Caring for a baby provides a lot of joy and excitement, but it also means sleep deprivation. It's a reality that newborns cannot sleep through the night, and neither can you too.
The good news is that by 3 to 6 months babies typically develop regular sleep patterns and can slumber until dawn. As your baby’s brain matures over these first few months, you’ll probably see a sleep pattern start to emerge -- though it may not be the pattern you want. Follow these easy measures today to help your infant create the sleeping habits of your dreams.
1. Recognize the Symptoms of Tiredness in Your Baby
Your baby will let you know if they need sleep. Watch for these common signs of tiredness:
● Rubbing eyes
● Yawning
● Looking away from you
● Fussing
Don’t wait until your baby is overtired to put them to bed. Overtired babies have more difficulty falling and staying asleep. Try to stay a step ahead by looking for the signs that they are getting sleepy before they get irritable and grumpy.
2. Set Your Baby’s Day-Night Sleep Cycle
Starting when your baby is 2 weeks old, try to teach your infant that "nighttime is when we sleep, and daytime is when we have fun."
Keep things engaging and lively for your infant during the day. Play with them frequently. Try to keep them alert after they've eaten, but don't worry if they conk out for a nap.
When it's dark, be a more low-key parent for your baby. Feed them in a dimly lit room. Reduce all forms of stimulus. Keep the lights low and the noise soft. They'll eventually learn that daylight is fun time and nighttime isn't, so they might as well sleep when it's dark outside.
3. Separate Eating From Sleeping
After the first month, you don't want to let your baby sleep while you're feeding or rocking them because you want them to figure out how to sleep on their own.
They may eat a bit, doze a little, and then eat some more, a couple of times. If they fall asleep and keep sleepingwhile you're feeding them, stop feeding them and put them to bed.
Some parents try to force their babies to drink more formula, breast milk, or baby food in order to get them to sleep on time or for longer periods of time. This is not good for your baby. Just like you when you’ve eaten too much, your overfed infant will be uncomfortable enough to sleep, just like you when you've eaten too much.
Keep in mind that you should never place a baby bottle in your infant's mouth when he or she is sleeping. It can lead to choking, ear infections, and cavities.
4. Don’t Wake Your Baby to Feed After 2 Months
If your baby is gaining weight properly, you don’t have to wake them at night for feedings. Your baby needs to find their own sleep schedule. Once they are eating more in the daytime, they don’t need to wake and eat at night.
Here are some instances where you should wake your baby:
● They are sleeping more in the day than the night and missing their daytime feeds.
● Don’t let them go more than 4 hours without eating during the day. You may need to wake the baby up to feed at night, but it is probably better to try to change your baby’s daytime habits rather than continuing to wake them every 4 hours at night.
● For premature or special-needs babies, you may need to adjust feedings.
5. Be a Patient Parent
Remember to keep your expectations realistic. For the first few months of your baby’s life, plan for unpredictable, sporadic sleep. Try to sleep when the baby sleeps, because that may be the only rest you will be getting for some time!
If your baby's sleep pattern changes suddenly, check for symptoms of illness. It could be a warning sign of an ear infection or it may simply be a new turn in their development.
6. Choose a Super Absorbent Diaper
Parents need to give their best in supporting their babies at a very young age. This is the reason why they should always consider the baby’s comfort and make sure that their little one is happy all day long. In line with this, choosing the right diaper will surely affect the comfort and sleeping schedule of the baby. Good news is that MAKUKU diapers use SAP or Super Absorbent Polymer core structure – it has a massive absorption that can hold up to 500ml urine volume. In addition, it has the ability to absorb liquid up to more than 100 times its own weight. Moreover, the diaper bottom layer is made of ultra-fine denier fiber for an ultra smooth feeling, making the baby’s bottom soft and comfortable.Its ergonomic design has been adapted to the baby’s needs making it feel lightweight and snuggly. MAKUKU Air Diaper Series provide the best quality in meeting the diaper needs for their babies and convenience for all the parents.
Experience the uninterrupted and worry-free-all-night protection with MAKUKU diapers. Visit MAKUKU official Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok pages and learn more about parenting tips and guidelines in taking care of your little ones. Try it yourself and don’t forget to add in your Shopee & Lazada cart! Coming soon in leading supermarkets and drugstores nationwide.
