Getting Your Baby to Sleep All Night
When you first bring your baby home from the hospital you will be surprised at how much your life changes. Not only to you seem to have a whole new set of priorities, but you also have a dramatically different lifestyle. Your sleep pattern is going to be the first thing that you will really see changes in.
Newborn Baby Sleep Patterns
When babies are first born their nervous system and digestive system have not fully matured yet. Because of this they will not be able to sleep more than one or two hours at a time before waking and feeding. After about three months the babys nervous system will have matured enough to allow them to sleep longer stretches, and at about 6 to 9 months you may actually see them sleep eight or more hours at night.
Adjusting to a Newborns Sleep Patterns
If you are a first time parent then you probably have no idea of how little sleep you will get if you try to maintain your old sleep patterns. During the first month of having your baby at home it is a good idea to sleep when the baby sleeps. This may be your only way of getting enough sleep to keep you going. After the first month you should notice that your baby is starting to sleep for longer periods of time. When this happens you may be able to start introducing your baby to a more normal sleep pattern. However, their nervous system is still under developed so dont expect them to sleep longer than 3 hours at once.
Introducing a Regular Sleep Pattern
When your baby reaches three months you will notice a sudden change in their sleep patterns. They will be sleeping much longer stretches. This is the time to really establish a healthy sleep pattern. To do this you will need to start by keeping the baby active during the daytime. Allow them to nap, but dont let the nap exceed one or two hours. Also establish a daily routine. Wake the baby at the same time each morning, feed them at the same time each day, and prepare for bed at the same time each evening. By establishing a routine, your baby will know what is expected of them, and it will encourage them to sleep at night instead of sleeping during the day.
Reluctant to Sleep
Every baby is different. Some will sleep all night without fuss, while others will be reluctant to go to sleep and stay asleep. If you have a baby that is reluctant to sleep try to figure out why the baby isnt sleeping all night. If they are waking frequently to feed then you may want to introduce cereal to your babys diet. If they are waking frequently because they are wet then you may want to change your brand of diaper. If the baby wakes crying a lot and is doubling up, then they may have colic. If you think that your baby may have colic then you should talk to your doctor about what you can do to solve this problem.
If there is no apparent reason why your baby is not sleeping through the night then it may simply be that they are night owls. If this is the case then you may want to use a little behavioral psychology to solve their sleep problem. To do this you will need to begin associated a certain toy, song, or other item with sleep time. For example if you have a lullaby CD play it every time the baby gets drowsy and is ready for a nap. Once the baby associates the song with sleep you can start playing it when it is bedtime. The baby knows that when they hear this song it is time to sleep, so when you play it at night the baby will get drowsy and go to sleep. This is what is referred to as a conditioned response.