7 Tips To Help Your Baby Get A Good Night’s Sleep

When you are a parent to a baby, a good night’s sleep is everything. Even though your baby clocks up to 16 hours of snoozing a day, you’re lucky if you’re getting a third of that.

Newborn babies have small stomachs, needing to feed regularly to fight off hunger. Unfortunately, this means frequent waking during the night, which can be tricky, to say the least, when you’re a sleep-deprived parent desperately needing some zzz’s.

Some babies sleep better than others, and there’s nothing worse than being surrounded by well-rested parents while you battle hourly wake-up calls throughout the night. You should know that plenty of new parents are just as exhausted as you are; you just need to find them and make them your tribe.

Tips to help your baby have a good night’s sleep

Here are seven easy things you can try to encourage your baby to enjoy a lengthy snooze at night:

#1. Introduce a bedtime routine

A daily bedtime routine can help prepare your baby for sleep. Of course, the routine can change as your baby grows, but a general bedtime routine can help get your baby ready for bed. You can introduce a bedtime routine when your baby reaches four months.

#2. Install some blockout blinds

Your baby is more likely to sleep better in a dark room. Sunlight streaming in through the curtains could be keeping your baby awake. Install blockout blinds to keep the room dark and create a beneficial sleep environment for your little one. Using blockout blinds is the best way to keep out any unwanted exterior lights, ensuring your baby has a dark room to get a good night’s sleep in, even in the height of summer. Carpet Court has a great selection of blockout blinds for your baby’s nursery.

#3. Introduce a dream feed

A dream feed is a late-night feed while your baby is still half asleep. Introducing one of these before you go to bed could save you some waking up time in the night. The dream feed will fill your baby’s tummy and encourage her to sleep a little longer, so you can enjoy a little rest before the next wake up.

#4. Dress your baby appropriately for bed

Babies often struggle to sleep if they are too hot or too cold. First, check the room’s temperature; around 70 Fahrenheit (21C) is ideal for babies. However, the weather can affect the temperature of your baby’s room, so you’ll need to make sure baby has the right clothes and covering. In colder weather, for example, your baby might sleep better in a thicker sleeping bag.

#5. Wait to see if your baby needs you

Some babies whimper in their sleep, and parents might wake them up if they immediately rush to soothe them. Wait a minute or two to see if your baby settles back to sleep without help. If so, you can stay where you are and go back to sleep. If not, you’ll need to soothe your baby back to sleep.

#6. Keep things calm during night waking

If your baby wakes in the night, let her know it’s still night time. Keep the lights low, speak quietly and keep any movements calm and slow. Your baby will eventually learn to follow your lead if you send a clear message that it’s night.

#7. Remember, this too will pass

Babies don’t stay babies for long. Yes, your baby is a rubbish sleeper now but one day you’ll be struggling to get your sleeping child up for school. The baby days are short, but the nights seem very long. Every time you think you’ve cracked it, your baby will catch a cold, hit a sleep regression or something else will disrupt the pattern. It’s frustrating and hard to feel tired all the time but try to remember that it won’t last forever.

To find out more on baby sleep, you can read BellyBelly’s article:
Baby Sleep Guide