Baby Sleep Guide

1. Running a routine

Among the ways in which a baby knows that it’s bedtime are hints from the surroundings. Approximately 30 minutes before it is time for bed, lower the volume and dim the light. Correct lighting is essential as it contributes to adjusting the baby’s biological clock. Our brain combines light and darkness with waking or sleeping. Switching the lights dimly at night and leaving your baby in bright light in the morning assists in this task.

As soon as you reduce the stimuli, you can initiate other calming exercises, like a warm bath, lullabies, or quietly narrated tales. Dr. Givan suggests performing the night ritual at the earliest possible time, preferably after approximately 6 to 8 weeks. Stay focused – do the exercises in the same sequence each night – so that your baby knows what awaits him or her.

2. Do not depend on calming techniques

If you place your baby in the crib when he or she is sleeping and he or she wakes up during the night, something that everyone is doing, he or she won’t identify his or her environment and will probably want your assistance to fall asleep again. Try to put your baby to bed sleepy but awake. Doing so should teach him to self-soothe and fall asleep – and more significantly, to fall asleep again, the primary aim of sleep exercise.

Newborns benefit from swinging, bouncing, and soothing in their sleep, but babies grow fast and will not necessarily need these things all their life.

At about 5 months of age, most babies are able to fall asleep on their own, and if we continue to do this for them, we are getting in the way. In the first couple of months, begin training at least once a day to put the baby to sleep awake – normally the first midday nap is most effective.

3. Avoid feeding baby to sleep

Newborns fall asleep the whole time when eating, and we would not like anyone to get upset about it. However, if your baby often falls asleep while feeding, he or she may think that he or she has to eat to fall back to sleep.

To help prevent this issue, you might want to slowly move feeding forward until your baby comes through, then finish the routine with a calming reading and song and bring him to his bed sleepy but awake. You may need to wake up for a nighttime feeding, but then the focus is on hunger, not calming.

4. Stick to an early sleeping time

When thinking about how to put a baby to sleep, scheduling is as essential as a regular routine. By around the eighth week, babies have a rise in melatonin, a sleep hormone that the body produces when it’s time to sleep, meaning that they are prepared for an early sleep time that is in harmony with the sunset. Keeping them up for long periods of time rather than sleeping means that they get hyper-stimulated and become less likely to fall asleep. Melatonin levels increase somewhere around dusk, but as sunset can happen any time between 4:30 a.m. in winter and 8:30 a.m. in summer, you need to follow the clock and get your baby to sleep by 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. for the greatest effect. When the sun is still up, close the shutters.

A great indicator of sleepiness is when the baby is quiet – he or she is not so active, looks tired, or just glares away. Do not confuse this attitude with the happiness of staying awake. Take advantage of the moment and begin sleeping time. The baby’s internal clock informs him or her when to stay awake and when to go to sleep, and you will need to strengthen this.

5. Take naps carefully and with respect

A properly relaxed child is likely to have better sleep than an exhausted one. It appears to be counterintuitive, however, missing a nap (or keeping a baby up late) hoping he or she would sleep longer at night simply will not work. When babies are exhausted, their levels of stress hormones rise. Once they are finally going to sleep, there’s a very good chance that this will not last long, as these stress hormones wake them up when they’re in a lighter sleep phase.

Therefore, getting enough naps on a daily basis is essential to help the baby sleep. At 2 months of age, a baby’s ideal wake-up time is only around 90 minutes between each sleep phase, which according to Turgeon goes by very fast. They don’t have the tolerance to be awake for 4 to 5 months longer. You should pay attention to the clock, as it is difficult to detect your baby’s sleepy look.

6. Set napping rules

It might be tempting to leave your loved one snoozing in the car seat or on your chest, though you might try to get a minimum of one nap a day in the crib. This way they will receive the top class rest they are looking for. The first nap is mentally relaxing for a toddler and defines the way the entire day runs. Therefore, optimally, you would like him or her to take this nap in the crib at home. The next nap is physically restorative. Therefore, once your baby is mature enough to be active, he or she must receive a high-quality nap.

At 3 to 4 months of age, your baby will have extended periods of wakefulness, and you will be able to set up a sleeping schedule: one in the morning, one in the early afternoon and, if needed, a brief midday nap in the late afternoon. Nap times are a perfect way for you to train yourself to get your baby to go to sleep. It’s not the middle of the night, therefore you will be able to concentrate more easily, take hints, and go through them.

• Set a bedtime schedule routine. This routine will not only be calming to your baby; it will also serve as a cue to a baby that bedtime is coming. First, make sure to have a nice, calming bath – warm water is both calming and beneficial to sleep. Follow by reading a story, cuddling, and singing lullabies. End the bath with a rich feeding. When your baby has gas, you can delay the feeding to an earlier time before going to bed.
• Avoid changing your baby’s diaper in the middle of the night. Unless your baby is a complete mess, if possible, as this is likely to wake him up. If you do need to do an overnight diaper change, do it in low light and as little sound as possible.
• Give thought to moving the baby farther from you. The AAP suggests that babies should sleep in the same room as their parents until they’re about six months old. But if your baby is sleeping in your room or his bassinet or crib is very near your bed, it may be preferable for some families to place him farther away (or even in his own room). It may be that closeness to you may contribute to more night waking. Consult with your pediatrician to get assistance with the switch.
• Do not add cereal to your baby’s formula and do not be tempted to start solid foods prematurely. Not only will this not help your baby sleep through the night, but it could also harm his health. Starting solid foods earlier than 4 to 6 months of age (preferably before 6 months of age, as the AAP suggests) can cause stomach problems (babies can’t fully digest them until they are 4 to 6 months old). Also, your baby may swallow the concentrated formula or breathe it into his or her lungs.
• Try not to rush things during the first whimper. Give your baby time to settle down and go back to sleep before you go to him. All babies wake up at night (just like adults).

• Lay it down sleepy. As delightful as it sounds, do not allow your baby to fall asleep while in your arms or while resting on your chest. Swaddle it and sing a bit, but then lay it on its back in the crib when it is drowsy but still awake so that it may learn to sleep in its own crib.
• Hold it down before you put it to sleep. As babies are restless sleepers and might start to cry a bit in the crib, be sure to delay a few minutes before going to her, as she might fall asleep by herself again.
• Remain on track. Moving your baby from a bassinet or side bed in your room to a crib can lead to tears. To keep the upset under control during the transfer, attempt to get your child accustomed to the new surroundings in steps, and follow your regular bedtime schedule.
• Don’t depend on car seats, swings, or carriers. These trusted seating arrangements may calm your baby, but they’re not suitable for safe sleep. Once your baby does fall asleep in them, take him or her to his or her crib as quickly as you can.
• Boost playtime. Plan lots of time throughout the day for your baby to be able to exercise his new abilities, like rolling, crawling, and walking.
• Stick with firm surfaces. Worried that your baby won’t be comfortable or that a softer mattress will bring more zzzs? Don’t be tempted to put sheepskins, bumpers, blankets, or stuffed animals in the crib. A firm mattress that is free of these things is the safest sleep environment.
• Use a swaddle or sleeping bag. You can up the cuddle factor by swaddling your child from birth to about 2 months of age (or as soon as he or she tries to roll over), making sure you only put her/him on her/his back and watch her/him closely. Or dress her/him in an equally cozy sleeping bag when she’s older.
• Check the temperature. A room that is too cold or too warm is not ideal for a good night’s sleep. So make sure the temperature is between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, remember to run a fan in the baby’s room to provide cooling and white noise.

Conclusion

A rebellion in the crib is hard to bear, but you should know that this bump in the sleeping path is fixable. Continue to put your baby in his crib and he will soon get used to sleeping in his cozy crib and even look forward to it every night.