One of the more well-known challenges of parenthood is getting baby to go to sleep and stay asleep. And while you won’t be able to avoid all of it, there are some ways you can minimize your baby’s discomfort and your own lack of sleep by taking careful, sleep preparedness steps.
Not all of these tips will work with every baby, but if you’re dealing with baby sleeping problems or poor sleeping habits, it won’t hurt to give each of these a try.
1. Having a moderate temperature in your baby’s room can work wonders for helping him sleep. Just like grownups, babies tend to like sleeping in rooms that are slightly cool. Adjust the thermostat to about 65 degrees or turn a fan on to keep the air moving and to prevent the space from getting too stuffy. Just make sure your little one is far enough away from the fan to prevent injury. During the day, a slightly warmer room might be more preferable, however.
2. One way to help with sleeping through the night is to reinforce positive sleeping patterns. In general, your baby’s sleep should match the circadian rhythm. Also known as your internal clock, this helps you feel awake and alert during the day and drowsy and sleepy at night. This applies to babies too. To help, make sure your house is bright during the day and dark at night. Install dimmer switches to keep the house dark after the sun goes down. This will help him feel naturally sleepy at the right times.
3. Many new parents think they have to be whisper quiet around their baby, but this simply isn’t the case. In fact, noise can be incredibly comforting to the little guy. Now, abrupt or clashing sounds could startle baby and cause him distress. But constant, rhythmic noises have a soothing affect. Turn on a white noise machine or a fan to provide baby with noise that will lull him to sleep.
4. Modify your feeding techniques at night. That is, once the sun is about to go down, shorten the period of time between each feeding. By the time she goes to bed, her belly will be very full and this will be conducive to her falling asleep quickly. Plus, she’s likely to stay asleep for a much greater length of time. You may also wish to pump some breast milk earlier in the day so your spouse can take care of some of the feeding duties as well. This way, you both get to sleep for longer stretches of time. Finally, don’t feel like you have to burp baby after each and every feeding. This is especially the case in the middle of the night. Most of the time, babies nurse more slowly and less enthusiastically at night, which means they’re less like to swallow a ton of air. Just feed baby, get her settled back in and go back to bed. She’s more likely to drift back off to sleep quickly, as are you.
5. Another way to improve your baby’s sleeping habits is to skip the nighttime diaper change if reasonable. I know it might sound unintuitive, but you don’t have to change baby’s diaper in the middle of the night if its not soaked through or dirty. Doing so will only wake up baby more, keep you awake for longer, and make it harder for everyone to go back to sleep. Of course, if baby has diaper rash, you will need to make frequent changing a priority. Otherwise, put her in an extra absorbent diaper and call it a night.
6. Perform some nighttime rituals to make sleeping easier for you and baby. Whether she sleeps in your room in a bassinette, you perform co sleeping, or she sleeps in her own room, you should consider installing blackout shades. This helps with establishing the circadian rhythm as mentioned above, and allows you to sleep a little longer in the mornings, if need be. You can also help to calm baby by simply breathing slower. Take slow relaxing breaths at night to calm your heart rate. When you hold your baby, she’ll pick up on your calm state and will calm down, too.
7. While looking longingly into your baby’s eyes might be one of your favorite pastimes, resist the urge in the middle of the night. Whether you’re nursing her, changing her diaper, or just comforting her, avoid eye contact. Babies become incredibly stimulated by locking eyes with their mothers. Doing so causes an elevation in heart rate and can make her wake up more, making going back to sleep difficult. Save all of those loving gazes, coos, and singing for the daytime.
8. It’s important to watch what you put in your body during pregnancy, but you also need to watch what you put in your body when breastfeeding. Caffeine, in particular, is a stimulant and can be passed from mother to child through breast milk. In fact, the caffeine contained in one coffee can enter your baby’s body fast and stay there for up to three days. No sleeping positioner products or co sleeping products will be able to remedy the intense caffeine buzz when it’s time to go to sleep and baby is too wired to do so.
9. A part of ensuring your baby avoids sleeping problems and that you establish healthy sleeping habits, is switching on the lights in the morning as soon as possible. If it’s sunny outside, draw back the curtains and get him in the light right away. Even better, take him for a walk outside. It’s going to be tough at first, but it should help baby establish regular sleeping patterns and understand that the morning means it’s time to be awake.
No two babies are the same, and not every sleeping tip will work for everyone. But hopefully with some trial and error, you’ll find a routine that works for you and that allows for a restful night’s sleep for you, your spouse, and baby.