How to help your baby sleep through the night

 

How to help your baby sleep through the night, The sleep needs varies baby to baby. Here are some proven techniques to follow, for the best results. If you haven’t had a good night’s sleep since your baby was born, you’re not alone. Getting a baby on an overnight sleep schedule can seem like an impossible dream! It is good to follow the nap adjustments and feeding routines.

 

Tell me the signs of infant sleep problems?

When children begin to go for regular sleep, parents are usually unhappy that their babies wake up in the morning. This occurs frequently around 6 months of age. It can be referred to as separation anxiety.

Usually it happens when babies are unaware the separation is short-term and is temporary. Babys can sometimes struggle to sleep due to separation anxiety. Probably because the person feels too sluggish.

Common responses for babies who have night awakening problems and have difficulty sleeping during the night are as follows: Wreaking and shrieking once during the evening after you’re asleep during sleep.

 

Tell me the best sleep training method?

It is described as the way in which parents can help their child sleep. Its not suitable for all the parents who can’t tolerate a method where the child will cry for ten seconds or less.

However if a couple feels they don’t get enough sleep to care for a young child at the same time, it may be worth trying. If your baby is in good form try control he cry.Ignore fussing. Leave the room before they fall asleep.Don’t cover your baby’s head while they’re sleeping. You can also let your child cry a moment before returning, giving comfort and calming support. Your visit will gradually be extended.

 

Understand your baby’s sleep needs

The need for food in infants during the first 2 years outperforms the need for sleep. It’s possible for your babies and breasts to feed around twice per day. Your toddler can sleep between 9 hours to 8 hours each day, sometimes up to 4 hours. But babies don’t understand daytime and nighttime.

They sleep without knowing the time. This means your baby will have the full-awake period between 11:30am to 5am in the morning. At 3 and 6 years, most infants can stay up at least 6 hours. When you believe a baby has started having an excellent routine at six and nine months, it can get out of hand at the usual stages of development.

The need for food in infants during the first 2 years outperforms the need for sleep. It’s possible for your babies and breasts to feed around twice per day. Your toddler can sleep between 9 hours to 8 hours each day, sometimes up to 4 hours. But babies don’t understand daytime and nighttime.

They sleep without knowing the time. This means your baby will have the full-awake period between 11:30am to 5am in the morning. When you believe a baby has started having an excellent routine at six and nine months, it can get out of hand at the usual stages of development. If you are consistent baby learns the routine.

 

Tell me the best bedtime routine?

You can start by relaxing in the bath and then take baby out of his or her pyjamas. Follow the story and lullaby. Give babies soothing massage. If the kids are not comfortable after eating, try relaxing them by gently rocking them.Don’t let your baby fall asleep on a product that isn’t specifically designed for sleeping babies, such as a sitting device (like a car seat)

Likewise you can offer another breast to a baby who is hungry (Unicef 2017). A regular bedtime routine gradually informs your infant about the time for sleeping (NHS 2018). IHV 2014 recommends completing a bedtime routine on the bed of the infant (see below). Remember that your child must stay at home with you for 6 months.

 

Tell me the sleep needs of a baby?

Sleep is necessary in a baby, varying according to his or her age. Newborns are often asleep. However their sleeping period is short. As babies get older, sleep becomes shorter. The nights are longer. Normally, newborns sleep about 9 hours a night and 8 hours a day. It’s much easier to teach a baby to sleep through the night before they develop object permanence

They can sleep between 1 and 2 hours. Most infants do not sleep for 4-6 hours before waking and they usually don’t have enough energy until they reach the age of two. 80% of infants sleep throughout their life from birth until 6 months. The baby’s sleep cycle differs slightly from adult.

 

Put your sleepy baby to bed

Start at 6 to 12 weeks old and calm the child to drowsiness. If they’re near a resting place, put them back down and leave them alone. Don’t leave them to sleep in your arms because it can make them difficult to eradicate later in life. It’s gonna be easy for your toddler to sleep and you won’t need to rock them or snuggle them to sleep when their sleep comes.

Try a different time to start sleeping for children with difficulty with sleep. Overtired can make nodding difficult.Ignore fussing. Leave the room before they fall asleep.Do not go back in. No feeding. Stay out until about 6 a.m. Smile. You survived! Repeat. The second night will be half as hard as the first. Repeat. You did it!

 

Why doesn’t my baby sleep through the night?

You can have babies awake at night. If a child awakes late in the night it may disturb his sleep . When we are constantly tired, it may affect their mood and affect their functioning.

In fact, sleep can contribute to depression, so it is important that your child get enough sleep. Most infants stayed up all day during the night, and were hungry all night. The average baby can still sleep throughout the night until age one-months-old.

 

Sleep during the night can mean sleeping for six to eight consecutive hours a night. But remember that the amount of baby sleep needed during the day is only a fraction of the overall 10-12 hour period. Typically infant children under six months sleep between 3 and 8 hours a day, depending on the age of the baby.

 

Why do babies wake up at night?

Baby sleep is necessary for a good quality life; it can be extended with naps during daylight hours and nights. The sleep-wake rhythms of babies can only begin settling at age 10 to 12, even though many babies may take longer. During its earliest years multiple factors may cause an infant to wake during sleep.

 

Set a routine

A study of 440 mothers — who had children aged from six months to three years — showed their babies went to sleep easier. Usually parents begin the bedtime routines with their children at 6-8 weeks old.

 

How do babies sleep through the night?

Babies can begin to sleep at least six hours a night as early as five years. Despite the differences in age, babies sometimes start not sleeping for long periods until much earlier onwards.

 

Signs of sleep readiness

It is also possible for a child to learn to sleep by alerting them of signs of sleeping readiness. Your toddler may begin to wake up after you rubbed his eyes or turned.

 

Night weaning and sleeping through the night

If your pediatrician decides that your baby will need a night wean-up, talk to your doctor about what to do with the baby.

 

Start weaning the night feedings

After 5 or 6 months of age try to discourage the multiple feeding pattern. During the first nine months of age it is normal for the baby to have milk one or two times during the night. Some babies stop themselves feeding during the night ,which is normal The last feed before bed is very important since the baby is going for a long sleep.

Usually after feed they will fall asleep Wait till he finish the feed otherwise he is going to wake up in the middle of the night.  All babies are different and you know your baby.

When to stop night feed is still under discussion. After 6 to 9 months make the milk very diluted eg. 2 scoops to 7 ounces of water so that it wont be very tasty,the baby wont be bothered to wake up to drink that water! I tried that trick and succeed in that.

 

Do we have to wake new-borns for feedings.

Newborns grow in no time ,it is the best time to cuddle them and pamper them. Their body won’t take much of a break ,so it is wise to wake them for feeding That’s why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends to wake them every four hours and feed them during the first two weeks

 

How long a newborn stay awake between feedings

Most of the newborns won’t stay awake very long. It varies by baby, Some may not be able to stay awake more than 30 minutes at a stretch, in general they won’t stay awake more than one hour.

 

Develop a bed time routine

By developing the bed time routine the baby  begin to welcome sleep as part of the daily schedule.Look at your baby closely and watch for the sleep signals Responding to your baby cues will help your baby develop the trust in his ability to influence his environment.

The first signs of tiredness are yawning batting at ears; pulling hair ,and rubbing of the eyes, it should signal impending sleep. You are not alone, Get the help from your partner, friends, neighbors, or relatives.If you find it distressing to listen to your baby cry, there are other methods of sleep training that may fit better with your family.

This may occur between 6:00 or 7:00 pm. The early bedtime will lead to a more peaceful sleep and a later waking in the morning. In the bed time routine try to include diaper ,pajamas, and a lullaby .Brest feeding or bottle feeding also helpful if they are below one year. Try not to develop a milk-sleep association. break that habit.

 

Make sure Baby has Naps during the day

To avoid the over tiredness during the bed time encourage the child to have naps during the day .A  structured and regular sleeps during the day keep the baby more happy and they will sleep better in the night.It can last for 30 to 1 hour and can be even in a stroller, swing or car About 4 months onwards you can help your baby learn to sleep though the night.

If your baby is in day-care, parents may have to communicate with their day-care providers to  limits the child to nap shorter to establish a bed time routine.

 

Avoid Sleep Associations

Babies also have natural sleep cycles. If a baby falls asleep using a pacifier, bottle or rocking  when he awakens between sleep cycles he will cry out for your help. So try to put the baby into his bed awake, so that he will be able to go back to sleep himself instead of looking for your help.  If you have any concerns about weight gain or sleep patterns, talk to your doctor.

 

Try to Understand Circadian Rhythms

This is our internal  biological clock that makes us more tired at night and more awake in the morning This clock is controlled by Melatonin, our internal sleep hormone. New-born babies develop this rhythm during 6 to 8 weeks. They start differentiating day and night and  sleep longer  at night and shorter during the day.

Take the baby outdoor to enjoy the daylight and avoid strong light in the night so that the baby will differentiate the day and night .It regulates the sleep hormone Melatonin and help the baby sleep easily.Parents who share baby’s room for work need to take extra caution. Some sleep experts suggest the use of soft night light and white noise combination is  better for the sound sleep.

 

What can I do to help my baby settle?

These tactics may help your baby to sleep through the night better and settle themselves .

The American of Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends room-sharing without bed-sharing for at least the first 6 months or, ideally, until a baby’s first birthday. This is when the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) is highest. Room-sharing is when you place your baby’s crib, portable crib, play yard, or bassinet in your own bedroom instead of in a separate room.

• Help your baby get to know the difference between day and night. During the day keep things light and bright and active – open the curtains, play games and make lots of noise. At night, dim the lights, keep things quiet and give your baby soothing cuddles instead of playing with them. This will help them to set their body clock and learn the difference between day and night.
• Give your baby the chance to fall asleep on their own. Your baby’s natural sleep-wake cycle (circadian rhythm) starts to develop when they are about six weeks old ! You can encourage your baby to do this by putting them down on their back after a feed when they’re sleepy,
• But still awake and seeing whether they can go to sleep with you close by. You could also try lullaby, Repeat this to your baby as they gently drift off, so they begin to associate it with bedtime, and feelings of drowsiness.
• Set a  bedtime routine. You can introduce a  bedtime routine from around three months. Start your routine about an hour before you plan to  put your baby down to sleep if your baby sleeping after a 7 p.m. feeding and wakes up at 2 a.m. to eat, try waking the baby to feed at 11 p.m. Check your baby’s diaper before sleep. Yes, sleep training does require listening to some crying. Once your baby begins to sleep more predictably, you will be a proud mum!!!

 

Patience is virtue

Remember we all are unique!   Each family has their own problems. What work for one family may not work for others ,so take time, experiment in your own way, Be consistent with your ideas .Remember that sleep deprivation is directly linked to postpartum depression. Get the  help from your partner, relatives , friends or neighbors.

Room-sharing (a baby sleeping in a crib in the same room as her parents) is protective against sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and is a safer alternative to bed-sharing. You and your baby will be much happier and healthier, and that is worth all the effort and time!Car seats and other sitting devices are not recommended for routine sleep.