How to cope with your new baby’s sleep schedule.
Having a new baby in the family can mean change for the whole household. One of the biggest changes is the sudden lack of sleep. Even if there are other children and you’ve gone through the adjustment before, each child is different. Some babies can sleep through the night from an early age, others make you wonder if you will ever get a full nights sleep again.
One of the best pieces of advice i can give to a new moms is: sleep when the baby sleeps. While this may seem to easy, it really does make a big difference. Many moms see nap times as a time to get all the jobs done around the house . But if you aren’t well rested, you won’t enjoy time with your baby when they are awake and ready to play.
Many babies are born with a “different clock”; they seem to want to be awake at night and asleep through the day. While your baby was still in the womb, baby was rocked to sleep during the day by your movements. Then when you settled down for the night, your baby thought it’s time to become more active. So, once your little one arrives, it will take them some time to adjust to the new routine.
Even though it may be difficult at first, it is important to remind yourself that things will settle into a normal routine eventually. But what is normal for one family isn’t for another. You have to find what works for your family. Start to establish a regular nap and bedtime routine as soon as you come home from the hospital. It will help the transition, and hopefully your baby will start sleeping regularly for you.
If your baby seems to be a night owl, and you want them to go to sleep at an earlier hour, try to adjust the time a little bit each day. It can also be a help to dim the lights as it gets closer to bedtime. This can help your baby adjust and realize it’s time to sleep soon. Turn off the TV and maybe try playing some gentle music. It will help both of you relax. Once the baby is asleep, spend some time pampering yourself before getting some sleep.
Babies get hungry through the night. How you handle these night-time feeds can make a big difference to how much sleep everyone gets. If you are breastfeeding, keeping the baby’s crib in your room, or even co-sleeping, can reduce the amount of time it takes to get back to sleep. If you are bottle feeding, you can ask your partner to take a turn feeding the baby during the night so that you get a little extra sleep.
All babies take time to begin sleeping through the night and it cretainly won’t happen overnight. As long as you are consistent with your routine, everyone will soon find they are sleeping much better. Remind yourself that you aren’t a bad parent if you baby doesn’t begin sleeping well right away. It just takes a little time.
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