About settling. In the weeks and months after the birth, both you and your baby will learn about sleeping and settling 'on the job'. Most parents will need to experiment with various settling strategies to work out the best way to help their baby to fall sleep (and help themselves overcome the more unsettled and fussy phases).
Each baby's individual sleeping and waking needs will vary considerably. For parents having their 2nd or subsequent baby, what may have worked in settling an older child, may not work for their younger sibling.
Most babies will have periods of being unsettled during a 24 hour period. Unsettled periods can range from 2 - 6 hours at one time, or occur intermittently throughout the day or night. Fussy, crying and unsettled periods are normal for most babies, and to this day most parents (and professionals) find them inexplicable.
The fact that your baby is unsettled rarely has anything to do with what you are doing (or not doing). It just is! Knowing that it is usually not your fault, or a problem with the baby (and that the phase will eventually pass) can help. The key is to work out ways of managing the unsettled periods, so you can cope until your baby goes back to sleep. Suggestions for settling techniques and coping strategies will be explored in more detail in 'support strategies for unsettled and crying periods' in
Class 12.