There is nothing cuter than a sleeping baby.  So peaceful, so beautiful, not a care in the world.

Babies require a lot of sleep.  On average a baby requires 12-18 hours of sleep in the first few months.  This often comes in short bursts of about 2-4 hours at a time.  For a parent who is sleep deprived it is easy to just let the baby sleep whenever and whereever.  However, habits can become established very early.  Babies can begin to confuse their days and nights.  They can begin to pick a prefered sleeping spot that is not the spot you ultimately want them to sleep in, like the baby swing or your arms.  Establishing good sleeping habits early can be a godsend later as the baby gets older and sleep is more structured.

Establishing good sleep habits begins with a few simple things.

  • The first thing you need to do is to teach your baby the difference between day and night.  This can be done by keeping night time feedings very low key.  Don’t turn on a lot of lights, keep everything quiet and put the baby right back to bed.  During the day keep the baby awake for longer periods and try to establish that day time is the time for interaction and play.
  • It is never to early to establish a bed time routine.  Very early on babies will pick up on the pattern of when things are done.  By keeping the same routine for bedtime every day your baby will begin to recognize that it is bedtime and as your baby gets older the transition from awake time to sleep time will be a lot easier.
  • A baby that can put him or herself to sleep is more likely to sleep well and beable to fall back asleep on their own if they wake up at night (not for a feeding).  At about 6-8 weeks old your baby is ready to begin learning how to fall asleep on their own.  Instead of rocking the baby to sleep or nursing the baby to sleep try rocking or nursing until they are really relaxed and then laying them down awake.  It may take some time but eventually they will figure it out.
  • If you want your baby to sleep in their crib or bassinet then you need to start that habit early.  It can be tempting to just let them sleep in the swing or laying on your chest because you don’t want to disturb them.  However, a baby will very quickly get used to sleeping like that and may (very loudly) protest sleeping anywhere else.  If you want them to sleep in their crib you have to start putting them there for sleep early.
  • Keep your baby’s schedule fairly standard from day to day.  Put them down for naps around the same time, put them to bed at night around the same time.  As they get older and are sleeping few times but for longer periods each time the schedule will help you ensure they are getting enough sleep when they need it.
  • If your baby starts a sleep habit that you don’t like or that you don’t think is good for them, such as catnapping, sleeping only in the baby swing, confusing days and nights, etc, work on correcting the habit early rather than later.  The longer you let it go the harder it will be to correct.

With babies sleep begets sleep.  A well rested baby is going to sleep better than an overtimed baby.  You will learn early on to recognize your baby’s sleepy signs.  Put your baby down for sleep as soon as your begin to recognize those sleepy signs, once they are too tired it will be harder to get them to fall asleep.  If you are concerned about your baby’s sleep patterns be sure to discuss them with your child’s pediatrician.

Just as baby’s need their sleep so do parents.  Being overstressed and overtired makes parenting difficult.  By establishing good sleeping habits early on you will be laying the ground work for better naps and better night sleep later on.  When your baby sleeps better so do you.

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