Hubs and I have been blessed with three good sleepers. Make that great sleepers. But as much as I think that luck and genetics has have a lot bit to do with it, I also think that we worked really hard to teach them to sleep. I read every book, talked seriously with pediatricians and more experienced moms, and took each baby's sleep as being as important to their health as his/her eating.
Note: I'm definitely not an expert, not even close. Plus, all three of my babies were easy, calm, mild, full-term, big, healthy, and soothable. Just so you know.
Here's what worked for my little ones, in very random order:
1. Take sleep very seriously.
2. Watch for sleepy cues. (rubbing eyes, turning head, pulling ears, whimpering, etc.) When you notice them, it's time for bed. Don't let baby get overtired.
3. Never keep a baby awake for longer than 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
4. Try to follow a wake/ nap/ feeding routine, in that order. (With the exception of bedtime, which should follow a feeding.)
5. Use a pacifier early on. Babies need and love to suck, and sometimes Momma needs a break. All three of mine took breast, binky, and bottle, no problems/confusion/preference. I know a lot of people who are much more educated on the topic will say otherwise, but I had no problems.
6. Put newborn baby to sleep in the car seat/infant carrier thing. It's cozier, more womb-like, it's in a great position for babies with reflux, plus you can tote it around!
7. Use a sound machine in the nursery.
8. Use a lovey early on. Make sure it's safe!
9. Line your baby's crib with your dirty laundry. Wait, that doesn't sound right. Try this: At the end of the day, instead of putting your shirt in the wash, put it in baby's crib, so he can smell your scent and feel your presence. (This makes me think that baby's are a bit like dogs with their super sniffers, but it really worked for our #3, who was quiet attached to me and slept only on my chest for the first 3 weeks.) Again, think about safety here: Don't put anything where baby can get to it. This should only be used for really young babies, who can't move their bodies and grab a shirt.
10. Be very consistent with your nap/bed routine. It should read like a script. Diaper change. Sleep sack. Binky in. Rocking chair. Book. Soft lullaby. Sweet goodnight words. Rub the forehead. Walk away. Close the door. (Use the same book, same lullaby, same goodnight words every time.)
11. Don't rush in if you hear your baby stir. Give them a moment to self-soothe. Do go to him if he cries: Re-plug with the binky, rub his belly, etc. (Sweet Baby needing constant replugging until 9 weeks, when he found his thumb.) But don't assume that the nap is over if it's been less than an hour. Keep trying to get him to sleep.
12. Use baby massage.
13. Find their soothing spot: Sister was lulled to sleepiness when I rubbed between her eyebrows. For Sweet Baby, it's his cheek and forehead.
14. Try to get your baby to sleep without motion. (Avoid the swing, car, stroller.)
15. Talk to your pediatrician. If she can't help you, talk to another pediatrician.
16. In the first few weeks, just get him to sleep any way you can. Break all of the rules if you want to. Focus on the nursing and healing and bonding and resting and all of that newborn stuff. Just do make sure that he gets sleep, whether it's on your chest or in the swing or whatever. I didn't start thinking about anything sleep training-wise until 4-6 weeks. Around 6-8 weeks is when I really started to focus on getting them in their cribs (or car seat still for Buddy), establish a routine, etc. I think 2-3 months is when my pediatrician said you should definitely establish things the way you want them to be.
17. Once your baby starts sleeping through the night consistently, if he does wake up in the middle of the night one day, try to soothe him without nursing him. There's a really good chance he's not hungry. He might just need to hear your voice, have a cuddle, a burp, a fresh dipe, or a rub on the belly.
18. If possible, keep older siblings out of baby's bedtime routine. Allow them to say goodnight, then it's just you and baby.
19. Read Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child and The Baby Whisperer. Take what you can from them.
20. Swaddle. We used receiving blankets but now they have these cool Velcro swaddling blankets.
Anyway, this is what worked for my babies. Hopefully you'll find something here that will work for you, too! For more terrific tips, visit Shannon's Rockin' Blog.
7 comments:
We lived by the Babywhisperer with our first and took what we could from it with our second and third. The second didn't sleep through the night (10-12 hours) till he was 7 months and the third just started (and he's 9 months). BUT they nap well and go to bed easily. It's just that their little tummies can't take them that long.
Those are great tips and exactly what I would suggest after having 3! (And I totally agree with you about the breast/binky/bottle thing...we introduced the pacifier in the hospital with all 3 of our boys and never had any "nipple confusion" issues.)
THANK YOU for posting this! I have read many "suggestions" and am shocked at the things people are telling new moms to do with their babies. I, too, was blessed with 2 amazing sleepers. I used "Healthy Sleep Habits" and give it to every new mom I know. It is important to remind parents to watch the tired signals.. not the clock! FABULOUS post!!
All terrific ideas! So many parents think their child should be on a "schedule" of their liking...it takes an aware parent to realize the signs.
Thanks for stopping by my blog, too!
Those are great tips - and a lot of them worked for us too. Especially the baby massage and sticking to routine.
Instead of leaving a piece of laundry in the crib, I would sleep with a crib sheet one night, then use that as the sheet on the baby's crib. Switch it ever 3-4 days, and voila! Baby feels comforted. We also found that they 'jersey' material crib sheets worked better -they don't get as cold as regular cotton sheets, so the baby doesn't feel the 'cold' against his head when you put him down.
We're having major sleep problems right now with my 6 month old, so this is timely advice. It is strange - he slept through the night early (at about 5 weeks) and everything seemed to be going so smoothly until one month ago. Then it all fell apart. We're working on consistency during ALL his sleeping times (naps, too) and hoping that will help. Thank you for the book recommendations!
I don't have any kids myself, but my job is working with kids, so I'm around them all the time. (hopefully that means I'll be well-[prepared when the time comes that we want to have our own!)... From everything I've observed, the kids on the routines do MUCH better. kids THRIVE on consistency. If you make it an integral part of EVERYTHING (playtime, sleeptime, feeding time, etc), the kids seem to be consistent as well.
Thanks for a great post!!
I found your blog through Rocks in My dryer. So funny, my blog layout is exactly the same as yours AND your description of what your blog is, Exactly the same as mine. I dislike scrapbooking as well.
And I couldn't agree more with your tips. I have 2 with one on the way. Especially about the first 2-3 months --I call it survival mode where you get them to sleep any way you can. My 2nd was very hard headed, however and we did have to use the ferber approach when he was 6 months. It worked great and now is sleeping great.
I also read those two books! Love baby whisperer!
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