Sleeping: Tips on how to get Baby Asleep
From the first night you bring your baby home you’re going to have to adapt to some very erratic behavior. From his appetite to his diaper wetting he’ll have his own schedule for doing things. You can only hope he’ll want to sleep when you do. But chances are he won’t. Don’t let his unusual nocturnal habits become a problem. There are a number of successful tips on how you can help your baby overcome sleeping problems and develop a healthy, natural sleep pattern that will serve as a foundation for his getting quality rest at night.
Like most of the habits your baby will develop sleeping is not something you can force on him. Try as you might he will sleep when he’s ready. The best thing you can do is make sleeping something pleasant for him to look forward to. Think about your own sleeping habits and what makes you relax. A routine is strongly suggested for developing a healthy sleeping pattern.
Having a consistent bedtime and bedtime ritual are two key factors in establishing a sleeping pattern for a baby. If you have a set time for calming your baby down and then putting him to bed in his crib or cradle you are creating a pattern that he is more likely to become comfortable with. Even with adults it is suggested to spend a good hour before going to sleep by relaxing, either by watching television, reading a book or taking a bath. It would be great if we could just flip an internal switch and dream away but sleep comes with relaxation and often we have to calm ourselves down before sleep comes. The same holds true for babies.
Two good tips for getting a baby ready for sleep are giving him a warm sponge bath until he is old enough for a real bath and to nurse him. Both of these activities will serve to soothe and calm your baby and put him in the ideal state for sleeping. It is not suggested that you have playtime or other activities prior to bedtime as this will only cause him to be excited and will make it that much harder for him to calm down. Soft lighting, soothing nursery rhyme music and even certain scents have proven to be effective in calming children down.
Babies have a number of reasons for having problems sleeping. They may be hungry, feeling ill, restless from a long day, need a diaper change or just not tired. Babies will often wake during the night if the need a feeding so newborn mommy’s and daddy’s should expect the first few weeks to be marked by several interruptions a night with baby crying for mommy’s breast or his bottle. This is part of having a baby and you’ll just have to adjust your schedule. Fortunately, most babies will fall back asleep after a feeding. If your baby is still fussy check his diaper. Most kids will cry if they wet or soiled themselves and sometimes a clean diaper can work wonders for a baby that won’t sleep. And don’t forget the most obvious cure for a restless baby, picking him up and cradling him in your arms. Often a baby just wants to be held and feel a sense of closeness with his mommy or daddy and once he’s safe in your loving arms he’ll feel secure enough to doze off.