A newborn baby can easily cause sleep deprivation for the parents because most newborn babies will tend to keep them awake through the night. This is actually a very common problem that all new parents go through and even well experienced parents can have this problem. But as always, there are ways you can keep your baby sleeping through the night and get yourself the required sleep too.
Getting Newborns to Sleep at Night
Unless you are a very lucky parent, don’t expect to get the max sleeping hours recommended at least throughout the first three months of the baby being born. According to many experts, the first three months babies go through something called fragmented sleep. In simple words, your baby is unable to differentiate between night and day. It is up to you to create an environment for the baby to recognize and quickly learn the difference between when to sleep and when not to sleep.
Even when your baby isn’t 4-5 months old, you can help her develop healthy sleeping habits that will develop her sleeping times. You can do this by minimizing the stimulation just before it is bed time. To do this, you can give her a warm bath, play a song or create a white noise or stop her from sleeping an hour or two hours before her bed time. Here are some expert techniques you can also try to use.
The most popular method of putting a newborn baby to sleep is through the ferber method. This method is based on the notion that babies can make association with falling asleep. The trick is to make your baby learn to associate with something that will trigger her to sleep. This is actually quite easy.
To do this, put your baby inside its crib and leave the room. If she starts to cry, let her do so for around 5 minutes. If she doesn’t stop, go back to the room and without picking her up, just comfort him briefly and return to your room and wait for 10 minutes. If the baby cries again, go back and repeat the step and return to room and wait 15 minutes. Keep doing this until the baby eventually sleeps. This technique just makes sure that your baby is aware that you are existing and that you are always there for him.
In related reading, if YOU have trouble sleeping, read this article on how to get a good night’s sleep. It can entirely change your day!