With an infant at home, there is a good chance that no one in the family is getting much sleep. Newborns wake up as many as four times per night, meaning you are also awake, feeding, changing and comforting a fussy baby. Help to facilitate better sleep and longer periods between waking by making sure the conditions in your infant's room are right for sleeping and by helping her learn better sleep habits. While your infant will still need to wake up and eat through the night, you'll get better-quality sleep, too.
Step 1
Follow a predictable and soothing bedtime routine each night to prepare your infant for sleep. Signal to him that it is time for bed by bathing him, feeding him, reading him a story or singing him a bedtime song each night in the same fashion. Start the bedtime routine at least 30 minutes before you put him down for the night to give him ample time calm down and feel sleepy.
Step 2
Put your infant to bed drowsy but not asleep, the Mayo Clinic recommends. This teaches your baby to fall asleep on her own, a habit that becomes helpful during night wakings. Instead of needing you to rock her or nurse her back to sleep, she'll be used to falling sleep on her own, resulting in less nighttime waking for you.
Step 3
Swaddle your infant before bed, suggests Dr. William Sears, associate clinical professor of Pediatrics at the University of California-Irvine School of Medicine. Use a small, stretchy blanket and bundle your infant with her arms and legs tucked securely inside. Ensure that none of the blanket is loose and could cover her nose and mouth. Swaddling makes her feel safe and warm, and she will be less likely to wake herself through the flailing of her arms and legs.
Step 4
Place a white noise machine near your infant's bed. The noise mimics the sounds of the womb and cancels out other background noise, helping your baby to sleep. White noise machines are available at baby supply stores, but you can also use a radio turned to static or a fan to simulate the sound of a white noise machine.
Step 5
Be patient with your infant. A newborn's need to eat is more important than the need to sleep, KidsHealth.org says. Three or four wakings per night is normal and shows that you have a healthy, growing infant. Within time, the wakings will become less frequent and you'll be able to resume some of your old sleep schedule again.
Things You'll Need
- Blanket
- White noise machine
