Teaching Your Baby to Sleep

By: Terry Coyier
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:20:38
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Teaching your baby proper sleeping habits is one of the most important things you can provide as a parent. Newborns require sixteen to eighteen hours of sleep each day. Lack of sleep can cause them to be temperamental, causing undo stress on them and the parents. When babies sleep, not only are they getting the physical rest they need, they grow, their brains and immune system develop and they process information. Establishing healthy sleeping patterns, right from the beginning, will assure your baby receives the rest they require.

A vital step in learning when to sleep is helping your baby distinguish between daytime and nighttime. Daytime is when you want your baby to be awake, so during this time make sure to keep your baby stimulated. Feed and play with your baby during these times, keep your surroundings well lit, and conduct business as usual. This will help your child understand that during daylight hours they should be awake. Newborns will still sleep during the day but soon they will outgrow that sleep pattern and you want to firmly establish the difference between the two times.

On the other hand, nighttime is for sleeping. To help your baby prepare for nighttime sleeping, do not excite them, keep the lights low, and keep noise to a minimum. Try to establish a routine with your baby that prepares them for sleep, such as feeding them, then reading them a story or listening to soft music. Also, follow your baby's cues that let you know they are tired. Often babies will rub their eyes, pull on their ears or even develop red eyelids or a slight circle under their eyes when they become sleepy. AS soon as you notice any of these signs, immediately put your baby to bed.

Babies will often cry when they are first put to bed. Try to ignore light crying that lasts under fifteen minutes. It may seem like a long time, but if you immediately go to them when they start crying, they will learn that the crying brings them attention - especially if you pick them up and rock them, trying to get them to sleep. That's not to say that you should ignore a screaming baby. If you must go in and check on them, keep your interaction minimal. Pat them lightly, check their diaper (changing them in bed if necessary) and do not turn on any lights. Then quickly leave once you have established that everything is all right.

One more tip for helping your baby sleep well, especially newborns, is to swaddle them. Swaddling is wrapping your baby tightly in a blanket, which is how most babies sleep in the hospital. It prevents them from rolling around too much and keeps those sudden sleeping "jerks" from jarring them awake. It also seems to comfort them, possibly reminding them of the confines of the womb.

Establishing healthy sleep patterns from the beginning will only help you and your child as they grow older. Getting them into a routine early will help dictate how well they sleep as they down the road. It's never too soon to get started on the right path.

Terry J. Coyier is a 37-year-old college student studying for an Associates of Applied Sciences degree. She is also a freelance writer. She lives with her son in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.BabyNameVote.Com/ which is a site for Baby Names.

Article source: Expert Articles