After waking up several hours last night, are you heading for your fourth cup of coffee? Do you fear that the nighttime interruptions will never wrap up?
It's okay to have several questions and even some concerns about your baby's sleep habits, particularly if you're a little — well, a lot — sleep deprived.
We're here to help you get the answers you're looking for. So, brace yourselves! You are going to get an overview about your baby's sleep in the first year of their life!
Newborns
Newborns may sleep from 10 to 18 hours per day, sometimes for 3 to 4 hours continuously. However, infants don't have the foggiest idea about the distinction between day and night. So, they lay down with no respect for what time it is. That implies your infant's wide-awake time can be any time of the day or night.
Quick Tips to Put Your Newborn to Sleep
Singing lullabies and rocking the baby
Install blackout curtains in the nursery
Massage baby
Use a white noise machine
Cuddle up to your baby
Swaddle the newborn
3-6 Months Old
By 3 to 6 months, most of the babies can rest for a stretch of 6 hours. At this period, babies need approximately 12 hours of sleep a night. That's a significant improvement from their sleep habits during the first three months.
Follow Pre-Nap and Bedtime Routines
Your baby can now envision sleep time by the routine you've made for them, so having a consistent naptime and bedtime routine will help the infant dozing off quicker.
Set Up A Relaxed Pre-Nap Routine
The concept for the pre-nap routine is that it should make babies realize what's going on. We all need a couple of moments of relaxation and unwinding time before we hit the bed!
Pre-Nap Routines may incorporate changing your little one into some more comfortable dress like a swaddle, night suit, or sleep bag. Shutting shades and turning on a fan or sound machine are pre-nap signals too.
Set Up A Soothing Routine at Bedtime
Infants who follow a daily bedtime routine sleep more manageable, better and cry out less frequently in the middle of the night.
Your baby's sleep routine can be any sequence of sleep-time activities. The keys to progress are to:
Play active games during the day and casual games at night.
Make every activity quiet and tranquil toward the end of the day.
Babies often enjoy taking baths right before sleep time, which calms them down.
Spare your child's preferred activity for last and do it in her nursery.
If she wakes up in the night, the sounds and lights in the room ought to be the same as when she nodded off.
Be consistent. Keep bedtime routine the same every night.
6-9 Months Old
As your baby reaches the age of 6 to 9 months, they start getting into a routine, but developmental stages can perplex things again for the baby's sleep. For example, when your infant starts to connect sleep time with being alone, she may begin crying to keep you around. Teething may also cause sleep time issues.
Sleep Training Baby is individualized.
Sleep training is not recommended for newborns, but as your baby ages, it becomes essential. Some start at 2- 3 months. Most experts suggest 4-6 months. Usually, it is a time when you baby can sleep uninterrupted for 6-8 hours without feeding.
Top four sleep training methods — take your pick!
There is no such thing as the "best" sleep training technique. Choose what is more convenient for you. Some will teach the toddler in a matter of days, and others will take weeks.
The Cry It Out Method
The Check and Console Method
The Fading Method
The "No Tears" Method
Babies usually sleep for 14 hours a day by nine months, but anything from 12 to 16 hours is expected. Your child would most likely get 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night, and it may be unbroken: Well, almost 75% of babies at this age sleep through the night.
Give it Time & Don't Rush in!
A few babies have a more challenging time than others going to sleep. Finding the ideal way to make your baby sleep is a process of trial and error. Follow a consistent timetable and use calming techniques to make the baby sleep faster. Be adaptable and receptive to your kid's evolving needs, and don't overthink it. You got it... MAMA!
Reach out to MaternalWell text support for general questions or book a consultation with our sleep specialists.
