Raising a Healthy Sleeper

Parents of a newborn long for the day when their child will sleep through the night. This means that parents get a full night sleep too. Raising a healthy sleeper is easier than it seems at the time. The following tips are from personal experience. These tactics should not be used on infants less than six weeks. Babies that young need to eat and sleep according to their own schedule in order to make sure they are eating enough. Not everyone will agree with these tips, but my daughter was sleeping through the night at eight weeks and continues to sleep twelve hours a night plus a two-hour nap now that she is nineteen months.

The most important part of raising a healthy sleeper is to establish a schedule. As a newborn, my daughter ate every three to four hours and that was her only semblance of a schedule. Beginning right around eight weeks, we began to set a much tighter schedule with meals and naps and nighttime sleep. At eight weeks old she would sleep for seven to eight hours a night. At this early age, babies still take two to three naps a day. It is important to make sure they are taking in the recommended amount for feedings. Beginning at around four months, babies become more active and may drop that third nap. Right around one year, they will often drop to one nap. Setting and keeping a schedule is the most important aspect of raising a healthy sleeper.

How does a parent stick to a schedule? The answer is routine. Children thrive on routine. They know what to expect and can anticipate what comes next. Perhaps a night routine includes a bath and a story before bottle and bed. These routines can be comforting and in turn, set the baby into a sleep state of mind.

A rip passed down from mother to mother is to add rice cereal to a bottle to settle baby down and get baby to sleep through the night. Doctor’s do not recommend that a baby be given any type of solid food before four months since it has been linked to the onset of diabetes. While I did not give my daughter cereal, I do somewhat agree with this tactic. My daughter has been going to bed at 8pm since she was six months old and I credit her twelve-hour nights of sleep to the meal she has at 7pm. She goes to bed with a full belly and never wakes up in the middle of the night due to hunger.

Another aspect of getting baby to sleep through the night is making sure he or she is comfortable. A lot of parents make the mistake of overdressing their children so they are not cold. Babies generally need one layer more than adults to be comfortable. A great item is the blanket sleeper for babies, it acts as a blanket, but it is clothing. This sleeper keeps baby warm and comfortable and safe. Being overly heated has also been linked to increased risk of SIDS. Obviously, baby should not be cold either. Keeping the nursery right around sixty-eight degrees will insure that the baby is at a comfortable temperature.

These tips have all worked out very well in getting my daughter to consistently sleep through the night since she was eight weeks old. She is a happy, active toddler with a very healthy sleeping pattern. Remember, comfortable room temperature, full belly, routine, and schedule. Of course there will be times when any baby will have a bad night, but following these tips could get a great night of sleep for both baby and parent.