In your sleep-deprived state, you may feel that no baby in history has slept fewer consecutive hours than your newborn. But in reality, most infants sleep for short stretches during their first few months. Waking frequently with your new baby is a parenting rite of passage. During those early days, you can expect to be awake with your hungry baby every night.
But don’t worry, nothing lasts forever. As babies grow, they develop more predictable patterns of sleep and wakefulness. By four months of age, some infants may sleep during the night for four or even eight hour stretches, while still napping two or three times a day. Other babies may take longer to sleep through the night.
As you wait it out, you can try a few things to speed sleep along. A consistent bedtime routine can encourage your infant to fall asleep on his or her own, and sleep for longer stretches of time. With patience and effort, you will reap the benefits.
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Promote better sleep habits
Each child is different, but by implementing some of these tips, you can improve your infant’s sleep pattern:
- Cut back on naps. If your baby sleeps the longest during the day and isn't progressing toward eight hours of continuous sleep at night, encourage your child to stay awake longer in the daytime. After three hours of napping, gently wake your baby by rubbing his or her feet, or by undressing the infant.
- Make sure your baby is warm, well fed and in a clean, dry diaper.
- Begin to establish bedtime routines. Cue your baby for bedtime with a warm bath, a change into soft pajamas, a few minutes of rocking or snuggling, or by reading a story.
- Learn your baby's unique sleep signs. Babies who yawn, rub their eyes or gaze vacantly into space are trying to tell you that they're tired. If you learn to recognize your baby's sleep cues, you can put him or her to bed at just the right time. Understanding Infant Crying, another possible sleepy sign, may help reduce your sleep-deprived stress level.
- Create a dark and quiet sleep environment. At bedtime, speak softly to your baby or play soft music. Turn off the TV and any extra lights so that your child begins to associate quiet sounds and low light and with sleep time.
- Differentiate between day and night. Keep household noise to an ordinary level during daytime naps, both to help your baby learn to sleep through minor disturbances and to help him or her learn the difference between daytime and nighttime sleep. Try leaving a fan on at night to muffle noises that could wake your baby.
- Keep interruptions short. Night feedings should be calm, quiet, dark and brief. Keep the crib warm by putting a heating pad or hot-water bottle in it when your baby is out of bed. Put your baby back to bed as soon as you finish the feeding, but remember to remove the heating pad or hot-water bottle first. Babies who normally sleep through the night, but awaken occasionally, may be able to fall asleep again on their own. If not, a quick, simple check for safety is fine.
- Lessen nighttime stimulation. Remove toys, blankets, pillows and mobiles from your baby's crib to communicate to him or her that the bed is for sleeping and not playing.
- Let others put your baby to sleep, too. Alternate allowing your partner or other caregiver to put your baby to bed so your baby doesn't rely on you alone at bedtime. Don't be afraid to ask for help, and allow others to enjoy your baby's bedtime routine on occasion.
- Expect your baby's sleep patterns to change. Growth spurts, teething, illness and travel can all disrupt your baby's sleep schedule. Be patient and stick as close to your usual routine as possible, and things will return to normal.
- Remember infancy and babyhood don't last forever. It's easy to be discouraged when you haven't slept more than a few hours at a time for months on end. But babies do eventually work it out, and yours will one day sleep for longer stretches of time.
Remember that there is no hard and fast rule about when your infant should start sleeping through the night. Eventually you, too, will be sleeping through the night again. If you are frustrated or weary, be sure to ask for help and allow others to support you through those sometimes tiring first months.