Bringing home a new bundle of joy can be an exciting time in life. However, it can also be a difficult one, as well. This can be especially true if your baby struggles to sleep well or to stay asleep for very long. While it can be a struggle, and you may feel helpless when you are in need of sleep, there are things that you can do to help improve your baby’s sleep. If you are looking for some baby sleep tips, here are some things to try.
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Understand Wake Windows
Understanding baby wake windows by age can be helpful when you are trying to help your child get better sleep. At each age, there are different lengths of time that are best for your child to be awake between naps. Often, newborns will have very short periods of time between naps, while older babies will have longer periods of time. Knowing what is an appropriate wake window for your child’s age can help you to make sure that they are stimulated enough during the day, which can in turn help your baby to sleep better at night.
Stick To a Schedule
Sticking to a schedule can also help a lot when it comes to improving your child’s sleep. The more that you can get into a rhythm throughout the day, the easier it will be for your child to get ready to fall asleep at the right time at night. Additionally, it is important to remember that when babies are born, they do not know how to distinguish between night and day. Often, babies will be more wakeful at night and more sleepy during the day, as they have day and night flipped. By exposing your baby to light during the day, and keeping rooms dim during the evening you can help them to make the adjustment.
Create the Right Environment
Creating the right environment is also important for helping your child to sleep. If a room is too bright or noisy, it could be difficult for your baby to feel drowsy enough to rest. Additionally, making sure that you keep the room at the right temperature for your baby is also important. Making sure that the room is quiet and dark can make a difference, and trying white noise can also be beneficial. The more that you can make your baby’s sleeping space relaxing and quiet, the easier of a time you will have when it comes to getting them to sleep. Along with that, it can be a good idea to keep in mind that your mood can impact how your child feels. The more stressed or anxious you are, the more that they may struggle to fall asleep.
Consider Other Factors
When working to improve your baby’s sleep, you need to make sure that you are considering all of the factors that could impact their sleep habits. Not only can their daily schedule affect how well they are able to sleep, but how they feel can matter, as well. If your baby does not feel well or has colic, they may struggle to settle down, no matter how much time you spend rocking them or comforting them.
If your baby seems uncomfortable or like they may be in pain, it is important for you to explore whether or not there could be something that is causing discomfort and pain, that is preventing them from getting the sleep that they need. Once you can rule out other concerns, you can then know that those are not the cause of sleep problems.
A Few Parting Thoughts
Bringing home a new baby can be a time full of both excitement and struggle. While it may not always feel like smooth sailing, especially if your baby is struggling to sleep well, the upside is that there are things you can do. From trying things like white noise to making sure that your baby’s room is calming, there are lots of things that can contribute to a better sleep schedule for your child.
