Although many babies are physically capable of sleeping all night by 4 months old, many babies do not do so. This is extremely frustrating for parents, who may feel like they are doing something wrong. Fortunately, although the process of teaching babies to sleep through the night is not always easy, it is simple and can be done by keeping in mind a few simple steps.
Step 1
Be realistic. According to KidsHealth.org, most babies are physically capable of sleeping through the night between 2 to 4 months old, and it is unrealistic to expect a baby to sleep through the night before this time frame.
Step 2
Engage your baby as much as possible during the day. Playing, singing or simply taking your baby with you while you run errands during the day will help tire your baby out so she will sleep better at night, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Step 3
Tweak naps. If a baby sleeps too long or too often during the day, it may interfere with his ability to sleep soundly at night. While it is true that every baby is different and will require a different nap time schedule, you can use a trial and error approach to determine which amount seems to work best for your baby.
Step 4
Create a soothing bedtime ritual. Even at a young age, children like to know what to expect next. According to AskDrSears.com, one of the key principles of infant development is association, so consistently using the same routine before bedtime will cause your baby to associate that ritual with sleep and make the bedtime process much easier. A warm bath, cuddle time, reading stories, singing lullabies or just cuddling are a few examples of soothing activities that can be incorporated into a bedtime routine.
Step 5
Create a calm and relaxing sleep environment for your baby. It should be dark and quiet, and AskDrSears.com suggests that a room temperature of about 70 degrees and a relative humidity of about 50 percent is most conducive to sleep.
Step 6
Put your baby in her crib while she is sleepy, but still awake. Many parents wait until the baby is already sound asleep before putting her to bed, but this is a mistake because it does not give the baby the opportunity to learn to self-sooth and fall asleep on her own, according to the Mayo Clinic. If a baby is always rocked or nursed to sleep, the baby will associate those things with falling asleep and may be unable to fall asleep on her own without them when she wakes up at night.
Step 7
Recognize the difference between fussing and crying. Many babies will need to fuss for a few minutes before they are able to fall asleep, according to the Mayo Clinic. When a parent rushes in and picks up the baby as soon as they begin fussing, the baby will learn to expect someone to come in to help them to sleep and will not try to fall asleep on his own. However, if your baby cries for more than a few minutes or seems to be in pain or severe distress, check on him to make sure nothing is wrong and to reassure him that you are still there.
Tips and Warnings
- Using a swaddling blanket or white noise machine may help your baby sleep better.
- To reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), only put your baby to sleep on her back and avoid any blankets, toys or loose bedding in the crib.
