As the parent of a newborn, helping your baby get enough sleep is one of the greatest gifts you can give. It is one of the main things that they do during those early months, alongside eating and pooping. Moreover, it has an integral role to play in your child’s physical, mental, and social development.
The harsh reality is that you will inevitably endure some disrupted nights along the way. Likewise, newborns will wake up with hunger very regularly. Nevertheless, there are several ways to encourage better patterns. Here are five top tips you should consider.
1 - Establish Daily Routines
While newborns tend not to sleep for more than two hours at a time, they sleep for an average of 16 hours per 24-hour cycle. The duration does decrease over the months, but even by their second birthday, babies sleep for 13 hours. Therefore, it’s important to establish a routine.
Putting your baby to sleep at the same time each evening will go a long way to supporting their circadian cycle. This will help them enjoy the full benefits of sleep, in relation to hormone regulation as well as physical development. While nighttime sleep patterns are the priority, nap times should follow daily routines too. However, these will change over the months.
Nevertheless, when your child is in the routine of sleeping at certain times, their body will get used to this. It is the foundation for supporting both quality and quantity of sleep.
2- Master Feeding
Babies most commonly wake because they are either hungry or have digestive issues like trapped wind. Given that both of these problems are directly linked to feeding, getting this aspect under control is vital. Regardless of whether breastfeeding or bottle feeding.
Firstly, then, understanding clues of hunger or fullness is a responsibility for all parents to embrace. Ensuring that your baby is comfortably full without being uncomfortable should help them drift off quicker. And stay sleeping for a little longer, which is crucial for their sleep quality. Besides, nutrition itself will support your child’s development. Not least when moving onto food.
In addition to feeding your baby the right volume of milk at each feed, you must master winding. Tackling trapped wind before your tot drifts off will help them sleep with greater comfort.
3- Address Your Newborn’s Discomfort
Getting babies to sleep well is hard enough even when they feel comfortable. Unfortunately, it becomes infinitely tougher when your baby is in physical discomfort. Worse still. If their sleep becomes disrupted, exhaustion could make it even harder for them to drift off.
Knowing how to help congested baby sleep is particularly important. After all, it is a very common issue for newborns to experience. Aside from helping them sleep through the issues, many of the tips actively help clear mucus. Your baby will be back to full health in no time, which will allow you to get back into sleeping habits ASAP.
When used in conjunction with other tips like the aforementioned feeding issues, your baby’s comfort will be restored. In turn, this should translate to enhance sleep.
4- Create A Comfortable Sleeping Environment
Like adults, babies will see their sleep become heavily influenced by their bedroom surroundings. Therefore, investing in a comfortable Moses basket or cot bed depending on the baby’s age is vital. Mattresses must be firm, especially when your baby is new to rolling.
However, it’s not only the bed that matters. A comfortable room temperature is essential, with somewhere between 16 and 20 degrees standing out as the perfect choice. Warmth can also be provided by a swaddle, which will help mimic the feeling and comfort of a hug. This may save you from having to rock your child off to sleep every single time.
The room should also have very little light if you want your child to sleep well. Setting may be further supported by the use of soft background music or an overhead mobile.
5- Master The Art Of Nappy Changing
Aside from hunger or trapped wind, your baby may wake after they have urinated or pooped. Some newborns may actually sleep through a wet or soiled nappy, but it will cause discomfort the following day due to sores. So, it’s important to act fast.
As well as responding fast to their bowel movement, you need to complete a speedy nappy change. Otherwise, you may find that your baby is wide awake by the time you’ve finished, which will destroy the routine. And it may take days to truly restore it. Have the nappy bags, creams, and new nappy ready to go for a rapid process.
If you can do this without turning on the main room light, you should try. Getting your child back off to sleep with minimal disruption will make a world of difference.
6- Be Consistent
As highlighted by the benefits of going to bed at the same time each night, consistency is king. However, it’s not just about following the same patterns to support your child’s sleep quality. Winning routines also help them physically and mentally prepare for sleep.
For example, you may finish the last feed before bed before getting your baby into their PJs and starting a lullaby playlist. Having the same songs each night creates a clear indicator that it’s time for bed. Likewise, the bedtime routines should occur in the same room each night. Familiarity is a key ingredient in the recipe for success.
Once again, you can’t expect a perfect night’s sleep every time. Similarly, it may take some time to establish a routine. After you have, though, you'll never look back.
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