How Do I Get My Baby To Sleep? Guidelines And Advice
The most common complaint of parents when they have a baby is lack of sleep The baby’s sleep and especially the lack of sleep caused by sleepless nights ends up seriously affecting parents.
And it is a fish that bites its tail: the baby does not sleep and the parents are sleepy, they are more nervous, tired and have little patience, this is detected by the baby and directly affects their sleep.
Much has been written on the subject, There are many different theories of how parents should act and some of them contradict each other But what they all agree on is that the important thing is that the baby acquires good sleeping habits.
What does this mean? Basically we could summarize it as establishing a good routine and arming yourself with patience.
Sleep habits in newborns
Whether the baby learns to sleep well will depend on the parents Before giving some advice, we should know that little ones need many hours of rest to recover all the energy they invest in their rapid growth.
When the baby born, You will need to sleep between 15 and 22 hours It is almost the entire day, it is clear that it is an indispensable part of its development and therefore parents must help it to be carried out in the best possible way and understanding that it is a basic process for the baby’s health.
Three fundamental keys for a baby to sleep well
There are three points that should be taken into account when trying to ensure that babies rest adequately.
1. The sleeping space
There are studies that indicate that Children who sleep in separate rooms from their parents sleep more , they wake up less, have fewer difficulties falling asleep and fall asleep earlier. There are also theories that say the opposite… Whatever the case, we must take advantage of the baby’s natural need to sleep and enhance it. That is, when we see that the baby begins to show signs of tiredness, we must take advantage of the opportunity to create an environment conducive to sleep and avoid interruptions.
Babies are not born knowing how to sleep Like the rest of the skills, they are acquired through learning. That is to say: sleeping well is a skill that parents should teach their children.
3. Parents’ rest
If parents are tired, they will have less patience and the baby will notice it and it will directly affect their sleep , and as we said at the beginning, here is the fish that bites its tail. Parents must also acquire some rest guidelines. Take advantage of the time when the baby sleeps to disconnect. That does not mean taking advantage of this time for housework or answering the phone or working. But rest: sleep, take a bath, go to the gym, go for a walk… in short, disconnect from the baby to be able to care for him with renewed energy.
Parents are responsible for the baby’s peace of mind.
To be able to pass this initial period of boys and girls It is important for parents to understand that they are the baby’s immediate references : Everything they do and how they feel has an impact on the child and their behavior. When parents are nervous, the baby is nervous, when parents are calm and stable, children tend to have fewer problems with lack of sleep, uncontrollable crying, etc.
Babies cry, this is inevitable because this is the way they communicate, When they are hungry they cry, when something hurts they cry, when they are restless they cry, when they want attention they cry.if they could talk they would. Therefore, it is important for parents to be clear about this and not to get angry or worry excessively when their child spends the night crying.
One of the parents’ attitudes that usually worsens the situation is when the baby cries non-stop, they get nervous, tense and lose patience. As we have said before, the baby absorbs everything around him. If the father or mother holds him or her in their arms and becomes desperate or angry, the baby will do the same, he or she will pass on her anxiety. Therefore, the sleepless nights that cause so much concern are usually due to the attitudes of the parents. The best thing when they feel like this is to leave the room, breathe deeply, calm down and return to the baby when her attitude is calm.
If the baby cries, should we go immediately or not?
Another point of controversy in babies’ sleep is whether we should attend to them immediately or not It seems obvious that not. If the little one really doesn’t need anything, all he does is test the parents. If he cries and quickly comes to show her affection, the baby learns that he should cry. We are reinforcing that behavior. Nowadays, with the means we have from another room, we can make sure that the baby is fine and that we do not need to go. If she really has nothing, and she is just getting the parents’ attention, the crying will stop and she will learn that crying does not get her instant attention from her parents.
Returning to patience, it is important to give the baby time As we have said, the little one is not born taught, he must be guided. When parents try to put their baby to sleep, they should do so following a routine, maintaining a relaxed environment, speaking softly, with dim lighting… the important thing is that he feels accompanied during the process. What usually works when the little one doesn’t “know how to stop” is to distract him, make noises, show him objects that attract her attention, take him out of the room where he is… get the baby to open his eyes and pay attention to something else.
Another topic discussed is the pacifier. There are those who insist on its usefulness and those who blame it for all the problems
Every baby is different. It may help some people calm down and others may reject it. It may help some people sleep and wake others up when they drop it. It is neither bad nor good, it is an option that parents can choose according to how they see it is useful to them. The only thing everyone seems to agree on is that Using a pacifier prevents sudden death, which is one of parents’ biggest fears
Relaxing baths, a good prelude to sleep
One point where it seems that all theories agree is in the baby’s bath. The bath routine relaxes the baby and the parents Therefore, the habit of bathing the child before putting him to bed will play in favor of rest.
Tips for when the child grows
As the baby grows, he will need less hours of sleep and It will be very important for parents to include the day/night distinction in their learning Stimulate it during the day and promote calm at night. Little by little the baby will acquire a routine similar to that of the parents. And she must learn that it is at night when she must sleep.
Currently, different techniques have become fashionable to relax the baby: playing music, doing massages, doing exercises, yoga… any of these options seems correct to us because what promotes relaxation and tranquility around the baby and this is always Well.
Guidelines for teaching babies to sleep
Below we summarize some guidelines for teaching babies to sleep.
