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Top Tips on Getting Your Newborn to Sleep Well at Night

How to make sure you and bub are sleeping soundly.

By Martin Bagel-BrownPublished 4 years ago 5 min read
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Tired mums and dads all around the world are way too familiar with the trouble of getting their children to sleep. Thankfully, there is enough input from experienced parents to help ensure that your toddler stays asleep through the night.

Stress can be a major factor for the later onset of depression and fatigue as parents are worn down with inadequate routines, late nights, poor diet and a lack of sound sleep.

This not only impacts parents, but also the children in the home—including the newborn who are often unable to sleep through the night.

While each family will inevitably develop their own routines for a new-born, there are some things each family can do to encourage sound sleep and reduce the emotional and physical health risks that follow sleep deprivation.

Take a look at some of the most well-known strategies below and see if their are nay that you may have overlooked in your own quest for a sound-sleeping baby.

Distinguish Daytime from Nighttime

Children, even infants, needs physical exercise. it not only encourages physical growth and development but also help them rest in the evenings. Make your baby’s daytime experience more lively and social. As night time approaches, keep the environment quieter and calmer.

Doing this will help your baby to distinguish the difference between daytime and night-time in your toddler’s first few months.

When your babies can better differentiate between the time of the day, they will slowly adapt to sleeping at night.

Have a Short Bedtime Routine

Adopt a simple and consistent bedtime routine and stick to it. Here is an example: After you have fed your baby for the night, change her into her pyjamas, dim the lights, and put your child in her crib.

Your child will recognise that it is bedtime, and they are likely to be less fussy about sleep time as they adjust to the new routine.

Changes in routine rarely work out well for families with young children. Those changes include location, noise levels, visual stimulation and lighting. Consistency is key.

Don’t Move the Baby after They Fall Asleep

If you happen to be having a night out with your baby at which they fall asleep, try not to wake them up when you need to return home.

As an example, if your baby enjoys sleeping in a capsule while driving, allow them to continue sleeping when you come inside by leaving in the portable baby capsule.

With baby capsules, you can transport the baby from place to place without rousing your baby from their sleep. The familiarity of the capsule, the linen and blankets used, etc, all become familiar triggers that it is not only time to rest, but safe to rest.

Keep the Bedroom Condition Consistent

Should your toddler wake up in the middle of the night, try to maintain a consistent nighttime condition in your toddler’s bedroom. If they wake up in the middle of the night, the lighting and sound level should remain similar or the same.

This way, your toddler will know that it is still time to sleep, and can settle back to sleep easier.

Children can get used to sleeping in all kinds of noisy conditions. if your home is rowdy by nature, don't try and force a routine of silence on everyone. Your baby will soon adapt, which is far better than everyone tiptoeing around the house.

The key again is familiarity and consistency. Your baby is quite capable of falling into all kinds of good routines and adapting to their surroundings—provided they do not change dramatically from day-to-day.

Let Your Baby Learn to Settle Themselves

Do not rush to comfort your baby every time they cry.

If your baby cries when you place them into their cot or when they wake up in the middle of the night, wait for a while before you head over to comfort them.

Sometimes, your baby will settle in just a few seconds, and you will not need to worry. You can pat your toddler gently to let them know that you are there if they continue to cry for a while.

Fulfil Your Baby’s Needs before Bedtime

Give them a warm bath, either before or after their nigh-time feeding, and make sure you have completed a nappy change before you let them settle into bed for the night.

If your feeding, changing and washing routines are in order and are completed at the same time each day your new baby will be far more content and less likely to want for anything during the night.

Keep the Room Cool

Your baby may wake up quickly if the surrounding temperature gets too warm. This can increase anxiety and discomfort as well as make your newborn more susceptible to skin irritations, rashes and more.

Avoid too many coverings and tight fitting layers. Keeping the room temperature low and covering your baby with a warm blanket in cooler weather well help them stay asleep longer and awake more refreshed.

If you watch carefully, you will soon pick-up the individual needs of each child. Some prefer a tight, warm crib, while others sleep better in little more than a nappy and a clean sheet.

Following these simple tips, and applying them with your babies' particular needs, health and environment in mind is going to make for better sleep all-round and a household that is generally at peace.

Image Pexels License CCO

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About the Creator

Martin Bagel-Brown

Martin lives in Australia and works in web design. Martin enjoys golf, reading and underwater carpet skiing.

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