Congratulations on having a new baby. As exciting as it all is, it can also be incredibly exhausting. Let’s face it; babies don’t come out of the womb ready to sleep. Tired parents can find themselves months and even years down the road sleepless. In order to establish good sleep habits, it’s important that you start creating good ones as early as possible.
Believe it or not, how will you sleep for the rest of your life can be determined within the first year of your life. Teach your baby to sleep through the night by applying these tips.
Teach Your Baby Self-Soothing
A lot of parents are terrified by the idea of letting their baby cry. While it’s OK to go in and check on them when they cry, you should limit the amount of time that you stay there. Placing your hand on their back or chest can provide a soothing reassurance for them to go back to sleep.
However, after a few moments have passed, it’s recommended to leave. You can listen to them on your baby monitor, and usually, they only whimper for a few minutes. After the initial whimpering, they often fall back to sleep.
Although it may seem heartbreaking to let your body baby cry alone for a few moments, going back in again and again will only reinforce night waking.
Start A Routine
A routine is the best way to establish a regular sleep schedule. I’m routine helps your body recognize when sleepy time is coming. The routine that you carry out will signal sleep time cues to their brain. For example, if you always take a bath and read a story before bedtime, they’ll know after a while that they should start getting sleepy after this series of events.
Feed Them Plenty
One of the most common reasons why babies wake up at night is because they are hungry. After a certain age, however, babies may not require feedings in the middle of the night anymore. The best way to wean them off of these nighttime feedings is to feed them plenty before bedtime.
Make sure that they get a full bellies worth before they head off to bed. Doing so may not completely eliminate the problem, but you may have a better chance of them sleeping through the night.
Use White Noise
A lot of people think that absolute silence is the ideal sleeping environment for a baby. However, this is the opposite of true. Babies are used to the swooshing sound in their mothers’ wombs and may be awoken by too much silence. Try using a gentle white noise that plays through the night. You may find that this constant sound puts them to sleep and keeps them asleep.