Tips on What to Do When Baby Won"t Sleep
When your baby cries throughout the night or awakens at all hours, it interrupts the necessary restful sleep that both you and your baby need.
Establishing an effective pre-bedtime routine is one way to help set a baby's sleep pattern that leads to a happier and more content child who is likely to sleep through the night.
Here's how.
We are all creatures of habit.
For example, you might typically awake every morning at 7 a.
m.
, start the coffee brewing, jump into the shower, get dressed, prepare a light breakfast and take the time to enjoy a steaming hot cup of coffee before grabbing your briefcase and heading off to work.
But what happens if your alarm doesn't sound until 7:30? Your routine is interrupted and it often sets a different tone for the entire day.
We function best with some consistency of routine-and so does your baby.
Solving your baby's sleep problems can be as easy as establishing a regular routine to teach your baby to sleep through the night.
Start with these ideas: Quiet the surroundings.
Over stimulation for your child right before bedtime will make it difficult for you to put your baby to bed easily.
As bedtime approaches, lower the activity in the household, including the volume of the television and the sound of your voices.
Engage in a calming down activity.
Your baby's bedtime routine might begin with giving him or her something as simple as a warm, soothing bath.
A quiet activity you can do each and every night will soon become something the baby associates with bedtime.
Dim the lights.
By making a noticeable change to the lighting in your home or the baby's room, you are giving your baby a visual cue that bedtime is approaching.
Dress (your baby) for (bedtime) success.
A final change of diaper and dressing your little one in a sleeper is another cue that bedtime is near.
Tuck in and provide comfort and assurance.
Rather than rocking baby to sleep, place him or her in the crib and sit nearby.
You can have soft music playing, read a story or softly sing a lullaby.
If baby begins to fuss, gently stroke the face and head for assurance, but try to refrain from taking the child out of the crib.
The goal is get him or her used to the surroundings, including being alone in the crib.
The above routine is just a suggestion.
What's important is that you establish a routine you can follow night after night that allows your baby to gradually "wind down" from the day's activities and pave the way for a restful sleep.
Since babies and infants are creatures of habit (just like grownups) the predictability of a routine will settle your baby more quickly and chances dramatically increase that he or she will sleep through the night-and you can, too.
Establishing an effective pre-bedtime routine is one way to help set a baby's sleep pattern that leads to a happier and more content child who is likely to sleep through the night.
Here's how.
We are all creatures of habit.
For example, you might typically awake every morning at 7 a.
m.
, start the coffee brewing, jump into the shower, get dressed, prepare a light breakfast and take the time to enjoy a steaming hot cup of coffee before grabbing your briefcase and heading off to work.
But what happens if your alarm doesn't sound until 7:30? Your routine is interrupted and it often sets a different tone for the entire day.
We function best with some consistency of routine-and so does your baby.
Solving your baby's sleep problems can be as easy as establishing a regular routine to teach your baby to sleep through the night.
Start with these ideas: Quiet the surroundings.
Over stimulation for your child right before bedtime will make it difficult for you to put your baby to bed easily.
As bedtime approaches, lower the activity in the household, including the volume of the television and the sound of your voices.
Engage in a calming down activity.
Your baby's bedtime routine might begin with giving him or her something as simple as a warm, soothing bath.
A quiet activity you can do each and every night will soon become something the baby associates with bedtime.
Dim the lights.
By making a noticeable change to the lighting in your home or the baby's room, you are giving your baby a visual cue that bedtime is approaching.
Dress (your baby) for (bedtime) success.
A final change of diaper and dressing your little one in a sleeper is another cue that bedtime is near.
Tuck in and provide comfort and assurance.
Rather than rocking baby to sleep, place him or her in the crib and sit nearby.
You can have soft music playing, read a story or softly sing a lullaby.
If baby begins to fuss, gently stroke the face and head for assurance, but try to refrain from taking the child out of the crib.
The goal is get him or her used to the surroundings, including being alone in the crib.
The above routine is just a suggestion.
What's important is that you establish a routine you can follow night after night that allows your baby to gradually "wind down" from the day's activities and pave the way for a restful sleep.
Since babies and infants are creatures of habit (just like grownups) the predictability of a routine will settle your baby more quickly and chances dramatically increase that he or she will sleep through the night-and you can, too.