New parents frequently struggle with sleep issues; especially when it comes to infants or newborn babies. It is a fact that most newborns typically do not sleep through the night immediately. They wake up for nightly feedings, playtime and comfort because their bodies have not yet distinguished between night and day. It is important to start early (in infancy) and get your child on a schedule and/or routine. It can be difficult at first but if you start the process when they are young then it will be much easier to keep them on a timetable when they get older.

Institute a Schedule

Simply getting your baby on some type of a schedule is the first big step to creating good sleeping habits. Infants need to have a consistent eating and sleeping schedule. If your baby wakes up every four hours for a feeding this is good. You can plan your schedule around the baby’s eating times. When the infant gets older the feedings should be farther apart. As early as possible try to get your infant to sleep less during the day and more at night. Of course it is hard to control the sleep patterns of a newborn, but try to help them distinguish between sleep time and just being sleepy. Parents need to be alert and read the signs (body language), if the infant is just a little sleepy you can try playing with them during the day to keep them awake and alert. If the baby needs sleep they will fall asleep on their own. Of course newborn babies need their rest and usually they sleep about 16 hours a day. If you can schedule the majority of their sleep time at night then you will probably be a happier parent. When your baby is approximately 3-4 months old (check with your doctor for specifics) they can have some rice cereal before bedtime which will help them stay full for longer periods of time, so they shouldn’t be waking up as often for meal time. Having a full stomach will make a big difference in sleeping longer and eventually being able to sleep through the night.