Thursday, January 27, 2011
Newborn Sleep Guide
Filed under: Baby Sleep
As you know, we welcomed baby Hendrix to our family on December 20th. He's not our first baby, and with my many years as a Nanny and as a sleep/parenting coach, we had a lot of experience to help get Hendrix off to a good start with his sleep.
If you start off on the right foot, your baby, like mine, can learn to fall asleep without props, take 3 long daytime naps and sleep well at night - waking just twice at night to feed.
Setting a Feeding Routine
Putting your baby on a routine helps him regulate his body, understanding when he's hungry and when he's sleepy - no confusion between the two. If you feed your baby on a routine, you'll know he's getting enough and are not waiting for a drowsy baby to cry out - a last resort for him to tell you he's hungry.
Following the routine of EAT - PLAY - SLEEP you can separate eating and sleeping and ensure that your baby is drowsy when it's time for a nap or bedtime. Then, you can put him down and he'll gently fall asleep on his own. If you encourage this right away, your baby will not become used to props like rocking, being held or nursing in order to fall asleep.
Though Hendrix was breastfeed as a newborn, I would take pains to ensure he stayed awake during feedings, assuring me he had enough to eat. Now that I'm back at work, Hendrix takes bottles with expressed milk and formula. Either method of feeding is fine with this newborn sleep guide.
Setting a Sleep Schedule
Newborn babies tend to mix up their days and nights - the easiest and most gentle way to overcome this obstacle is to monitor your baby's sleep - I highly recommend keeping a diary for yourself; noting - feedings and sleep times. Set an awake time in the morning and don't let your baby over-sleep for his 3 naps a day (2 long and 1 short) - babies who oversleep on their naps will get too much daytime rest and have difficulty at bedtime.
Have a set bedtime routine, making a clear distinction between bedtime sleep and naptime sleep. Often the third nap of the day is the hardest for baby to fall asleep. You can use some gentle methods such as shhing and patting to encourage your baby to fall asleep unassisted. The method may involve few tears; especially if you miss the window and your baby then becomes overtired, but you'll be there with support that you gradually wean out over time as he learns the wonderful skill of falling asleep.
If you want to swaddle your baby at first, that is fine. Try to remove the swaddle early on as your baby learns how to fall asleep - you'll find that his ability to return to sleep unassisted makes transitioning out of the swaddle easier. Hendrix was out of the swaddle at 3 weeks old and put into a sleep sac.
Newborn Sleep Questions...
You may have questions, and that's what I'm here for! You don't need to wait until you're several months into your sleep deprivation and be entirely confused by mixed advice and contradictory information.
Whether you're a new parent or a parent-to-be, consider one of my service packages for an entirely customized sleep plan for you and your baby. I'll be there to answer your questions, calm your fears and help you all get the sleep you need.
| Posted by Cheeky Chops at 8:40PM | 1 Comment |  |
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Comments
Lori McGrath
Posted 1 year ago
What a great tool for new moms! PS- I have awarded you a bloggie award for your wise words on my blog!!
Cheers, Lori