“Without enough sleep, we all become tall 2-year-olds.” - Jojo Jensen
During the early years, all children need three main things to thrive:
· Loving, supportive parents
· Adequate nutrition
· Sufficient sleep
Every day when I take my baby to stroll around parks, or when I get to spend some time with the moms from our mom group, the number one concern is around babies sleeping habits.
After a few months into our lives as new parents, we might feel desperate since we have not had a good night's sleep. The fact that you cannot follow the previous routine in your life might make you feel even more tired. I was there not long ago. After following different sleep experts, reading various articles and some books, and from personal experience, I can say with confidence that setting up a routine for your little one, from the start, should be number one on your list to set good sleeping habits.
Babies thrive best in predictable environments!
If you decide to sleep train your baby down the road, the routine will come in handy as it would be the first step for training your baby.
Now let’s talk about sleep.
Although many people think that you are also giving rest to your brain once you sleep, the reality is the opposite. Our brain is active once we are asleep. Sleep is an essential part of our lives, especially during the early years when critical brain development happens.
· Sleep releases important growth hormones.
· It reduces the risk of obesity.
· It increases their learning ability and attention span.
· It helps in reducing some behavioral problems.
Since newborns have no understanding of day and night, it is normal to have irregular sleep patterns. They need to be fed frequently, and they sleep mainly in the REM stage. That is why we see them moving, twitching, and quickly waken up.
Once they get to 2-4 months, we start to see more extended hours of nighttime sleep and more predictable daytime naps.
As parents, it is your responsibility to help them maintain a suitable sleep routine.
You can do this by scheduling a few simple activities at a designated time every day, like a bath, reading a book, singing a lullaby, or last feed before bed. So that they eventually realize it's nighttime.
There are sure signs that your child will be using to communicate with you once it's getting close to their sleep time. (Nap or nighttime)
· Yawning
· Rubbing eyes
· Disinterest in interacting or playing
· Fussiness
· Wanting to be held
It’s crucial not to ignore these signs once you see them and follow your baby’s cues and help them get down for a nap or their nighttime sleep. Your goal should be to avoid dealing with an over-tired baby. It will become more challenging for them to fall and stay asleep. It could become a vicious cycle.
There are also cues from your baby when not getting enough sleep.
· Turns away from stimulation.
· Appears disinterested in his surroundings.
· Habitually rubs his eyes or pulls on his ears.
· Yawns frequently
· Has feeding problems
· Is especially fussy
Where to take a nap or go to sleep?
To help your baby have a better sleep quality through the night, you can keep the place quiet and preferably darker. It's best to create two distinct atmospheres for day and nighttime sleep to help your baby understand the differences between these two times faster.
There are different opinions on where your baby should nap during the day.
Some suggest baby's crib is the safest place for napping and sleeping day and night. Also, putting a baby in his crib will provide consistency, which is crucial in the early years.
Others suggest having two different environments and rituals for the daytime nap and nighttime sleep to help your baby distinguish between these two sooner.
I find the latter to be more effective during the first few months as it helps with establishing two distinct routines for daytime and nighttime sleep. But once that’s set, you should be able to put your baby in his crib for day and nighttime sleep (preferably after 3-4 months.)
Having a good quality sleep relies on two essential factors:
· Consistency in environment
· Consistency in time
Having regular naps is as essentials for babies and toddlers as rest is.
Find a rhythm!
The nap time does not need to be set in stone, but it needs to be around the same time every day. And more importantly, you should be following your baby’s cues.
When setting up nap time, it is essential to consider two things.
1. How many naps does my child need?
2. How long my child can comfortably stay awake?
Both of which depend on the baby’s age.
There are general guidelines when it comes to this. Please see the charts below to help you establish those when you need them.
Awake and Nap times are a guideline only, and that every baby has a unique rhythm.
Success happens when you learn how to read your baby.
Guidelines for naps and overall daytime sleep hours.
Guidelines for wake windows.
The following post will be dedicated to sleep training, my personal experience, and the method we found best for our baby.
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