Baby Sleeping Tips
Welcome to Kohlr Babys Sleep Tips Guide! At KohlrBaby we are dedicated to helping you and your childhave the safest and most restful sleep possible. Abetter nights sleep for your child means that your child will be happier and better rested, and you will be too!
The simple fact of the matter is that having a new baby in thefamily can be very disruptive to everyones sleep. Most people dont truly know the meaning of tired until they have to get up for work at 6 am after dealing with 4 late night feedings. The good news is that your babys sleep will eventually settle into a routine, and within about 6 months your baby may even be sleeping through the night.
New babies may actually sleep 15 or more hours per day, butof course the problem is that they may not be sleeping when you are! The reason for this is usually because of their stomach size. New babies require frequent, small feedings and this will usually mean a couple of feedings each night. You may hear about some babies who sleep through the night right from day one, but these cases are far more the exception than the rule.
Theres a lot of questionable advice floating around out thereregarding the best or correct way to help your baby to sleep, and it is important that you dont take all this information at face value. What works wonders for one child may not work at all for another. What is appropriate for your family may not be the same approach that is appropriate for someone elses.
This guide is intended to help you and your baby discover aroutine that will work for you and your family. This guide is aboutchoice and recognition of personal differences. When all is said anddone, you know your child better than anyone else and with a littlehelp and experimentation you will find the routine that works for you and your child.
Sleep Safety: The art of getting a good nights sleep for both you and your child involves creating a safe sleeping environment. Youhave probably heard of the phrase SIDS sudden infantdeath syndrome. The phrase SIDS refers to unexplained crib relateddeaths of newborn children. While doctors suspect that there aremany potential causes of SIDS, there is large agreement in the
medical community that:
Babies are twice as likely to be at risk of SIDS when people
smoke inside the home
Babys who are put to sleep on their backs may be at an up to
50% lower risk of SIDS
It is better to choose a firm mattress and avoid excessively soft
bedding. One study found that infants with soft mattresses were
at a 5 times greater risk of SIDS than infants with firmmattresses.
The reason is likely to do with the difficulty that aninfant can experience
with raising their head. Soft surfacespose a greater risk factor for forming around an infants face andobstructing breathing. Because of this, it is also a good idea toremove stuffed animals from the crib.
Co-sleeping with your baby in your bed may increase the
likelihood of SIDS
Giving a child a pacifier when going to bed may actually lower
the risk of SIDS
Layering your babys pajamas and sleep sack, rather than
having very heavy pajamas or sleep sacks can decrease the
risk of overheating. A good sleeping temperature to keep your
babys room at is around 68 degrees.
A quick checklist for creating a safe sleeping environment
Remove quilts, pillows, comforters and large soft stuffed
animals from your babys crib
Use a firm mattress that fits tightly to the edge of the crib
Check to make sure that your crib and mattress conform to
current safety standards
Give some thought to using sleep clothing or a sleep sack as
an alternative to baby blankets
Visually check the crib for any items that might accidentally
cover an infants head
If using a baby blanket, be sure to tuck it snugly under the
mattress at the foot of the crib and make sure that the blanket
reaches only as far as the babys chest
Dont rest your baby on a sofa, waterbed, or other soft surface
when sleeping
Remember: putting your baby to sleep on his or her back can
dramatically reduce the risk of SIDS. This can be a little challenging
when your baby prefers to fall asleep on their stomach or side, but
over time babies will get used to and even prefer sleeping on their
backs. Of course, this advice focuses on the newborn child. As your
child gets slightly older, they will be able to lift and support their own head, and will be able to safely choose the sleeping position that works for them.
Factors affecting your babys sleep:
Naps - A good nap is important not just for the rest
that your baby will need throughout the day, but also
for their ability to sleep well at night. For this reason
your babys daytime naps should not be too long.
Using a well lit area can be a good way to keep your
baby from napping for excessive stretches at a time. The goal of
course is to make sure that come bedtime your baby is not wide
awake and full of beans! Try not to make your babys last nap too late in the day. Napping a few hours before bedtime can leave you with a very active and alert youngster who has other ideas on his or her mind other than a good nights rest. Some babies only nap once a day, while others will nap two or even three times each day. Early afternoon is a great time for a longer single nap. For shorter but more frequent naps, mid morning and early afternoon can be suitable times.
When to nap:
If it is close to your childs nap time, the best time to give them their nap is at the first sign of tiredness. It is important to put them down for their nap quickly and avoid long pre-nap routines. With some routines, by the time you get your child ready for their nap they are wide awake again. Speed is the key.
Some possible signs to alert you to the fact that your child is ready for a nap are:
Eye rubbing
Yawning
Becoming fussy
Losing interest in people and toys
Activity level slows
Does not focus
May become quiet
May even lay down
Every baby has their own subtle and not so subtle cues for when they are ready for their nap. While you are beginning to set up a napping routine, you may want to rely on these cues a little more than your napping schedule.
Once you have become attuned to your babys cues you can set up
your napping schedule that will work for your childs natural rhythms and for your own timetable.
A good nap routine:
A good nap routine is be simple and consistent. Follow it
consistently every day. This will allow your baby to begin
to sense when it is time to nap. If your child does not nap
readily, you can try using some soothing motions in your routine such as gentle swinging, rocking, or walking them on your shoulder. Playing soft music can also be effective.
A Night time sleeping:
Getting your baby to sleep is not something that you can force. Rather, your goal is to set the stage to maximize the likelihood of your baby finding sleep. It is important to be realistic about this. Your best ally in helping your baby to sleep is the use of consistent and well thought out routines. You may have to try different routines and different options to determine which is most appropriate for you and your child, but once you find one that works you should try very hard to stick to it unless there are good reasons not to. Consistency is your ally. Having said that, your babys sleep needs may change over time and it is important that your routine changes in a way that best meets those needs, so you do have to have a measure of flexibility along with the consistency.
Before bed there are a few things that you will want to do in
order to maximize your chances for a good nights rest:
Activity levels keep activity levels somewhat subdued as you
get closer to bed time. It is much easier to ease a calm baby off
to sleep than it is a highly stimulated one
Turn the heat down in the babys room a good ½ hour to an
hour before bedtime
Have bedding and sleep cloths laid out to minimize the amount
of prep time it takes to get your child into bed
Clear your own schedule so that you are able to get your child
ready for bed at the time that they have grown accustomed to
You might want to have the lights already dimmed and a lullaby
playing softly so that their room is already setting the stage for
sleep and presenting sleep associations
Feeding habits are an important part of helping your infant to
get a good nights rest. There are several feeding
strategies that you can use to help you and your baby get a
better nights rest:
Try to get your child to eat a little more during the day. Even
though your child will still be likely to wake up at least once
during the night, if you can help your child meet his or her
nutritional needs during the day they will be more inclined to
wake up with less frequency during the night
In the late afternoon and early evening, begin to decrease the
time between feedings. The goal is to send them to bed with a
full stomach, which can be a great way to get your baby to have
one less feeding during the night
Use a bottle for late night feedings. If you are breast feeding,
pump some into a bottle so that dad can take a shift. Being able
to trade off on feedings can take the complete burden of
sleeplessness off of just one spouse
When you feed your baby at night, do so with minimal
interaction. Dont turn on the lights. Dont engage with the baby
in such a way as to wake him or her up even more. Avoid
making direct eye contact. This may sound strange, but there is
considerable scientific evidence that shows that eye contact will
increase heart rate and brain activity, taking your child even
further away from sleep. Gently and quietly feed the child and
then immediately return him or her to their crib. This lets the
baby know that the night time is for sleeping.
Try to avoid letting your infant fall asleep while suckling the
breast or having a bottle. The baby can come to associate
being able to get to sleep with being able to suckle. The
problem is that most babies naturally wake up several times a
night and they need to be able to get back to sleep on their
own. But if they have come to associate being able to get to
sleep with suckling, then they are going to need moms help in
order to get back to sleep. When feeding your infant, try to
remove the bottle or breast when your child is sleepy but before
he or she has actually fallen asleep
Making the transition to sleep:
Feeding is one transition approach that we have already looked at,
but there are several others:
1. Nestling your child in the crook of your neck while talking to
your child in soothing tones can be a great way to ease your
child to sleep
2. Walking and rocking a gentle walking or rocking motion will
often calm a baby successfully. A rocking chair can be a great
way to ease your infant into slumber
3. Holding your baby close to you in a sling for ½ an hour or so
before bed time can be a good way to calm and sooth a child
who still has some energy that needs to be released before
bedtime
4. For some babies, a warm bath can prepare them for sleep.
However, with some infants baths have exactly the opposite
effect so you may want to experiment with this one before
making it a permanent part of your bedtime routine
5. When all else fails, using the motion of a short drive in your car can do wonders for a child who otherwise refuses to sleep!
Getting your baby to stay asleep:
Now that youve gotten your child to sleep the big question
is how to get them to stay that way! Below are some
great ideas for minimizing the number of times your child
is likely to unnecessarily wake during the night:
Keep the bedroom dark. Use pull down shades to keep early
morning sunlight from streaming in. This can be a great way to
get an extra hour of sleep in the morning
Limit sudden or loud noises. A baby does not usually require a
noiseless environment to get to sleep (the womb is a
surprisingly noisy place) but sudden or loud noises may startle
your child into wakefulness. Try to plan for noisy activities
around the house to occur before your childs bedtime.
Play a soft lullaby a small cd player in the bedroom can be a
great way to create a soothing environment to calm and lull
your baby to sleep
Try white noise the sound of a fan, TV static or running water
can have a calming effect and aid sleep
Use a sleep sack to keep your baby comfortable and at the
right temperature. One problem with traditional blankets is that
as your baby naturally moves and adjusts during the night
blankets tend to become dislodged. Your baby may then
become cold or uncomfortable. A form fitting sleepsack stays
snuggly and safely on your child, helping to keep him or her
warm and comfy
Warm bedding slightly in the dryer this can create a snuggly
feeling that will help your child to reach sleep quickly and
deeply
Keep nighttime temperature around 68 degrees if possible and
at a reasonable humidity level
Use your hands a baby that is partially awake may sometimes
be soothed back to sleep by gentle firm pressure using your
hands. Gently apply the pressure to stroke or rub and then
gently ease off after a few minutes
Change wet diapers before a night time feeding. If you are
feeding your child in the night, try to change wet or soiled
diapers before the feeding as many children will fall asleep
immediately following the feeding if not disturbed
If you suspect that your baby is teething you may wish to
consult with your doctor. They can recommend a child pain
reliever that you can administer at bedtime to ease the teething
pain
