The University of Illinois Extension states that infants will wake up every three to four hours during their first month of life, and that most babies will sleep longer through the night at some point during their first year of life. Sleeping through the night may only mean a five-hour period of time. The main reason infants wake up is because they are hungry. When babies do begin to sleep through the night, parents may desire that their baby sleep later in the morning.
Step 1
Start your baby on a schedule to encourage a full night of sleep. Try to put your baby to sleep at the same time every evening and if possible have a structured nap schedule during the day for regular sleep patterns. Establish a ritual before bed in the evening that becomes familiar and is relaxing to your baby. Read a book. Make a night time bath the time to settle your baby and let him or her begin to associate bath time with bed time.
Step 2
Make sure your baby's room does not let in the early morning sun. Check if anything else may be waking your baby up earlier than you desire. Change diaper to a more absorbent one if your baby wakes up wet. Make sure your baby is not sick or uncomfortable if he or she is waking up too early.
Step 3
Set a later bed time at night if you would like your baby to sleep later in the morning. BabyCenter states that normal sleeping time is about 10 hours. Put your baby to bed each night around 10 hours from the time you want him or her to wake up. Experiment to accommodate your and your baby's schedules but make sure that it is working for your baby in terms of getting enough rest.
Step 4
Keep your baby in a crib. Give the baby his or her own room if possible for less noise or distractions. If your baby is the appropriate age, give him or her a favorite blanket or soft toy to comfort him or her in the crib. Allow your baby to try and go back to sleep alone if he or she wakes up early. It will become a familiar pattern and encourage longer sleep.
Step 5
Feed your baby later in the evening to help him or her sleep longer. Give your baby a full bottle just before falling asleep. Let your baby finish putting himself or herself to sleep after the bottle. If the baby is put down in a crib while still partially awake, the baby will learn to go the rest of the way to sleep alone.
Tips and Warnings
- If there is a special soothing sound that comforts your baby and helps him or her sleep better, use it at night time or early morning. Give your baby a pacifier to help go back to sleep if he or she wakes up too early. Do not let your baby sleep so long during the day that it affects long stretches of sleep at night.
- You may like to rock your baby to sleep, however, when your baby wakes up in the middle of the night or early in the morning that same treatment will be expected. You can let your baby cry for a short time if he or she wakes up at night or before the normal waking time. But check on the baby if the crying escalates. Do not put your baby to bed with a bottle since it can make your baby's teeth decay.
