Improving the sleep of your baby (and likely your own)

October 6, 2009 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: Baby Health, Tips

Learning about baby sleep patterns and how to aid them can be beneficial to the entire family.

It’s 2:00 a.m. Sleep has been difficult to come by for all members of the family because your baby is crying, and now so are you. What can you do for your baby and your sanity?

First, remember that you’re not alone. Studies show that approximately one in three babies still can not sleep peacefully after age one. While many babies will learn to go to sleep on their own as early as two months old, some have more difficulties with their sleep patterns well after the two-month point. In addition, it should be remembered that babies tend to sleep a much lighter sleep than adults do, and because of this, they are prone to waking up more often.

Just remember that there likely isn’t a magic fix to getting your baby to sleep better. Primarily you’re looking to help your baby fine tune its body clock so your baby is eating only during the day and falling asleep on its own. If you think about your baby’s previous situation in the womb (a source of food was constantly available and living space was constantly rocking and moving) then this should make more sense.

So if you’re busy pulling your hair out and wishing you had an answer to the problem, take a look at some of these possible solutions. Keep in mind that some of them are situational and may not work for you. Find the solutions that make the most sense to your situation and give them a try.

Routine, Routine, Routine

As stated previously, your baby is going from one routine in the womb to a completely different situation outside it. And now a new routine is being forced on them by mother, a routine that is quite different than what they had. Little wonder they sometimes get a bit fussy.

The first key is maintaining a routine, but doing so transitionally. Why is it important to do it transitionally? Think about a time when you, as an adult, were transplanted directly from one common situation to a completely different situation. Did you feel stressed? How do you think your baby feels?

For example, the baby is going from having a constant supply of food to a routine where they are being forced to eat only during the day. It’s best to offer a smooth transition in this scenario. If you’re baby is fussing during the day or when trying to go to sleep, consider putting meals at closer intervals. That tiny stomach may need smaller portions of food more often to stay content. As the baby grows, you can progressively work on expanding the food intervals.

Additionally, a baby’s sleep schedule works the same way. The baby slept when it wanted (or when it could) while in the womb, but now mother is asking baby to sleep at strange hours. Routine is here to save the day! If a parent keeps a routine of activities before putting baby in the crib, and the parent does so at or near the same hour every night, the baby will benefit. The routine could be as simple as every night at 10:00 p.m. washing your baby, changing the diaper and clothes, and placing the baby in the cradle with a favorite stuffed animal or other object.

Finally, you’ll want to create a routine for the morning, optimally waking up about the same time every day. In theory, this process will become more natural to your newborn as he or she ages.

Stimulation

The world outside the womb is crazy place. There are strange upright beings walking around, odd sounds coming from all sorts of places, and crazy things to see, smell and touch. One might be tempted to think that a newborn could suffer from overstimulation, but this is not the case. In fact, it’s advisable for parents to routinely provide sources of stimulation to their growing baby.

There is a plethora of interactive materials on the market today for parents to use and engage with their baby. In simpler times it may have been a toy apple with a bell in it that sounded when it was rolled. Now there are books, buses, animals, houses, and food that make a wide variety of sounds and are highly interactive, sure to draw the curiosity and attention of your baby. Adding a small stuffed animal into the mix isn’t a bad idea either, especially one that smells of mother.

Additionally, there are many programs available that provide social interaction for babies as young as five months old. Kindermusik comes to mind as one of those programs that is able to cultivate the imagination of your wee one through the sound of music and introduce social interaction at an early age.

By providing this stimulation during the day, you’re reinforcing a pattern of playing hard during the day and (hopefully) sleeping well during the night.

What about dad?

For many people who have grown up to become productive adults, it’s easy to look back on their mother and think of them as “Super Mom”. Mother always did one thing or another, and she acted like she could do it all forever. As attached as mothers sometimes get to their duties, it’s sometimes easy to forget about a father, waiting in the wings to lend a hand.

Don’t forget to work as a team with your spouse to aid the sleep patterns of your child. By doing so, you’ll help yourselves out with your own sleep patterns.

You might want to work out a rotation of the duties. If you do so, however, don’t forget to make it a routine! If dad is telling the nighttime story, and it seems to work well most of the time, then make it part of your routine. If dad is pulling baby from the crib in the morning and baby likes it, then make it part of your routine. Whatever you decide on, getting dad involved with the duties on a routine basis should do wonders for everyone’s sleep habits.

On a final note…

Of course, there are many more things that can be done to help your baby. One popular tool in the mother’s arsenal is the pacifier. It may take a little time to teach baby how to use it, but in the end, your baby may find it easier to fall asleep in the crib sucking on a pacifier rather than falling asleep at your breast.

Putting your baby to bed while awake is also recommendable. Those first few weeks, your newborn may fall asleep at your breast while feeding, and that’s ok. But after about two months of age, try putting your baby in the crib when they are awake but tired after a feeding. This will reinforce the idea that it’s ok to be awake and in the crib at the same time, and it will encourage sleep.

Whatever you decide to do, trying at least a few of these suggestions should help you and your baby sleep better.