Parents may have to spend sleepless nights themselves in order to cope with sleep problems in babies. Find out what you can do when your baby is unable to sleep. Babies are indeed a bundle of joy, but they can be a bit of trouble when you are not able to control and design his sleeping pattern in a manner you would like to. They can turn into a night owl all of a sudden and then decide to give you sleepless nights for days and weeks together! Well, the first point is there is no reason to be annoyed with the baby per se; he is not doing anything on purpose. It is quite natural that the baby might develop and continue with different sleeping habits that do not comply with the desirable pattern that you want to set. Here you simply need to be a lot more patient while you try to understand the factors or issues that are keeping the baby awake at the normal time for sleeping that is, during the night. In this articleCauses of Sleep Problems in BabiesFollow a Bedtime RoutineLet the Baby Have Dinner on TimeCauses of Sleep Problems in Babies Problems with sleep timing in babies usually happen when the babies grow out of the infant stage, that is, when they are around close to 2 weeks old. This continues till they are about two-three months old, when they simply refuse to sleep, even if you are ready to drop off after the day’s work. This is basically due to the fact that the baby is now learning to see and understand the world around him. He is filled with curiosity so much that he is mostly ready for anything apart from sleep. Coping With Sleep Problems in Babies Here are some guidelines on how to cope with sleep problems in babies. Follow a Bedtime Routine Help the baby to understand that there is a routine to follow and people go to sleep at night. You can start right with the dinner time. Sometime after he has had his food, you can give him a warm bath or sponge him and change his clothes. Follow this with a good moisturizer massage and put him in his cradle or bed. Sing him a song or tell him a story or play a soft music as you dim the lights and cuddle him. Pat him a little to induce the sleep and say Goodnight and leave the room. If the baby cries in protest and tries to hold you back, you can linger your stay for just a couple of minutes once and no further. You have to be strict here and not give in to his cries and teary protests even if your heart wants to. Else he will derive a different understanding that routines can be bent with emotional reactions. As you follow such a routine for a few days, you will notice that the baby is getting attuned to it and falling asleep readily during the night. Let the Baby Have Dinner on Time It is necessary that the baby has his dinner well ahead of his bed-time. After dinner the metabolism of the body heightens up in order to digest the food, so the baby also remains hyperactive and naturally refuses to sleep. Also ensure that the dinner is a very light one so that it is easy for him to digest. Same goes for those babies who are nursing. Breastfeed him early and do not continue for a very long time. Remember breastfed babies need their milk in little amounts and frequently. So you might have to feed him in the middle of the night. You need to be sure whether the baby is unable to sleep due to any health issues or not. Get a thorough check-up done by your paediatrician. Follow the necessary suggestions and medications. All said and done, make sure that you are not providing an environment where it is difficult to sleep. This means that the lights should be dimmed out and there should be no noise or loud music or television running in a loud volume in the room of the baby. These are all stimulants that keep the baby away from falling asleep. Put the baby to bed in a dark, quiet, comfortably warm and cozy environment.
Parents may have to spend sleepless nights themselves in order to cope with sleep problems in babies. Find out what you can do when your baby is unable to sleep. Babies are indeed a bundle of joy, but they can be a bit of trouble when you are not able to control and design his sleeping pattern in a manner you would like to. They can turn into a night owl all of a sudden and then decide to give you sleepless nights for days and weeks together! Well, the first point is there is no reason to be annoyed with the baby per se; he is not doing anything on purpose. It is quite natural that the baby might develop and continue with different sleeping habits that do not comply with the desirable pattern that you want to set. Here you simply need to be a lot more patient while you try to understand the factors or issues that are keeping the baby awake at the normal time for sleeping that is, during the night.
Causes of Sleep Problems in Babies
Problems with sleep timing in babies usually happen when the babies grow out of the infant stage, that is, when they are around close to 2 weeks old. This continues till they are about two-three months old, when they simply refuse to sleep, even if you are ready to drop off after the day’s work. This is basically due to the fact that the baby is now learning to see and understand the world around him. He is filled with curiosity so much that he is mostly ready for anything apart from sleep.
Coping With Sleep Problems in Babies
Here are some guidelines on how to cope with sleep problems in babies.
Follow a Bedtime Routine
Help the baby to understand that there is a routine to follow and people go to sleep at night. You can start right with the dinner time. Sometime after he has had his food, you can give him a warm bath or sponge him and change his clothes. Follow this with a good moisturizer massage and put him in his cradle or bed. Sing him a song or tell him a story or play a soft music as you dim the lights and cuddle him.
Pat him a little to induce the sleep and say Goodnight and leave the room. If the baby cries in protest and tries to hold you back, you can linger your stay for just a couple of minutes once and no further. You have to be strict here and not give in to his cries and teary protests even if your heart wants to. Else he will derive a different understanding that routines can be bent with emotional reactions. As you follow such a routine for a few days, you will notice that the baby is getting attuned to it and falling asleep readily during the night.
Let the Baby Have Dinner on Time
It is necessary that the baby has his dinner well ahead of his bed-time. After dinner the metabolism of the body heightens up in order to digest the food, so the baby also remains hyperactive and naturally refuses to sleep. Also ensure that the dinner is a very light one so that it is easy for him to digest. Same goes for those babies who are nursing. Breastfeed him early and do not continue for a very long time. Remember breastfed babies need their milk in little amounts and frequently. So you might have to feed him in the middle of the night.
You need to be sure whether the baby is unable to sleep due to any health issues or not. Get a thorough check-up done by your paediatrician. Follow the necessary suggestions and medications.
All said and done, make sure that you are not providing an environment where it is difficult to sleep. This means that the lights should be dimmed out and there should be no noise or loud music or television running in a loud volume in the room of the baby. These are all stimulants that keep the baby away from falling asleep. Put the baby to bed in a dark, quiet, comfortably warm and cozy environment.
