Newborn babies sleep as many as 16 hours a day. However, they often fail to cooperate when their parents want them to take an afternoon nap or go to sleep at bedtime. Babies may initially confuse night with day; they'll sleep for long stretches during the day and barely sleep at night. Use techniques to improve your child's sleep schedule. While your baby won't immediately start sleeping through the night, you'll have her on the right track.
Step 1
Monitor your baby's current sleeping schedule. Identify any patterns you see in the timing and frequency of his naps. If he sleeps for more than three hours during the day, he may have his days and nights confused.
Step 2
Develop a nighttime routine for you and your baby. Start small with simple activities. For instance, give your baby a bath, tell her a story or play a CD of lullabies. You don't need an elaborate routine--just stick with it and carry it out every night. Your baby eventually will learn the routine means bedtime is imminent, and it will help her settle down and embrace sleep.
Step 3
Give your baby naps under normal conditions. Don't use your nighttime routine for naps, or else he'll never understand the difference between day and night. Turn the lights out, close the blinds, and maybe even put the lullaby CD on as he sleeps, but that's about it. The stark contrast between the naptime preparation and his nighttime routine will help him realize the appropriate times to nap.
Step 4
Keep your baby engaged as much as possible during the day. Play with her, cuddle with her, talk to her--do what you can to keep her awake, within reason. Extending the time she's awake during the day will help her sleep longer at night. Don't give her naps too close to her bedtime--this will interfere with her ability to sleep through the night.
Step 5
Keep nighttime interaction with your baby to an absolute minimum. Leave the lights and the TV off, and create the most boring atmosphere possible for your baby. As your baby learns that waking up in the middle of the night is no fun, he'll be more inclined to sleep longer. This also helps reinforce the difference between night and day.
Step 6
Let your baby cry a little bit before taking her out of her crib. Nighttime cries from your baby are inevitable, but it's not a given that she needs a feeding or a diaper. Give her a few minutes to cry and see what happens. If she learns you're not coming in to see her every time she cries, she'll figure out how to go back to sleep. This also helps her sleep for longer stretches at night. If her crying persists beyond five or 10 minutes, attend to her needs.
Tips and Warnings
- Don't get frustrated with your baby if you don't see results for a while. Every baby is different, and your child may take longer to learn the difference between day and night. Don't get hung up on the phrase "sleeping through the night." Experts define this as five or more hours of uninterrupted sleep at night. If your baby is getting at least that much, you're on the right track.
- Keep your baby's sleeping environment safe. Heavy blankets, pillows and stuffed animals can cause suffocation. Sleeping with such items also may increase a baby's risk of SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome.
