envelope
close
x