Late nights and multiple wake-up calls make it difficult to feel rested when you have a newborn. The 16 hours a day a newborn sleeps are often split into chunks of an hour or two at a time. At 3 months, your baby may sleep up to five hours at a time, and by 6 months, he may sleep nine hours at a time or more. Some babies naturally sleep all night long at an early age, while others need more encouragement to stay asleep.
Avoid Nighttime Stimulation
Stimulation during the nighttime hours can make it difficult for your baby to settle down. As bedtime approaches, avoid stimulating activities such as TV shows and active play, instead choosing soothing activities. If your baby needs a diaper change after she goes to bed, keep the lights low and the room quiet. Keeping your baby in her crib as you change her diaper creates less disruption, making it easier to fall back to sleep.
Establish Routines
Bedtime routines signal to your infant that it is time to calm down for bed. Over time, the predictability of the routine helps your child associate it with sleeping. The specific bedtime routine varies from one family to the next. Consider the typical activities you do before bedtime. This might include a bath, reading stories, singing lullabies and rocking together. Do these nighttime activities in the same order each night. MayoClinic.com suggests using the same songs each night, particularly when you put your baby in the crib.
Daytime Sleep & Activities
Your baby's activity and sleep during the day often impacts how he will sleep at night. A baby who is overly tired because he didn't nap well may have difficulty falling asleep at night. Avoid skipping nap time in hopes that he will sleep through the night, but also monitor his naps to make sure he's not sleeping for long periods of time during the day. Provide a stimulating environment during the day with active play and interactions. The stimulation helps your baby fall asleep at night. It also provides a contrast from the calm, darker environment at night which helps the child distinguish between the two.
Delay Answering Cries
Many parents feel uncomfortable with letting a baby "cry-it-out," particularly with younger babies. However, waiting a few minutes to answer your baby's cries may give her enough time to fall back asleep on her own. Some babies fuss as they settle in and find a comfortable sleeping position. A baby who wakes up in the middle of the night may fuss as she readjusts and finds a new position. If she doesn't settle down after a few minutes, checking on her and giving her reassurance can help ease her back to sleep.
