Peace.Love.Baby Sleep!
Congratulations you’re having a baby…. and you’re losing your sleep pattern. Now growing your family is a beautiful thing and having a baby is a wonderful life-changing experience, but let’s cut the BS, you are NOT going to sleep well at first. Now babies need a lot of sleep, but unfortunately they do not do it all at one time like we do. They sleep for three to four hours at a time throughout the day and night, and since this is when they need to be fed, it means you are waking up with them. Also, as adults, we know when night-time is and when to wind down. A baby has no perception of day and night and can therefore be asleep all day just as well as they can be awake all night. Here are some tips you can try in preparation for your new baby’s high maintenance schedule.
Tip 1 Patience is a virtue
Being a new mom or dad, I’m sure you have already studied all the things to do with your new baby. However, all the information in the world cannot give you the patience to deal with actually dealing with a newborn’s sleeping schedule. Since your baby will need to be fed every few hours, this means you are going to be awake every few hours-even in the middle of the night. Practicing patience with dealing with the reality of having a newborn baby is key. Knowledge is power, but patience is a virtue.
Tip 2 Fiber for you schedule
An important thing to do in order to get as much sleep as possible when a newborn is in the house is to keep everything regular and routine. If at night you like the feed them, bathe them, then put them down-do this the same every night. Establishing a consistent routine that happens at the same time every night will help your baby’s internal clock get prepared for sleep. Even though you will have to continuously wake up in the initial months, this is greatly help you when the baby is older and sleeping through most the night.
Tip 3 Set the mood
Babies have no clue what night or day is. Therefore they have no idea that nighttime is for rest and day is for play. A way to get your baby to somewhat comply with the time is to set the appropriate mood for that time. For instance, when you are getting your baby ready for bed make sure you don’t engage in playful activity or enter rooms with bright light. Set a calming low-lit atmosphere and avoid paying them too much attention (hard I know but it will get them down faster). Also avoid a television in the room that will distract them with loud music. This tells your baby it is time for rest and will help in the long run if you incorporate it into your daily routine.
Now there is nothing that can be said that will COMPLETELY prepare you for dealing with your newborn’s sleeping patterns. There are simply certain things that can only help you. Things like having a bottle ready if you don’t breastfeed or keeping your baby close to you at night are some things that may aid your cause. The bottom line is however that this is a magical and amazing time that you will never forget… and we are very excited for you. Now go get some sleep while you can!
Peace.Love.Baby Sleep!
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