HOW TO GET YOUR BABY IN A SLEEP ROUTINE

Getting a sleep sense in to your newborn is one of the hardest tasks to accomplish. It may require your complete attention, patience and lots of sleepless nights to get your baby in a sleep routine.  Once it is done, you and your baby can enjoy peaceful nights followed by fresh mornings. This can help your baby maintain a good mood and keep you active and attentive around your baby all day long.

By the time your baby is 2 weeks old you can introduce him with the difference of day and night. The earlier you begin the better it is. You can do this through following steps:

·         Bath your baby during day and change her clothes, make her feel fresh.

·         Talk and play with her during day to make her feel active.

·         Make sure you keep her in a lively environment around other family members, during the daytime

·         Keep your baby in a well lit room during the day

Likewise:

·         Make the room quiet and slow few minutes before the sleep time of your baby.

·         Try to change you baby’s attire with comfortable pajamas or a sleeping suit

·         Speak or play less with your baby before her naptime. Make sure your baby realizes that the day activities are over and night time is all about rest and sleep.

As your baby grows older, you might find it hard to restrict her to a sleep routine. As a toddler would be more involved in activities around him. Therefore, it is relatively hard to set a routine for your toddler. But then again, little efforts from your side can solve this issue. Try the following things:

·         Arrange a playtime for your baby half an hour before bedtime:

This would help your baby release the energy before bedtime which would help her fall asleep earlier. Also a playtime before bedtime would make your baby happy and sleeping in a good mood guarantees a happy mood when your baby wakes up the very next day. You can also play on a condition of going to bed soon after you finish. This makes your baby’s mind that the day is coming to an end and this is her last activity for the day.

·         Feed your baby 30 minutes before bedtime:

Feeding your baby before bedtime will help your baby sleep for longer hours without having the need to wake up in between. Also your baby would fall asleep earlier than she would have been with an empty stomach.

·         Change clothes and brush up:

Getting dressed for bedtime is very important for the baby. This helps her acknowledge that the day is over and the only final thing she is left with is to sleep. This would also help in making up your baby’s mind that she is all ready to sleep now. This psychological effect can make her fall asleep earlier than random attempts of making her fall asleep.

·         Read a Story:

It can be really hard at times to get your baby in bed alongside you. Try bribing your baby with a story time. Make your baby lie next to you and read a story. Your baby may love to snuggle around especially during story time. Not only would she learn new words but this would also bring you closer to your baby.

Try to follow this routine with your baby even when you are not at home. This would help your child adopt this sleep routine regardless.