The phrase sleeping like a baby is one we’ve grown up hearing. Then you become a parent and you realize sometimes your baby won’t sleep at all! You’ve barely put her to bed and she’s crying again. You’ve fed, burped and changed your baby’s diaper. You checked if he’s running a fever, checked for any possible causes of discomfort yet your baby keeps crying and you are now frazzled and worried.
Naturally, being loving parents, the first thing we rule out is illness. Better to be overprotective than too late, right? Thank goodness for pediatricians who truly understand that we want our children to be well and don’t mind being bothered at odd hours when we truly are at a loss.
Now that you’re sure that you baby’s health is fine, it is time to check your little ones sleeping habits. You may need to make some adjustments if your child has developed some habits that contribute to the restless nights. Hopefully these tips will help you get your kid to sleep through the night.
- Napping is normal for babies but try not to let them nap more than 3 hours during the day.
- When bedtime comes around, as your baby gets sleepy put him in his crib. Get him used to associating his crib as time to sleep.
- Avoid rocking your baby to sleep. Though we all love cuddling our kids, doing this develops a pattern where they need you to actually rock them to bed everynight. Get them used to quieting down in their crib instead, without the motion.
- A lullaby is a favorite method to soothe your child to sleep. Put on some soft music for your baby. There is a vast collection available intended just for babies.
- If your baby does wake up in the middle of the night avoid picking him up or playing with him. Keep your midnight visits short and soothing and encourage your baby to go back to sleep. It may be as simple as your child needs a diaper change which you can do quickly, quietly and get him settled in again.
- Avoid giving your child a pacifier before sleeping. Babies used to this usually cry if it falls out of their mouth and you spend your night plugging it in. As we all know, none of us sleep with a pacifier so your child can do without it.
[tags]parenting,babies,sleep,tips[/tags]
Originally posted on July 27, 2006 @ 10:18 pm
