Schedules for Getting Babies to Sleep Through the Night
For nine months you watched what you ate, took prenatal vitamins, and got the best medical care you possibly could. You want to do everything you can now that your baby is here to continue giving him the best start in life. Proper nutrition, a clean and comfortable living environment, and adequate rest are the basics. Most first-time mothers, and even those that have had several children, find that getting their baby on a regular sleep schedule can be challenging.
You have a couple of months before the experts say you need to work on that schedule. Those two months will enable you to get your baby on a somewhat regular eating schedule and give the two of you time to bond.
How to Begin
You will want to get your baby use to the difference between night and day. Establish simple rituals that he can associate with bed time at the same time every night: a warm bath, clean pajamas, a final feeding, and then lights out for the night. It is okay up until the third or fourth month for your baby to doze off during the last feeding but you will want to start putting your baby to bed while he is still awake so he can learn to fall asleep on his own.
The idea is to get your baby to self-soothe himself to sleep. Some babies will fall right into the pattern and others will need a bit more work. Remember that should your baby fall asleep during feeding at about five or six months, you may want to stop with the feeding and put him down immediately.
If he is still fussy, practice sitting with him and easing yourself out of the room as he falls asleep. Remain half-way in the room until he dozes off, then outside the door, until finally you are able to walk completely out and he falls asleep on his own.
You will find that once you have a working sleep schedule in place, other schedules will work better, like feeding times. Not to mention your rest and all the things you have to before you can call it a day.
Things to Keep in Mind
During periods of growth or when he's trying to achieve a new milestone, you may notice your baby deviating from his usual routine. The first year of life for any baby is full of events; he will almost triple his weight, learn to crawl, sit up, and maybe walk. He may want to be fed more than usual and need more sleep. He may wake up few times at night, but be patient, your baby may return to his normal schedule soon, or this may be a sign that you need to adjust your own routine.
Building Lifelong Habits
Should your baby be a little more difficult when becoming accustomed to a sleep schedule, remember, you are teaching him how to self-soothe. This is an extremely important lesson he needs to learn now. Not only is it better for him to get adequate rest, but to grow up and be a healthy human being that can handle when things don't necessarily go his way.