I remember when my youngest son was born, it was often difficult to get him to sleep at night simply because babies are naturally active in the womb at night when mom is trying to catch up on her sleep. Once your baby is born, it is best if you try to get your baby on a regular schedule by keeping them up more during the day. Just remember that an over tired baby will often fight sleep, which will prevent your baby from getting relaxed and comfortable enough to fall asleep. Today, I wanted to share some tips on how to get your baby adjusted to life outside of the womb.
Reminder: This isn’t a sleep training post, I personally don’t think babies should be trained to sleep at night until they are closer to a year old especially if they are breastfed.
Parents often complain that their toddlers do not sleep on time. Moreover, at this age they do not understand everything you say. So, what can be done? You cannot let them be awake all night. This will affect their routine and, at the same time, will affect your routine. To prevent this, you can use the following strategies and get them to sleep at an appropriate time.
Dimmers
If you use dimmers, your baby will get into a to go to sleep. So, dim your lights at night and let them know that it is a sign to sleep. To make a better impact, your home should be brightly lit during day-time. Don’t worry if he is taking a nap.
No Eye Contact
Don’t gaze into your baby’s eyes at night. This will make them playful and they won’t feel sleepy. Gazing into their eyes, they get energized and their heart rate speeds up. At the same time, their blood pressure also rises. On the other hand, during the day you should make plenty of eye contact. This will keep them awake, boost bonding and brain development.
Temperature
Children love to sleep when it’s cold. So, the room should be warm during the day and cool at night. You know at what temperature your child loves to sleep. Regulate the temperature accordingly and let them have a sound sleep. It is possible that you are unwell and do not want to be in a cooler environment. In such cases, ask someone else to sleep with the baby. This someone can be your husband, elder son, or your siblings; who are at your place and can help you. Note: Keep the temperature ideal. Don’t make it too hot or too cold. That can have negative effects on the health of the baby.
Noisy Background
If your child isn’t sleepy even after a number of efforts, you can try this. Make some noise. They can bear the noise because they have been 24/7 in the uterus and were faced with noise that is more than what your vacuum cleaner makes. Letting them sleep near the dishwasher is a good option.
Swings
Swinging them is good if they wake up every hour or two. Yes, you might get them into the habit of swing sleep, but this is not bad. This won’t go on for years. Swinging to get to sleep is for the first few months. As your child grows, gradually the need will go down. If you are planning to buy an infant swing and rocker, here is a sears free delivery promo code.
Full Tummy
If your baby sleeps after having the right amount of food, he/ she will have a good night sleep. For this, you need to keep feeding the baby at regular intervals. After 5 p.m., this is a must. If the baby eats at regular intervals, they will not trouble you later on.
If your baby is having a hard time adjusting to daylight savings time, please check out my tips on how to adjust your baby’s sleep schedule for daylight savings time.
Photo Credit: Flickr via Creative Commons
