How would you teach your baby on settling down to a good, long sleep? Here are some tips you can apply: 1.
Make sure that you start learning the various signs that mean he is already tired.
During their 6th to 8th weeks, most babies cannot stay up longer than 2 to 4 hours at a time.
As such, if you wait longer than this period before putting your baby down for his sleep, he could already be very tired and would then have trouble in falling asleep peacefully.
In order not to commit this error, make sure that you watch out for signs that your baby is already tired and is ready to sleep.
Since he cannot convey his message of being sleepy yet, you will be able to tell if he starts to rub his eyes, pull his ear, or develop faint dark circles under the eyes.
Once you spot these signs or any others that indicate tiredness or sleepiness, you have to try and put him down on his cot / crib to sleep.
Most mothers already develop a sort of 6th sense concerning their baby's daily patterns and rhythms.
They would know instinctively if their babies are already ready to fall asleep.
2.
Start teaching your baby the difference between night and day.
It is but natural for some infants to be up most of the night.
Some mothers may already have a hint of this attitude during their pregnancy.
Infants who can be considered as night owls stay wide awake, especially at the time when his mother is ready to sleep and there is nothing she can do about this situation.
However, once the baby turns 2 weeks, it is already a crucial period to start teaching him the difference of night from day.
This can be achieved, by interacting with him every time he is awake and alert in the daytime, keeping the house and the room where he spends most time, brightly lighted, and not minimizing the regular noises that can be heard in the daytime, like the TV, dishwasher and telephone.
Furthermore, if your baby has the tendency of falling asleep during his feedings, try waking him up by constantly talking to him.
On the other hand, during nighttime, do not play with him even if he wakes up and seem ready to do so.
Decrease the light and noise levels significantly and do not spend much of your time talking with him.
In doing these, it will not take too long for your baby to figure out that night is a time for sleeping.
3.
You can also consider starting him on certain bedtime routines.
It is never early to start him on following certain bedtime routines.
This can be achieved by getting him changed with relaxing and comfortable sleeping clothes, singing him a lullaby and giving him a regular kiss to say good night.
4.
You must also give your baby a chance for falling asleep of his own accord.
Once your baby reached his 6th to 8th month, you can try and start giving him a chance to go to sleep on his own.
Do this by putting him down when you sense he is already sleepy.
This is suggested by Jodi Mindell of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Sleep Disorders' Center and author of the book Sleeping Through the Night.
According to Mindell, it is not advisable to rock or nurse your baby in order to fall asleep even at their tender age.
She says that this has a tremendous effect on a baby since they are starting to develop sleep habits.
As such, if a baby is used to being rocked and nursed to sleep during his first several weeks, he may start viewing it as a routine and will not expect anything different even as he grows months older.
However, not all parents share this point of view though.
Some parents opt to rock and nurse their babies to sleep since they believe it is natural and normal for them to do so, they enjoy doing it or nothing else could make their babies fall asleep.