"Love, Patience and Practice" are the main steps in being a
parent."---CJ Krebs
Here are some basics steps you can try.
Help your infant develop good sleep habits:
Your baby doesn't pay attention to whether it is day and night.
But, when your baby is a few weeks old, you can start teaching
them the difference between morning, night, nap time and beddy-bye-time.
During the day keep daytime noises at their normal
level, wake your baby when it's time for her feedings, play
with her and talk to her. At night turn down the lights, the
noise, and your voice when talking to her during her feedings
and changes.
When your baby is about 1-2 mos. old, put her to bed when she
is shows signs of sleepiness but is still awake. Let her fall
asleep on her own, You may rock and/or sing to her just while
she is awake.
Keep a semi-scheduled bedtime routine. When it's bedtime, show
your baby it's time to settle down by performing the same steps
every night.
Here are some simple bedtime routine steps to try:
Start with a bath or just washing her hands and face.
Change diaper and put pj's.
Singing a quiet lullaby is soothing to the baby when it is a
familiar voice.
While you prepare your baby for bed, if you prefer not to sing,
put in a tape/cd of baby-friendly sounds on low volume and
leave it on after you leave the room.
Cuddle and rock your baby before you lay her down to bed. Try
to make it short and put your baby in her crib while she is
still awake.
Tricks to help your baby sleep:
For the first 2-3 months your baby needs to wake up to eat, but
some babies jerk themselves and wake up before they are ready
to eat. Try wrapping your baby snuggly in a receiving blanket
before putting her down for bed. It makes newborns feel secure
and ready for bed.
Try a pacifier. The sucking is soothing to some babies, but not
all. If you encounter too many problems with the pacifier
getting lost, or waking baby when it falls out - you should
wean her from it.
Leave one special toy in the crib for your baby to look at,
talk to and hold onto. Too many toys can be a distraction.
Sleeping tricks to avoid:
Putting rice cereal in her bottle at night to make her feel
full does not promote sleep.
Rocking your baby is very soothing and can put your baby to
sleep. But if you rock to put her to sleep, she'll want you to
rock her every time she wakes up - even at 4 a.m. (See above
notes for tips on rocking your child)
Letting your baby fall asleep with a bottle or nursing before
bed is not a good habit to make. When your baby wakes up at
night, she'll expect you to feed her.
A Little Reminder:
Encourage good sleep habits by creating a consistent sleep
routine that ends before your baby falls asleep, put her to bed
awake, and make sure that a favorite toy will be there for her
at night when she wakes up.
© 2002 CJ Krebs
All Rights Reserved
......................................................................................................................................................................
About The Author
CJ Krebs, proud mother of four children, who writes short
parenting articles and bible studies for Sheeze.com. She also helps
maintain and moderate The Parenting World
board.
......................................................................................................................................................................
Back to the Top
|
