5 Tips to Get Baby to Sleep Through the Night
When your baby doesn't sleep through the night, it can wreak havoc on your health and your family's wellbeing.
Stop feeling like a walking zombie so your whole family can get the sleep they need and be well-rested.
Here are 5 ways you can improve your baby's sleep . . . and yours.
Tip #1: Improve Their Sleeping Environment
Creating a sleep environment that encourages your little one to fall asleep--and stay asleep--is vital.
Setting their sleep area up is actually pretty easy and can eliminate some causes for poor nighttime sleeping.
Monitor the temperature
If your little one is too cold, they can wake up needing extra layers for warmth. If they wake up too hot, this can also cause them to wake up and need fluids,
Eliminate or reduce sounds
They can easily wake up in the early hours of the morning if they hear a parent get up early for work, or birds chirping outside their window.
Eliminate light
Light stimulates our natural wake-sleep cycles.
Try black-out curtains or blinds so that your baby is encouraged to sleep without longer and deeper.
You can then have more control over their sleep-wake cycle.
By getting your sleep environment set up just right, you can rule out many common factors causing night wakes.
Tip #2: Establish a Structured Daytime Routine
Establishing a structured daytime routine is really important so that sleep at night happens consistently and at the same time.
There are many additional benefits related to having a good daytime routine, so get started as soon as you can.
Here are three essential elements of a good daytime routine that will set you up for nighttime success.
- Set feeding and sleep times on a regular schedule. Make sure to stay consistent. This helps your baby to know what to expect and when.
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Establish a regular wakeup time and exposing your baby to sunlight helps them to establish a healthy circadian rhythm which improves sleep at night.
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Make sure your baby gets the majority of their sleep between 9 am and 3 pm. Keep sleep outside of these times to a minimum or just short power naps. This helps ensure your baby is tired enough to sleep well at night, but they are not overtired.
Tip #3: Have a Consistent Bedtime Routine
Babies THRIVE on routine.
When it comes to bedtime, you want to do the exact same activities in the exact same order every single day. This should be done for all nighttime sleep and a shortened version for all naps.
Bedtime rituals help your baby transition from their busy activities during the day to then winding down and preparing for bed.
It sends them a strong cue that bedtime is near, and it prepares them for sleep.
Tip #4: Start Using "The Pause"
Using the pause is when you simply wait just a few minutes, and you stop, wait, and listen.
As parents, we often leap up at the first sound our baby makes. But in many cases we are intervening too soon and interrupting their sleep.
When you wait a few minutes first, you are able to determine if your baby is truly awake or just transitioning between sleep cycles.
Tip #5: Always Use the Same Settling Routine
Dr Jodi Mindell, a clinical psychologist in pediatric sleep medicine, shares some helpful advice on settling your baby for wakes in the middle of the night. She recommends that the same settling routine you use at bedtime needs to also be applied and repeated in the middle of the night.
For example, if you rock your baby to sleep or nurse your baby to sleep in the evenings, you'll want to use the same approach when they wake up during the night.
Ultimately, the best approach is to incorporate a routine that is less dependent on you. You can teach them how to settle themselves on their own. Then if they wake during the night, they will be able to go back to sleep on their own.
Conclusion
These 5 strategies will get you started towards a happier, healthier family where everyone--not just baby--is getting a good night's sleep and waking well-rested.
We know how frustrating it can be getting your baby to sleep. We've been there, and it was our own journey with our own little ones that led us to make these programs and help others like you.
For more help and support on how to incorporate the above strategies and what to do when you hit road bumps or obstacles (like sleep regressions), check out our full suite of baby sleep programs.
