Nothing looks calmer than a child sleeping. You could stare at their tiny face and little fingers for hours! Sleep is a very important part of a baby’s routine. Even during sleep, their little brains are working at full capacity to achieve all their developmental milestones.
Research shows that lack of sleep can cause forgetfulness, mood swings, anxiety amongst a few other things. New mums are very often sleep-deprived and it can seriously affect your daily routine. But, there are other parents who go through the same thing and it’s entirely normal. There are a few things that you can do to help your baby sleep better which in turn will help you sleep better too.
1. Establish A Routine
Have a bedtime ritual and follow it religiously. Babies love to have a routine and like their days to be predictable. Follow the time that you’ve set for them. If you have an infant you can set the time that is best suited to your family timings. If you have a toddler you can take their inputs and set the routine around it. If the child knows what to expect, the chances of them having a tantrum is less likely.
2. Spend Enough Time With Kids
Kids become more irritable at bedtime if you haven’t spent enough time with them throughout the day. Take some time off work every day and spend quality time with your kids. It’s good if you can keep your phone aside give them undisrupted attention. For little ones you can spend some time cuddling them, singing to them, telling them about your day works wonders. Make them feel secure before they drift off to sleep.
3. No Screen Zone
Make your house a screen-free zone around their sleep time. Screen light stimulates their brains and blocks the production of melatonin which is the sleep-inducing hormone. Screen time should be limited during the day too, this will make sure the baby is active throughout the day and is tired enough to sleep at night.
4. Keep It Happy
Read a book before they sleep, cuddle tight, say a prayer, make the sleep time routine a positive reinforcement of the day’s activities. This is to let them know that today was a good day and tomorrow they will have more things to look forward to.
5. Follow the 3Bs
Bath, Bed, Books, give your baby a warm water bath, a gentle massage to induce sleep, tuck them in their beds, cuddle with them leading to the last activity of their day – reading a book. Let them decide how many storybooks/pages would they want to read let them take a lead if they’re big enough to read. For younger babies, you could read out loud and can even show them pictures in the book.
Take a few steps back if your baby isn’t ready to sleep, look at what you can do differently this will give you a perspective and how you can help your baby sleep through the night. If your baby is a bad sleeper at 2 months that doesn’t mean they’ll not sleep better at 2 years. You can even get in touch with a sleep consultant if you think your baby needs intervention. Follow good sleep time hygiene and over time your baby will adjust and learn to sleep better.
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