Most of you know that newborns don't sleep through the night. In my experience my baby slept maybe 30mins to an hour before waking up and staying awake for about an hour each night. Needless to say, mommy was tired.
According to one of the many baby books I have read, Happiest Baby on the Block, human babies are born about a trimester too soon. Basically because human brains are so large that if they stayed in the womb any longer then their head would be too big to come out. The author calls the 1st three months of newborns lives the 4th trimester. And if you've been through pregnancy you know that the more you move around, the more the baby sleeps. When you sit still, the baby starts to move around. So...
#1 - Let baby sleep in swing
Newborns like motion, it lulls them to sleep. Not to mention most swings are elevated, which makes me feel better because if he spits up in his sleep he is less likely to choke. We started him swinging and slowing decreased the pace he was swining. Now he sleeps in the swing, but we don't turn it on. Soon we are going to phase him to the crib, but probably not until 6mths during the night. I do have him sleeping in his crib for naps now though.
#2 - Get a sound machine!
In the womb the sounds babies here is like a constant white noise. We were given a sound machine at our shower (thank you beverly!) and I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to put it to use... such a rookie. We put the sound of rain on and it stays on constantly in his nursery. As soon as we busted that thing out it was amazing the difference it made.
#3 - Feed the baby every 2 hours at bedtime
One reason babies wake up is because they are hungry. During the day I feed him about every 3 hours, then I feed him 5 ounces at 5:30 and again at 7:30 at bedtime. It keeps him full longer and has made a big difference.
#4 - Put them to sleep awake
I have just started this and began it for naptimes during the day. They are supposed to take a nap every two hours they are awake. I know thats what Dylan seems to do naturally and I try to encourage his natural sleep patterns. So when I can tell he is getting sleepy (which is about every two hours) I go ahead and put him upstairs in his swing, after rocking him for a bit. While he is still away, but with heavy eyes I put him in his swing and leave the room. Supposedly if they can teach themselves to go to sleep during the day, they get themselves back to sleep during the night when they wake up as well. I have noticed a major change this week after I started this, we've almost entirely skipped the 12am feeding all together. I will hear him through the monitor and give him 10 mins of whimpering (if he wakes up with the screaming cry I just get him up, but you know the differences in the cries) - and after that he usually just gets himself back to sleep. Its amazing!
#5 - Swaddle
Babies are accustomed to feeling cramped and I think that they find comfort in that. So to mimic the womb also means to imitate that feeling. Which means swaddling. We just take a light weight blanket and tuck it tightly around and under him in the swing (since its hard to swaddle them and buckle them in the swing).
I'm no doctor, but these tips all helped us tremendously and I highly recommend them!
No comments:
Post a Comment