In my last article, I wrote about how really, sleep is a function of temperament and you get what you get as far as newborns go. Some newborns wake every hour and others sleep through the night early on. “Sleep training” a newborn is never a good idea. However, there are things you can do to minimize the waking at night and help your baby work with his own biological clock.
Maintain a consistent bedtime and waking time.
Even in the early days of having baby home with you, have a set bedtime. Every night, at the same time, put your baby down for sleep. You will find quickly that his clock turns towards your schedule.
Encourage Daily Naps
My disclaimer is that you should encourage them according to your baby’s cues. In the early days of having your baby at home, make a point to note his ‘schedule’. Most babies in fact have one already built in and will prefer certain activities at certain times. The ‘schedule’ will shift quite a bit during the first year, but if you encourage regular nap times by being home, dimming the lights at the same time, and other routine activities, you can work out pretty set nap times. Babies who take daily naps and sleep on somewhat of a schedule, sleep better at night.
Set Your Child’s Clock with Lights
Dim the lights before bedtime and naptime and likewise, brighten the rooms in the morning when it’s time to wake up. Darkness and light help you baby’s body know when to wake up and go to sleep.
Develop a Consistent Bedtime Routine
Every night do the same thing before bed–even from birth. Our routine is bathe, read a story, nurse and go to bed. Obviously, the nursing got dropped for the older children but I’m always amazed at how when we start to shuffle them through our one bathroom I start to see yawning. Their bodies have come to associate certain actions with sleeping.
I cannot promise you that if you do these things, you’ll get eight hours of sleep. In fact, ’sleeping through the night’ is considered no more than five hours. That five hours of sleep at night is ’normal’ until a child outgrows his naps. However, I can tell you that if you use these tips and tricks you’ll help your baby get the most sleep as is possible for his unique personality.
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