Baby Sleeping Guide For New Mummy - Baby Sleeping Guide |
Posted: May 5, 2017 |
Many new parents agree that they had no idea how stressful this part of parenting really is. The whole experience of trying to get your baby to sleep can cause mental and physical anguish for you and your newborn. Anxiety about sleeping can result because they aren’t sure you’re not sure you’re “doing it right” – especially helping your baby sleep, which then causes lack of sleep – creating more anxiety.
Establishing routine begins now and is crucial to developing good sleep habits. Babies grow at a rapid pace and that process requires a lot of sleep. Some parents prefer not to follow structured sleep in the first 6 months. If you do follow a schedule it can be a positive experience with lasting effects for you and your baby.
So you’re anxious and not sleeping…because you’re anxious. A few things can stop this cycle: First, a healthy mindset towards parenting is based on the love you have for your child. You will make mistakes, but you will do everything humanly possible for your baby to thrive. Don’t be ashamed or afraid to ask questions about ANYTHING, as stupid as it may sound in your head. If you don’t think your baby is getting enough sleep, talk to someone with experience (health professional, neighbor with kids, the supermarket clerk) to find the answer. Keep asking.
Next, ask for someone to physically help you during these times. Crowd funding sites have paved the way for online services that help you request then organize help for your household with a new baby. Support service websites like Caring Bridge and Lotsa Helping Hands make it easy for you to schedule help throughout the week from friends and family. Finally, breathe – inhale, exhale and really try to relax. Your baby picks up on cues (some say as a result of an innate function to survive because they can’t yet speak). If you’re stressed out, they will stress out too.
To introduce the below, understand that like everything else, sleep, while instinctive, has to be somewhat taught. Like adults, babies have sleep cycles (For my baby I use double jogging stroller as sleep cycle). This means they have periods of time while asleep where they are closer to waking up and need your help to gently calm them back to sleep. They have to be taught to sleep through these near waking periods, something they will eventually develop on their own.
The first 1-3 months: Babies are intuitive. Child development professionals say because they are pre-verbal, they have to rely on facial expressions, voice tones and emotional cues for survival. The more relaxed you are with your newborn the more comforted they feel. That said, most new parents stress out in trying to just care for their infants. We laugh when people say “there is no instruction manual” for babies, but when you can’t figure out what they need right away, the furthest thing from your mind is humor.
Keep calm and set the mood: Setting the “mood” for sleep can begin with slowing down the pace of play after feeding, with a warm bath. Their sleeping environment, like adults, should be as quiet (understanding this may be difficult with siblings) and dark (nightlight acceptable) as possible. Repeated around the same time of day will begin to cue bedtime and you may notice after a week that they show signs of sleepiness (heavy eyelids, yawning, etc…) at this hour. When my child was an infant, I learned to organize this process with 3 simple words: *Set (the mood) *Soothe (yourself and baby) *Sleep (be aware of sleep cycles) This doesn’t always happen in order, but it is a good guideline. From 3-6 months: Things begin to normalize a bit more, and baby is sleeping for longer periods of time, but don’t be surprised if there is some relapse. As with most everything that comes with a new baby, expect the unexpected. Just have those simple tricks in your back pocket to call on.
Also, as your baby becomes more aware of her surroundings she may be more distracted with items in her room. It’s ok if she’s awake when you lay her down. White noise machine: White noise allows for your baby to focus on one soothing sound to help them sleep. Placing a sound machine in their room can help the Set, Soothe, Sleep process.
It can help now and may be even more effective as your baby gets older. Remember that in spite of all the scheduling, routine-setting and structure you are trying to establish with your infant, she’s trying to learn it too. Curiosity may seem like restlessness at bedtime but there is so much for your little one to discover and she wants to be close to you as well. Going to sleep may be the last thing on her mind so above all patience with this process (even with tired eyes) is important for you and your baby.
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