In a nutshell
A regular sleep routine is a good way of teaching your baby to sleep through. In addition, going to bed at the right time is also important to help your baby fall sleep of its own accord.
In more detail
A bedtime routine is important from day one to acquaint your baby with its own sleep habits. Accompany your words with gestures, say what you do and do what you say. Do this the same way every evening and for every nap. This way your little darling will know that it’s time to go to bed when the bedtime routine is over. This familiarity is very enjoyable and reassuring for your baby.
Tips for a good sleep ritual:
- Always change baby in the same place after feeding
- Swaddle your baby or put it in its sleeping bag
- Close the curtains together
- Sing the same lullaby or nursery rhyme
- Put baby to bed with a dummy/pacifier/cuddly toy
- Kiss and stroke baby’s head and say goodnight using your favourite nickname
- Perhaps leave the sleep soother or white noise machine on for a little while
Don’t draw out this ritual: keep it under 10 minutes, that’s long enough to let your baby settle down and go to sleep.
Tuck your baby in shortly after the first signs of fatigue. These signals include yawning, rubbing of the eyes, avoiding eye contact, whining, crying, staring, clenched fists, ear pulling and back arching. With young babies these signs come shortly after feeding. 3-5-month-old babies stay awake a bit longer after feeding, making it all the more important to pay attention to the signals.
Is your baby not giving in to sleep? Then maybe your little one keeps focusing on the stimuli in its environment and has trouble giving in to its tiredness. Take your baby to a quiet place and start the sleep routine.
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Did you know?Why is my baby restless at night? What are normal sleep times for a baby? |