Getting enough sleep is a major challenge for new parents. Young babies tend to sleep throughout most of the day time and much of the night. Yet, waking up often at night is normal for infants.
If you are having trouble getting your baby to sleep at night or she is waking too frequently, you can change her routine in order to help her sleep better. Changing the way that the baby sleeps or the setting that she sleeps in can have a significant improvement on your baby’s sleep.
Step 1
Feed the baby before bedtime in order to make her sleepy. Dr. Bill Sears, Pediatrician and Professor of Pediatrics at UC Irvine, states that breastfeeding or bottle-feeding the baby just before bedtime can make her tired. The combination of being warm and close to you and feeling full can gently soothe your baby to sleep. If your baby is old enough, six months or older, to eat solid foods, Dr. Sears recommends feeding a little baby cereal on the spoon at bedtime. Baby cereal can help fill her belly, making it easier for her to fall asleep.
Step 2
Consider co-sleeping to get your baby to sleep better. Co-sleeping involves sleeping in close proximity to your baby, with either a bed-extension or her crib placed next to your own bed. Parents.com states that co-sleeping can help a baby to sleep better at night because she feels comforted by the close presence of her mother.
Another benefit of co-sleeping is that you can feed the baby quickly and easily on demand at night if you are breastfeeding. Nursing when a baby wakes up at night will fill her belly and help her to fall right back to sleep.
Step 3
Put the baby to sleep at the same time and in the same place every night. If you co-sleep some nights and put her in a crib in a separate room on other nights, the baby may get confused. Likewise, letting the baby stay up late on weekends can throw off her sleeping pattern. Dr. Sears recommends setting one bed time and one sleeping place for the baby and sticking to these rules for the first 2 years of the baby’s life.
Step 4
Make sure that the baby is as comfortable as possible before putting her to sleep. Always check and make sure that the baby’s diaper doesn’t need to be changed, as this could make it hard for her to sleep. Dr. Sears also recommends making sure that the bedroom is quiet, dark and not too hot or too cold.
Things You'll Need
- Crib or bed-extension
