Baby Sleep Was Always A Fight For Us
For weeks upon weeks, we struggled with getting our baby to sleep. Baby sleep seemed impossible to us. I spent my 3am hours researching how to get my baby to sleep while he screamed in my arms. I tried everything I found but couldnt find anything that worked for our son.
We spent hours in the rocking chair,I spent many sleepless nights walking and jogging around our house in an attempt to get him to settle down and stop crying, we got this night light, I bounced him around the kitchen and laundry room listening to the sound of the dishwasher and dryer in an attempt to settle him. But nothing worked.
Later, my husband and I found out that our son struggled with colic, which made us realize that it wasnt the fact that we were doing something wrong that was causing him to cry all day and night which helped us be able to start looking into new ways to soothe and comfort him.
One day while searching everywhere possible for some kind of solution, I finally found something that worked to settle our son enough for him to fall asleep.
And not just fall asleep.
But fall asleep ON HIS OWN. In his own cradle.
What I started doing didnt solve all of our new-parent problems.
Our son was still colicky, but we were finally able to get him to fall asleep easier and faster, which resulted in him getting longer naps, allowing me to get some more rest, and making the countless nighttime feedings and all the crying a lot more bearable.
Dont Put Off Sleep Training Because The Baby Is Teething
Newsflash: Your baby is always teething. Or sick with a cold. Or coming down with something. Or recovering from something. Or over-tired. Or suffering from Unexplained Fussy Baby Syndrome. If youre hoping to sleep trainplenty of parents dontits important to know that it may never feel like the right time. Experts say its easiest to sleep train a baby between the ages of six and 12 months, but use your judgment and listen to your gut. If youre not fully committed to sleep training before you start, you wont stick to it.
What Are The Sleep States Of A Newborn
Babies, like adults, have various stages and depths of sleep. Depending on the stage, the baby may actively move or lie very still. Infant sleep patterns begin forming during the last months of pregnancy?active sleep first, then quiet sleep by about the eighth month. There are two types of sleep:
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REM . This is a light sleep when dreams occur and the eyes move rapidly back and forth. Although babies spend about 16 hours each day sleeping, about half of this is in REM sleep. Older children and adults sleep fewer hours and spend much less time in REM sleep.
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Non-REM sleep. Non-REM has 4 stages:
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Stage 1: drowsiness, eyes droop, may open and close, dozing
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Stage 2: light sleep, the baby moves and may startle or jump with sounds
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Stage 3: deep sleep, the baby is quiet and does not move
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Stage 4: very deep sleep, the baby is quiet and does not move
A baby enters stage 1 at the beginning of the sleep cycle, then moves into stage 2, then 3, then 4, then back to 3, then 2, then to REM. These cycles may occur several times during sleep. Babies may awaken as they pass from deep sleep to light sleep and may have difficulty going back to sleep in the first few months.
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Try Swaddling Your Newborn
To help mimic the feeling of the womb, it helps to swaddle your newborn baby this helps him feel safe and secure and also helps him stay asleep during any moro reflex moments. Just be sure to practice safe swaddling your baby should be able to flex his hips and breathe comfortably. Keep in mind, too, that you should stop swaddling your baby once he can roll over.
What About You Tips For Improving Your Own Sleep
Newborn sleep patterns take their toll on parents. In a study tracking the sleep patterns of mothers from pregnancy through the postpartum period, maternal sleep worsened after childbirth and continued to deteriorate until about 12 weeks postpartum -the time when newborn sleep patterns begin to show marked circadian rhythms .
Twelve weeks isnt forever, but it can seem like it when you are severely sleep restricted. As you struggle to cope with newborn sleep patterns, dont forget to look after yourself. Here are some tips to help you cope.
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Month Old Sleep Schedule
Note: These are general guidelines based on the recommendations of our pediatric sleep advisors. All babies are different and your child may not be able to strictly adhere to this schedule. Always use your best judgment as a parent when setting your childs schedule.
Note: These are general guidelines based on the recommendations of our pediatric sleep advisors. All babies are different and your child may not be able to strictly adhere to this schedule. Always use your best judgment as a parent when setting your childs schedule.
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How Much Shoulda Newborn Sleep Is My Baby Sleeping Too Much
It might seem crazy that a newborn baby sleeps more than they are awake. To some sleep deprived parents it may not seem that way, who are struggling to catch a breath in between the super short naps of their crying baby. However in some cases babies will sleep longer and may need to be woken up to be fed.
FROM THE EXPERTS
For newborns, sleep during the early months occurs around the clock and the sleep-wake cycle interacts with the need to be fed, changed, and nurtured. Newborn babies sleep a total of 10.5 to 18 hours a day on an irregular schedule with periods of one to three hours spent awake. The sleep period may last a few minutes to several hours.
Newborns arent born with an internal biological clock its developed over their first few months. You wont see a regular sleep-wake cycle develop in your baby until 3 to 6 months old. Until then, theyll spend 75% of their time asleep, and the other 25% alert and feeding.
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How To Fix Your Sleeping Schedule
This article was co-authored by Alex Dimitriu, MD. Alex Dimitriu, MD is the Owner of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, a clinic based in the San Francisco Bay Area with expertise in psychiatry, sleep, and transformational therapy. Alex earned his Doctor of Medicine from Stony Brook University in 2005 and graduated from the Stanford University School of Medicines Sleep Medicine Residency Program in 2010. Professionally, Alex has dual board certification in psychiatry and sleep medicine.There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 522,630 times.
If your sleep schedule is erratic, or just not where you want it to be, there are ways to get it back on track. In many cases, setting a pre-sleep routine, adjusting some daytime habits, and developing an awareness of your particular sleep needs will help. With a little planning, you can get to sleep easier, get the right amount of sleep, and wake feeling well-rested.
Getting Your Baby To Sleep
7-minute read
Some babies sleep much more than others. Some sleep for long periods, others in short bursts. Some soon sleep through the night and some dont for a long time. Your baby will have their own pattern of waking and sleeping, and its unlikely to be the same as other babies you know.
Its also unlikely to fit in with your need for sleep. Try to sleep when your baby sleeps. If youre breastfeeding, in the early weeks your baby is likely to doze off for short periods during a feed. Carry on feeding until you think your baby has finished or until theyre fully asleep. This is a good opportunity to try to get a bit of rest yourself.
If youre not sleeping at the same time as your baby, dont worry about keeping the house silent while they sleep. Its good to get your baby used to sleeping through a certain amount of noise.
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Begin To Break The Association Between Nursing/eating/sucking And Sleep
If your baby needs you to feed him or give him something to suck on in order to fall asleep, then he will always call for you to help him fall back asleep during the night. So your next step is to gradually break the association between sucking and falling asleep.
Usually, babies find it easiest if you start by rocking them. Yes, this is another sleep “crutch.” But it’s an easier sleep association to break than sucking is.
Feed your baby when he first wakes up from sleep, and again a bit later if he is awake and still hungry. But when he is just sleepy, experiment with walking or rocking him instead of feeding him. That way, he begins to learn to fall asleep without sucking. Of course, you are still using rocking or walking to get him to sleep, but we’ll break that sleep association in the next phase.
PLEASE NOTE: This does NOT ever mean you withhold food from a hungry baby. You don’t start this until your baby is several months old, nursing or eating well, and physically thriving. Infants need to eat very often, so you will often find that your infant is hungry and tired at the same time. If you walk or rock your baby and he continues to cry and protest, then he may very well be hungry as well as tired. In that case, feed him right away.
Stimulation During Day No Stimulation At Night
This is a big one.
Daytime is for play.
Nighttime is for sleep.
Dont treat days like nights, afraid to wake the baby up. If its naptime, protect the nap. If you are feeding or playing with the baby then its okay for some stimulation.
However, at night, keep lights out, voices low, and all forms of Wakey Baby off.
This can be hard since babies are so gooey and sweet, but its what makes the difference in the long run.
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Inability To Transition From Active To Passive Sleep
Infants don’t have the same sleep cycles as adults because their brains haven’t had time yet to develop fully. As time goes on they’ll gain this ability, but until then, much of their snoozing hours will be spent in active sleep, which is similar to REM.
During this stage, newborns are more likely to wake up, making them more prone to sensitive sleep habits. Infants endure about 50% of their dream time in active sleep, and adults only spend about 20%.
As a result, this allows for more chances to wake up due to a disturbance. While it’s not encouraged to keep quieter than you normally would when your babe is asleep, it does explain any sensitive wakings.
‘wake & Sleep’: Teaching Babies To Sleep On Their Own
All parents want to know, When will my baby start to sleep through the night?
And, that reveals one of the top myths about infant sleep! Because no babyno childno adult EVER sleeps through the night!
Yup! You heard me right! Three to four times a night, we all rouse at least a tiny bit. So your goal is not to really to get your baby sleeping through the night, but to help them learn how to self soothe when theyinevitablybegins to wake up in the middle of the night.
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Help Your Little One Learn To Fall Asleep Lying Still
Once she’s used to falling asleep being rocked or walked instead of eating, the next phase is to get her to fall asleep without rocking. So you begin with rocking, but then, before she is actually asleep, you stop rocking, and just sit, holding her calmly. If she protests, begin rocking again. Keep repeating this. It may take 25 attempts, but eventually she will begin falling asleep even though you have stopped rocking. Thats a real victory.
Do this for a week or so until she’s used to it as your new routine: getting sleepy while rocking and then falling asleep in your arms while not rocking.
Month Old Nap Schedule:
At this age, your baby will likely be fairly consistently taking two naps a day. Every baby will progress at their own pace, depending on their unique preferences and growing bodies, so if these naps are still somewhat elusive, hang in there! Around 10 months, theyll probably be napping for 2-4 hours during the day, but once they start to get a bit older youll notice a pretty significant shift in their napping patterns.
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Touch Instead Of Holding In Her Bed
Eventually, you will be able to put your baby in the crib and hold her there while she falls asleep, because she will not need rocking any more. Then you move to touching, but not holding, your baby, while she falls asleep in the crib. Eventually, she will be able to fall asleep with you simply holding her hand. Keep doing this until she accepts it as your new routine — getting sleepy rocking, but then being put into her bed lying on her back and falling asleep there, holding your hand. At some point, you can substitute a toy instead of your finger.
Guess what? You now have a baby who can be put down in the crib awake, and who will fall asleep on her own!
Baby Sleep Tips Thatll Help Baby Sleep Longer Stretches
Sitting on the couch with my swollen legs propped up on pillows, I looked over at the stack of newborn baby sleep books on the coffee table. Over the course of several hours, I devoured each book, skimming through the pages.
I was determined to learn how to make a newborn sleep.
Thenmy son was born.
Imagine that. A baby not sleeping the way a book says
I fumbled through it the first six weeks. I was so unsure of myself.
Thankfully, we pulled ourselves together, armed ourselves with some key infant sleep facts, developed a plan and implemented it.
We stuck with it, and at 4 months old, our son was sleeping 11-12 hours at night and naps extended to 1.5 to 2 hours. Woohoo! Weve experienced sleep regression, sleeping on the go, sleeping through teethingand so much more!
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