Bringing a newborn baby home can pose an entire list of questions. One of these can be where the baby goes to sleep. Ideally, the baby should sleep in her own crib--or bassinet--so she can learn how to associate sleep time with her crib. Other reasons include safety for the baby and needed rest time for her parents. Parents who start putting their baby in her own crib from the first day home should have a much easier time getting the baby to sleep in his own space than parents who don't do so.
Step 1
Decide whether your newborn will share a room with you and your spouse. If so, make sure you have a bassinet or crib set up for him when he comes home from the hospital; you need to begin teaching him how to sleep in his own bed right from the start.
Step 2
Begin putting your baby in her crib on the same day you bring her home from the hospital. Remember that her sleeping pattern will be broken into small chunks at first until she gets older. At about 3 months, she'll start to sleep in five-hour stretches, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Step 3
Give your baby a pacifier if he cries upon being put to bed. He may need the soothing the pacifier can give. This small object might also help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Step 4
Put your baby to sleep on her back. Continue to do so even when she is able to roll from her back to her sides and to her front. When you put her to bed, make sure you've taken additional blankets, pillows and stuffed animals out as these pose a smothering hazard, according to the Michigan Department of Human Services.
Step 5
Don't share a bed with your baby. This increases your baby's risk of SIDS, according to the Mayo Clinic. It's also harder for him to learn to fall asleep on his own when he shares a bed with you.
Tips and Warnings
- If your baby is frightened by the large space in her crib, make it smaller with rolled blankets placed in a circle around her. Just make sure these can't fall over her face and impede her ability to breathe. Place one of your used shirts in the crib with the baby so she can smell you nearby.
- Don't overheat your baby with too many blankets. Use a sleeper if you're worried about him getting cold while he's asleep.
Things You'll Need
- Crib or bassinet
- Pacifier
- Blankets
- Sleeper
