Babies lack a regular sleeping cycle until they’re about six months old. As they get older, they sleep less. Every baby has their own sleep needs, and it is normal for them to wake up during the night or sleep through it. Below is a list of suggestions that might help your child to sleep better:
1. Act upon signs of sleepiness
Timing is critical. You should observe your child and learn the habits they portray when they’re about to sleep and use these to put them to sleep. Some of these signs are when they are quiet, still, not interested in their surroundings, staring into space, etc.
2. Drown outside noise with Sleeping sounds
Sometimes, your child has trouble sleeping due to the noise from its environment. Machines like a White Noise machine transform their nursery and give it a womb-like environment. The machine is meant to silence outside noise and not overpower it. Therefore, volume can be tested by having someone talk outside the nursery as you adjust the machine.
3. Swaddling
Try the various styles of swaddling. They come in handy. You can wrap them in a snuggly blanket or try the Swaddle Up.
4. Drop the room temperature
Just like adults, babies also sleep better in a cool environment. Keep your thermostat at 68 to 72 degrees, and keep on checking on your child to ensure they’re not cold. You can adjust it to the baby’s preferred temperature.
5. Set a sleeping routine
Staying up till odd hours of the night can be tiresome and rough. You can train your child to sleep at specific times. Like just after dinner, get her in her baby girl clothes for nighttime, her favorite sleeping toy and blanket. Over time the sleeping routine will become automatic.
6. Use the four B’s: bath, bottle, book, bed
You can use these in any order. After a soothing bath, you can add in a small massage with oil, put her in her baby girl clothes to help them relax. You can add a white noise machine to the mix or sway their crib from side to side as you sing or read them a story.
7. Wait a few minutes before responding to your child’s fussing
Don’t always rush to the crib when your child wakes up at night or starts crying. See if she goes back to sleep by herself. However, you should check on them. If the crying persists, but do not turn the lights on or pick her up. She could get frantic, and this is where you can check to see what else could be bothering her. She could be hungry or in need of a diaper change. This way, they will get used to going back to sleep on their own instead of being dependent on you.
It can be challenging to get your child to develop good sleeping habits. This, in turn, can be upsetting for both the child and parent. As a parent, try to be understanding and avoid giving a negative response because that could worsen their sleeping problem. You can also ask for tips from parents in your situation.
