Sleeping Like a Baby
“Sleeping like a baby” is perhaps one of the cruelest sayings for parents to hear. Most new parents soon realize that many babies do not sleep soundly, and many of them can fuss for hours before falling to sleep. Some babies get cranky before and after sleeping. In fact, sleep problems are among the most common topics parents ask about during office visits to the pediatrician. If the infant has problems with sleeping, the parents are more likely to be sleep-deprived as well, and this can interfere with the bonding process between parents and baby. Left unresolved, sleep problems can become a serious crisis for the entire family.
Establishing a Routine
Having strict feeding time, play time, and naptime is paramount in establishing a regular schedule for your baby. When your baby first wakes up, she is most likely going to be hungry. Satisfying her hunger is the most logical next step. After she is satiated, she is usually alert for a brief period of time. This is the time when your baby is most interested in playing. After she becomes exhausted from playing, she will be ready for her next nap again. This sequence of feeding, playing, and napping is the most fundamental component of a baby's routine.
This said, each baby usually has some personal quirks in her routine. Look for feedback from your baby and learn from her. Do not go against her preference in the routine. If the baby appears tired after feeding, don't force her to play with you. If the baby wants to play for a long period of time after feeding, don't force her to go to sleep. Find out what your baby wants, and go with the flow. Know the fundamentals of establishing routines, but be flexible at the same time. Respecting these idiosyncrasies will make both baby and parents happier.
Essential
Just like adults, most babies appreciate routines. Routines allow them to expect when they are going to be fed, when they play, and when they take naps. Babies with a well-established schedule thrive on it, and they are generally happier. When babies are happy, the parents are more likely to be happy, too.
Training Your Baby to Sleep
Falling asleep is a learned skill. It does not come naturally for most babies. The idea of teaching your baby how to fall asleep should not sound like such a strange idea. In fact, it is one of the first skills your child has to master. This milestone can be accomplished quickly, or it can become a long drawn-out battle between you and your baby. The following discussion will guide you through the process relatively pain-free.
During the transition between REM and non-REM sleep, all babies go through a stage of relative light sleep. Many of them wake up. It is during this time that they must figure out how to fall back to sleep on their own. If they do not know how to do so, they will start fussing and wake up crying.
When your baby wakes up in the middle of the night and starts fussing, this is the perfect opportunity for you to start teaching your baby how to fall back to sleep unassisted. Pediatricians recommend training your baby gradually. The first time your baby cries, check on him to make sure that nothing is making him uncomfortable. Ensure that he's not stuck in an uncomfortable position, the room temperature is not too hot or too cold, and his diaper is not soiled. If everything looks fine, try not to pick him up and hold him. Allow him to fuss for five to ten minutes before picking him up and soothing him back to sleep. Picking him up immediately at the first sign of fussiness deprives him of the opportunity to learn how to soothe himself back to sleep. Keep in mind that this approach does not apply to infants less than two months old.
Alert!
A common myth is that you should rock the baby in your arms until she has fallen asleep, and then put her to bed. This method often causes the baby to wake up immediately after you lay her in the crib, and crying frequently begins. The trick is to put the baby to bed before she is asleep but after she is already drowsy.
While you do want your baby to gradually learn how to return to sleep on her own, you don't want her to cry all night either. First of all, it is extremely difficult for parents to hear their baby cry without doing something to stop the crying. Some parents may find it impossible to hold off on picking their baby up once the crying starts. It's no doubt a tough thing to ask of parents, but if the baby does not learn how to self-soothe, he will keep waking up at night and requiring his parents to put him back to sleep until he's a toddler. Many schoolchildren still need their parents to coax them back to bed when they wake up at night. Sooner or later, they have to master this skill. It is usually a good thing to do so earlier, for the sake of the child and the parents.
Introducing Solids Early
Many parents believe that by introducing solids earlier to their babies, especially at night, they can better fill up the baby and allow the baby to sleep longer at night. This myth ranks among the most popular and most entrenched old wives' tales in all of pediatrics. Not only is this practice ineffective, it may even harm your baby.
Pediatricians and dieticians recommend postponing the introduction of solids until the baby is at least six months old. This means that prior to that age, the infant should feed on either breast milk or commercial infant formula. Absolutely nothing else should be fed to the baby.
This recommendation is made based on the observation that babies who start on solids earlier than six months tend to develop more food-related allergies in childhood and adulthood. In addition, babies lack the necessary motor skills and neck muscle support for ingesting solids. Introducing baby cereal too early increases the risk of choking.
