Your beautiful new baby is the light of your life, but you feel as though you haven't slept since the day she was born. You were forewarned about what you were getting yourself into, but no amount of warning can lessen the harsh reality of sleep-deprivation. One day this will all be a thing of the past, but until then there are things you can do to improve your infant's sleep routine. All babies advance to sleeping for longer nighttime stretches when they are ready, but yours could transition sooner than later if you implement some helpful strategies.
Step 1
Delineate between day and night by adjusting light levels. Your baby may sleep more than necessary in the day time if he isn't exposed to a lot of bright daylight. Alternately, he may sleep less at night if he is in well-lit rooms up until you lay him down in his crib for night sleep. According to BabyCenter.com, his body will relax for sleep if you lower the lights a couple of hours prior to bedtime and keep nightlights dim and dull-colored. If your baby rises with the sun, consider adding a dark shade to his window and only lift it when you're awake.
Step 2
Follow a consistent bedtime routine. While spontaneity catches your baby off guard and rises her alertness, consistency allows her to settle down because she knows what to expect. Set her bedtime at the same hour every evening, and for a couple of hours prior to sleep, only engage in soothing activities such as quiet play and cuddling. Right before bed, try a routine similar to the following: a warm bath (assuming she responds well to bathing), a small massage, pajamas, a familiar lullaby and some rocking in a darkened room.
Step 3
Put baby down drowsy but awake. BabyCenter.com enlists the advice of professional sleep consultatnt Kim West, author of "Good Night, Sleep Tight," when recommending that parents should allow their babies to learn how to soothe themselves to sleep. The alternative to a baby self-soothing is crying for parental help every time he briefly awakens. West says that a baby is usually sufficiently drowsy when he is moving his arms and legs less vigorously and he is sucking with less power.
Step 4
Limit nighttime interactions to encourage your baby to stay in the "sleepy" zone. Expect your baby to stir frequently at night, but don't respond to every little whimper, squirm or twitch. Moreover, avoid changing your baby's diaper every time she wets it and limit it to times when the diaper exudes the smell of a bowel movement. When you must interact with your baby during nighttime changes, keep the lights off and don't engage her by talking to her or making eye contact, or else she will become more alert and have trouble falling back to sleep.
Step 5
Wait it out. According to the Mayo Clinic, newborns sleep 16-plus hours each day, but they often only have the capacity to sleep for one- to two-hour stretches. In time---especially if you adhere to a consistent schedule---your baby's nervous system will mature and he will be able to sleep for longer periods of time. Three months in, many babies can sleep at least five hours at a time. Six months in, some babies can sleep from nine to 12 hours at a time. If you believe your baby isn't getting enough sleep, consult a pediatrician.
