To establish good baby sleeping habits for your baby, this can be a challenging role for parents. Babies may stay awake for several reasons, hunger, illness or general discomfort. At this point, most if not all, babies will remain unsettled until their needs are met.
Here is some baby sleep advice that can help you to ensure that your babies have a good night’s sleep. Below are some helpful tips
Keep your baby stimulated
It is important to keep and provide your baby with some form of stimulation during the day. Research has shown that babies who are engaged and get a little tired, tend to fall asleep much faster and also stay asleep for much longer. As a parent, you are advised to actively talk to your baby, move around with them in the house and ensure they actively participate in activities that stimulate them mentally and engage them physically.
Reduce the sleep time
If by any chance, you find that your baby is spending a lot of time sleeping during the day; some advice would be to reduce the sleep time during the day, as this may help sleeping more at night. It is worth noting though that some children can comfortably manage many periods of sleep both at night and during the day. But in most instances, you can manage this by allowing your baby to sleep briefly for an hour or so during the day then wake them up.
Decide where your baby will sleep
You must decide on one particular place where your baby will sleep. Your baby must be made aware of his sleeping room. No play should be associated with this room; each and every time your baby will approach the room, he will associate it with sleep and begin to understand his routine. Contrary to what most parents believe, it is not a must to sleep with your baby; just ensure the place of choice is comfortable, clean and safe.
Offer your baby some quiet time
Quiet time for your baby before they go to sleep is a great tool to help them become and relaxed. Having a routine for your baby can help both you and your baby, as everyone is aware of the time of day and thus will help establish a good sleeping routine. Establishing quiet time for your baby can be very easily achieved, count backwards from the time you would like your baby to sleep and allocate the quiet time, you can make it ten or twenty minutes before your babies’ official sleeping time. After some time, your baby is bound to relate the quiet time with sleep time; he will thus sleep more easily.
Give your baby more substantial food at night
Once your health visitor has advised you to start weaning your baby; it is highly recommended that you increase the amount of solid food that your baby takes during the day. Solid food does keep your baby full and satisfied for a much longer period than liquid food; a well-fed and satisfied baby is bound to have a good night’s sleep.
Avoid constant visits to your baby’s bedroom
Babies have a very strong sense of smell; the scent of parents may easily wake them up. Babies do unleash some intermittent cries from time to time; it is important that you take at least a minute or two before walking in to check them out. The baby may just go back to sleep on their own without interference from you or anyone else.
Dress your baby appropriately
It is important that you provide your baby with clothes that are fit for their age and occasion. Newborn babies can be swaddled; as they get a bit older they may prefer to sleep a bit loose. Dressing your baby for sleep during the summer is not the same as doing it over winter either. A child who is either underdressed or overdressed will most likely have problems while sleeping at night; he may either get cold or sweat a lot.
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