Regardless of what anyone tells you, babies don’t usually sleep through the night until they are about six months old, so don’t let the stories about the "good" babies make you feel like you’re doing something wrong or that there is something wrong with your baby. It is perfectly normal for your baby to wake up and need to be fed for the first six months. Although waking up during the night to be fed is normal, there are ways to help your baby sleep better and to teach your baby to be a "good" sleeper.

When you first bring your baby home from the hospital, start noticing the different stages that your baby goes through as he falls asleep. As your baby reaches the "drowsy" stage, gently put him in his bed and let him finish drifting off to sleep on his own. This teaches your baby to put himself to sleep rather than depending on you. Teaching this to your baby also comes in handy as they get older and wake during the night. When they do this, your baby knows how to put himself back to sleep without you.

From the very beginning, teach your baby the difference between day and night. It is common for babies to get their days and nights mixed up. To a baby, it doesn’t make any difference what time it is as long as they get fed and loved, but it does to you. To teach your baby the difference, begin by making the day as bright as possible. Keep lights on and curtains open. Even during naptime, keep the baby’s room light. About two hours before bedtime, start dimming the lights and finally, when you put the baby down to sleep do so in a dark room. It’s okay to have a small nightlight but stick to the ones that have "bluish" lights not the bright yellow lights because they are more stimulating.

When your baby wakens at night, don’t immediately run into the room. Wait about five minutes to see if the baby will sooth himself back to sleep. If this doesn’t work, go to your baby’s room, entering quietly. Don’t turn on the light and don’t make eye contact. Check the baby’s diaper to see if it is soiled. If it is, quickly change it still without making eye contact or talking to your baby. Try to relax about diapers at nighttime. Put your baby in a good nighttime diaper and unless it’s soiled, it should last through the night.

Make sure you dress your baby comfortably and have his bed clean and clutter free for better sleeping. When it’s bedtime, lower your home’s thermostat to 65. Cooler temperatures signal your body that it’s time to sleep. This is why a warm bath and then going to bed in a cool room makes you sleepy. Try to simulate this with your baby and it will help him sleep much better.

Going without sleep when your baby is small is hard. Try to remember that your baby won’t be in this stage forever and that one day you will have sleep again. Also, try to remind yourself that your baby is growing every day and before you know it will be grown up. Learn to appreciate every stage your baby is in, even if it means less sleep.

Jason Ladock

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