New parents often say, that they did not realize how important good quality sleep was for them until they stopped getting it.
The internet has put in a position where we have a plethora of information right at our finger tips, you might find yourself googling, asking in Facebook groups or plugging new language or abbreviations into the search bar on Instagram on infant sleep 4-month sleep regression, my babies having a false start, STTN, DWT, how to get my baby to sleep past 5am and so on. However, this overload of information can also result in more confusion.
Below are some generic tips to help you and your baby get a better night sleep
Pay attention to how your baby falls to sleep: in the beginning, it’s easy to create a routine that involves you ‘putting your baby to sleep’. The goal when you are ready is to be able to put them to bed in a safe sleep environment awake.
Sucking props: even though your baby may go down awake into their crib and put themselves to sleep, if they are sucking on a soother or sucking on a bottle, this is still considered a sleep prop and can cause issues later on with learning to link sleep cycles together.
Sleeping environment: the ideal room temperature is between 17-21 degrees and in this temperature your baby may still have cold hands or feet, these their little digits are not a good indicator of their core body temperature, instead feel the back of their neck. Small babies have immature circulation systems, so their hands and feet will warm up over time but in the beginning, don’t assume that this is the reason they are not sleeping well.
White noise: this can be a great addition if you live on a noisy street, have a dog that barks or have a babies bedroom close to alot of activity, as it can help drown out sudden noises which may startle a new baby.
Routine: A good routine and sleep go hand in hand. To have a more stable bedtime you have to have a stable wake up time and stable cut off from nap-time.
Sleeping through the night: Parents have different definitions of what sleep through the night means, the first part of the night is deep sleep and it takes care of itself, the midnight to 5am stretch is more active, so this is where you tend to find you get the clustered wakings.
Written by Dawn Whittaker (Parenting Coach)
Written by Carrie Shan, Founder of Silkberry Baby
Silkberry Baby is an organic baby clothing brand located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Developed by Carrie Shan, a mother of two young children, the range was conceived to create a baby bedding and clothing product range as her daughter had an allergic reaction to synthetic fibres. After much research, she sourced natural, eco-friendly and sustainable fibers (mulberry silk floss and bamboo) that she found to be the best natural choices available for baby and toddlers' bedding and clothing.
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