4 Tips Sleeping Tips For Your Baby

By Kendra Hackenberg, Certified Sleep Consultant

The Sleepytime Consultant

. https://www.thesleepytimeconsultant.com/

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4 Tips Sleeping Tips For Your Baby

“What should be done eventually, must be done immediately.”

This was a quote from a college athletics administrator about why he was firing a football coach, but it’s got a lot of appeal outside of the sports world. Especially when it comes to babies.

Many parents will say, “I just don’t think he’s ready for sleep training yet” but ensuring your infant has healthy sleep will benefit his/her health in the long run. Here are some tips for maintaining better sleep habits for your baby:

1. Hello darkness, my old friend.

Light, natural or artificial, sends a message to our brains that it’s daytime, and not time to sleep. Melatonin production is triggered by darkness, so start turning down the lights an hour before you plan to put your baby down. For babies who wake up early, invest in some blackout blinds.

2. Turn down the heat

New parents can be obsessive over their babies’ comfort, and making sure they’re warm enough while Mom and Dad are out of the room for the night is such a basic instinct that people tend to overdo it. Babies sleep best when they’re warm and snuggly inside of a cool environment. A warm nighttime onesie and a cool nursery, somewhere around 65°F and 70°F is the best temperature.

3. Keep it boring

I know we all love the look of a cute, elegant mobile over the top of our baby’s crib, or the sounds of the little faux-aquarium with the little plastic light-up fish, but they can be a real source of fascination for your little one, so keep visual stimulation away from the crib.

4. Be predictable

A well-planned, consistent bedtime routine is conducive to a good night’s sleep, no matter what your age, but particularly with babies. Once their bodies and brains start to recognize the signals that indicate an upcoming bedtime, they will start preparing to pack it in for the evening. Energy levels will start to wind down, melatonin production will kick in, and muscles will start to relax, so by the time you’re giving them a goodnight kiss, they should be all set for sleep.

5. Wrapping up

Teaching your child great sleep skills isn’t a one-night operation. It takes some time, a lot of repetition, and plenty of discipline and diligence on the part of the parents.