Many babies have trouble sleeping through the night. Once your child has reached four to six months of age, however, he should be able to sleep for longer periods. If your child is still not sleeping through the night, though, there are some steps you can take to encourage your child to sleep better.
At the end of the day, most people look forward to a long, peaceful sleep before they greet the next morning. If you are the parent of a baby, however, those long, peaceful nights may be a thing of the past. It isn’t uncommon for parents of young children to float through their days in a fog of weariness. Your baby may take several naps during the day to catch up on his rest, but what about you? Is there anything you can do to encourage your child to sleep all night? The answer is yes! It will take consistency and patience, but you can train your child to sleep all night, providing you with that much needed rest, also.
Newborns
Obviously, a newborn baby typically will not sleep through the night, and it is unrealistic of parents to expect their child to do so. Newborns do sleep anywhere from sixteen to twenty hours a day, but only in spurts. Their small tummies need to be fed often, and they may wake up and need to eat every two to three hours. This is normal and should be expected.
It is important that you help your newborn understand the difference between night and day, however. Many newborns have their days and nights confused when they are first born, sleeping most of the day and staying awake during the night. You can help your infant straighten out her sleep patterns, though. If your infant prefers to sleep during the day, try to keep her in the areas of your home that see the most activity. You may need to interrupt long periods of your child’s sleep by waking her up to feed and play with her. At night, however, try to keep any interaction between you and your child to a minimum. When you go into the nursery to change and feed her, keep the lights dimmed, quickly change and feed her, then try to get her back to sleep.
Routines
You should also establish a routine for your infant that signals to him that it is bedtime. This may include giving him a bath, changing him into a gown or pajamas, feeding him, and rocking him to sleep. As he grows, this ritual may change somewhat, but you are still signaling to him that it is bedtime. Eventually, his days and nights should straighten out, and then you will be ready to encourage longer sleep patterns at night.
Routines or bedtime rituals play an even greater role as your child grows. Once your baby is four or five months of age, she should be sleeping for longer periods of time at night. She will not be eating as often as she did as a newborn, so she should not be waking up as often during the night to eat.
Babies and children thrive on routine, and while it may be unrealistic and even impossible to stick to the same schedule every day, you should make an attempt to establish regular feeding times and bed times. If your child has a daycare provider, you should let your caregiver know when you would like your child to be fed and put down for naps. You should also let your daycare provider know that you would like your child to follow as regular schedule as possible.
Sleep Problems
Some children have difficulty going to sleep, while others continuously wake up during the night. Once your child reaches four or five months of age, it is a good idea to begin placing her in her crib while she is drowsy but still awake. Children who are solidly asleep when placed in their cribs haven’t learned how to settle themselves to sleep on their own. If they wake up once they are in their cribs, they will need someone to help them get back to sleep. This can become a disruptive and tiring habit that affects both the child and the parent’s sleep.
Once a child has learned that she can cry and her parents will run to her side, she will have discovered the power she has over her parents. It is your job to break these patterns and help your child learn to comfort herself to sleep.
Methods
There are several methods that deal with sleep problems in children. Of course, how well these methods work will depend on how consistent parents are in applying them. Also, not all children will respond the same to a particular method. If you are having difficulty finding success with one method, you might want to try something else.
(1) Ferber method-Dr. Richard Ferber heads the Sleep Lab and the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at the Children’s Hospital in Boston. The basic idea behind his method is to let a child “cry it out”. He doesn’t recommend using this method before a baby is at least six months of age. This method is progressive. Dr. Ferber recommends putting your baby to bed awake, after a calm, loving bedtime routine, and then walking out of the room. Your baby may immediately begin to cry, but you shouldn’t rush back to him. Instead, wait a few minutes, then walk back into the room and quietly reassure him, without picking him up, then leave the room again. Gradually increase the time that you wait before walking back into the room. After several nights of this, hopefully your child will learn that his cries are futile, and he’ll settle himself back to sleep.
(2) Mindell method-Dr. Jodi Mindell is the Baby Center’s sleep expert. She has fifteen years of experience helping children with sleep problems. She also recommends establishing a bedtime routine for your child. She also suggests that parents create an inviting sleep environment for their baby. The room should be cool, dark, and quiet. Some sort of white noise can be used, such as a fan, to block out excessive noise. She also recommends placing a child into bed while he is still awake. Parents need to look for cues that a baby is sleeping, such as yawning and rubbing the eyes.
Obviously, these are just two of many methods that can be used or modified to help your child sleep better at night. Whatever method you choose needs to be consistently administered. If you are uncomfortable letting your child cry himself to sleep, you may want to try something else or at least modify that method. You may be more comfortable rocking your child to sleep, but if he continues to wake up in the night, you may need to let him soothe himself back to sleep, instead of rushing to his room.
Finally, once you succeed in training your child to sleep through the night, keep in mind that there may be times when she is still wakeful. A variety of reasons can occur that may interrupt your child’s routine, including sickness or travel. You may need to help your child reestablish her bedtime routine. You and your child can have a good night’s rest, and you may be able to achieve this in just a few days!