When babies can’t sleep, the whole family is miserable. The other kids in the family are tired because they too can’t sleep with all the racket the baby is making and the parents are exhausted from being awake the whole night with the baby. Babies who have sleeping problems cannot fall asleep easily and are usually awake in the middle of the night. Sleep patterns in babies also take some time to develop so it can be pretty difficult to say whether your child’s sleeping habits are abnormal. Newborns need to have atleast 16 hours of sleep in a day, but this can be one to two hours at a time, depending on the baby. Most babies do not develop normal sleeping patterns until the 4th or 6th month.
A baby’s sleeping problem develops when parents react too quickly when the child cries. Most new parents do not know that when left alone for a while, babies may stop crying and fall asleep by herself. When parents react immediately to the first cry, babies get used to being comforted and will soon expect to get attention immediately.
To prevent your babies from developing sleeping problems, parents need to make sure that they are well rested so they can cope with their baby’s situation. A technique used in our family is that my husband and I alternate getting up for the baby so that at least one of us is well rested.
Here are some other tips that parents can do to help babies fall asleep easier and stay sleeping longer.
1. Avoid too much stimulation at night. Try not to play with your baby before going to sleep.
2. Try not to let baby to sleep too long in the morning. Some parents try to wake their babies at 3pm so the baby can fall asleep at night.
3. Put your baby to bed immediately as soon as she is tired. This way, she can learn to relax.
4. Rocking your baby to sleep creates a habit. Soon your baby will need to be held and comforted back to sleep when she wakes in the middle of the night.
5. Avoid putting your baby to sleep with a pacifier. A pacifier is used to soothe the baby but she should not sleep with it.
6. Do not put the baby to sleep in your bed. Several studies have shown higher incidence of crib death in babies sleeping with their parents, this can also create sleeping problems.
It is best to encourage your baby to sleep on her own, especially when she reaches her third month. When your baby is already drowsy, lay her down on a designated sleeping area. Try to put her down when she’s awake while feeling cozy and loved and she will begin to associate this with falling asleep and she will soon get the hang of sleeping on her own.
Some parents believe that their babies should be allowed to “cry it out”, allowing babies to cry themselves to sleep. Studies suggest, however, that this shouldn’t be used with children below six months of age.
Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=307467&ca=Parenting
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