Most babies don’t have a regular or well-defined sleeping pattern. According to a trustworthy infant sleep specialist, your baby will likely wake up at the end of a sleeping cycle because of many reasons. For example, your baby will wake up if he feels uncomfortable, hungry, or even when his breathing is obstructed.
However, studies show that a baby waking up between sleep cycles is vital for their survival. Your baby’s well-being could be at risk if his sleep state was so deep that she couldn’t communicate her needs. For that, don’t feel pressured to get your baby to sleep too soon, too long, and too deeply. At the age of about months, a definite sleep pattern will start emerging and the baby will sleep for four hours or more.
Recommendations by Infant Sleep Specialist
Putting your baby to sleep is challenging for many parents, especially first-time moms. Here are some tricks to try:
- Warm baths can help your baby relax and when she gets out, the surrounding cooler air will help them fall asleep.
- Allow your baby to play around and tire himself out.
- Read a bedtime story or massage the baby to help them unwind and relax
- Use special clothes that are only for bedtime
- Try using keywords like Night-time or Bed-time to make your baby associate them with sleep
- Make your baby get used to sleeping in the cot or crib.
- Place your baby in the crib before they are fully asleep. That will ensure they don’t get startled once they find out that your comforting arms aren’t there when they wake up.
- Swaddle the baby in a warm cotton blanket or put them in a baby sleeping bag to provide them with the comfort of the womb.
- Ensure that the sleeping room is quiet and dark to help the baby establish the difference between day and night.
An infant sleep coach will tell you that every baby has a period of sleep latency before going to sleep. Therefore, you shouldn’t expect your baby to fall asleep as soon as you put them into their cot.
You shouldn’t freak out if your baby cries for no reason before sleeping; it’s normal. Sometimes your baby just needs to relax after a busy day and crying is an effective way of helping them to sleep.
Conclusion
Every baby is different, and sometimes you just don’t know what to do to make yours establish a regular sleeping pattern. Follow the above tips to help your toddler sleep better. You should also hire an infant sleep specialist to help you with baby sleep coaching.
