4 Strategies for Getting Your Baby to Sleep through the Night
One of the hardest parts of being a new parent is figuring out a way to get your newborn baby to sleep through the night. While waking up regularly to eat is common, as your baby gets older, their periods of uninterrupted sleep should get longer, which also gives you the opportunity to get more shuteye. However, for many parents, it doesn’t always work like this. To be sure, some parents who expect that their baby will start sleeping for longer and longer periods often have the opposite experience, often becoming exhausted and exasperated after months of not getting enough sleep.
Fortunately, there is help available, and things that you can start trying right now. Here are four strategies for getting your baby to sleep through the night–
- Set the Mood
Getting your baby in the mood to go to bed starts well before you place them in their crib or bassinet. Make sure to take plenty of time prior to bed for a bath, reading a book, or another nighttime routine that you and your baby enjoy. Make sure that the temperature in the room isn’t too warm, and that your baby is dressed appropriately for sleep.
- Establish a Bedtime Routine
One of the most important things that you can do with your baby is to establish a bedtime routine. A bedtime routine is most effective if it’s simple and short and something that anyone can do. The bedtime routine should consist of two or three things that you can do every night to indicate to your baby that it’s time for bed. If a bath is something both you and your baby enjoy, then make it part of the nighttime routine – if a bath causes you or your baby undue stress, then skip it! The bedtime routine might look something like this ; Bath, breast or bottle, book, bed.
- Don’t Deviate from the Schedule
Do some research to learn more about how much sleep your baby needs depending on their age, including naps. Then, set a schedule a stick to it. If you’re putting your baby down for a nap at a different time each day, or waking them up at a different time each morning, they might have a harder time falling and staying asleep than they would otherwise.
- Talk to a Professional About Self-Soothing and Sleep Training
If you haven’t already tried sleep training and self-soothing, it may be time to talk to a professional about these options.