Exhausted parents around the globe are looking for ways to help their babies sleep better and longer, but many don’t want to resort to sleep training, which is often associated with allowing babies to cry-it-out alone in their cribs. Fortunately, there are other, gentler, options that can help babies and parents get the sleep they need.
Guard Against Unrealistic Expectations
Having a baby who “sleeps through the night” is viewed as a badge of honor in parenthood and it causes unrealistic expectations that our babies should sleep much longer than they are actually capable of. Humans rarely sleep without waking through the night, and for human babies, it’s even more of a rarity.
Any method that alludes to the idea that you’ll all be sleeping blissfully through the night is giving you false hope. Accept that your sleep will not be as perfect and easy as it was before your little one arrived, and adjust to expectations to getting “good enough” sleep for a while.
Don’t Disturb a Stirring Baby
Responsive, loving parents often rush to pick up baby as soon as she starts to stir or make noise, but wait. There are natural rises and falls in the sleep cycle, and if let be, she may settle right back into sleep. Only pick her up if it is clear that she is awake and needs you. However, if she starts to fuss and show signs of hunger, the more quickly you respond and feed her, the more likely she is to fall back to sleep easier when she’s full.
Let Tired Babies Sleep – For a While
In our efforts to develop good baby sleep patterns, we may sometimes try to stick to a nap/sleep schedule that is more harmful than helpful. By trying to keep a tired baby awake until the scheduled nap time, you may inadvertently cause him to have sleep deprivation which leads to more problems in getting good sleep. If your baby is clearly tired – fussy, yawning, sleepy eyes – put him down for a nap then. Trying to keep him awake may actually disrupt his sleep cycle, not help it.
In an ironic twist, letting baby nap for too long may also disrupt nighttime sleep. After 2-3 hours, wake baby gently, especially if it’s later in the day, to ensure their sleep schedule at night isn’t disrupted.
Speaking of Naps
If an older baby is suddenly developing worsening sleep habits, it may be time to transition from 3 naps to 2 or from 2 naps to 1. While it may be tempting to cut naps altogether in hopes of baby being so super tired at night, he sleeps for 12 solid hours, this usually backfires. Good sleep begets good sleep, and missing a nap entirely may lead to sleep deprivation.
The Routine
A good bedtime routine cues baby that sleep is coming, and it can start as early as 3 months and should be implemented by 6 months of age. Some recommend a routine of 15 minutes while others suggest an hour, so I say do what works for you. The routine should be calming, so no active playing, tickling, or TV.
Consider creating 2 or 3 routines that you alternate, perhaps one with mom and another with dad, so that your child doesn’t need one particular parent or set of events to sleep. This makes it easier when the routine has to be disrupted for other siblings or a trip away from home.
Most parents put babies to bed too late in the evening in hopes that they’ll sleep later in the night, but sleep expert Elizabeth Pantley suggests the ideal bedtime for babies is 7 p.m. You can tweak that either way by about 30 minutes, but try to stay close to that magic hour.
Pro Tip: You may want to try to roll baby over to his side to rouse him just a small bit before you head to bed, which may reset his baby sleep patterns and help you sleep longer before his next waking.
This article, 10 Adorable Sleeping Babies, is the reason why sleep deprivation exists!
