Who knew that such a small innocent looking human being could be such a tough adversary? As the parent of a newborn, you probably know that when your baby makes up his or her mind that he or she is not going to go to sleep that you are not going to change the baby’s mind.
If you find yourself struggling with getting your baby’s sleep pattern down or to get your baby to sleep through the night, take comfort in knowing that you are not alone. Baby sleep problems are one of the most common difficulties that parents face when raising a child. One factor that complicates this so much is that a parent often has a hard time admitting that what he or she is doing is simply not working.
Sleep Is Vital To Your Child’s Health And Happiness
As parents, we know what is best for our children, and we know that a good night’s sleep is vital to the child’s health and happiness. Trying to make your baby understand this very valid point is probably not going to happen. This is why you need to understand why some newborns and toddlers have such a difficult time getting to sleep.
One reason that it is difficult for parents to solve baby sleep problems is that parents do not always understand what a normal amount of sleep is for a baby of a given age. Some parents simply assume that the baby will fall asleep when he or she is tired and that it is a natural process, but this is not necessarily true.
Babies are not born with an instinctive pattern of sleep, it is up to the parents to let the baby know when it is time to sleep and to set up a loose schedule and to adhere to that schedule as much as realistically possible.
Sleep Schedules As A Normal Part Of Life
I know that when I was a kid I always wanted to stay up a little bit later than my parents wanted me to, even when I was extremely tired. Children often do not want to miss out on any excitement that may be happening around the house, but when they are taught to adhere to a schedule of sleep, they start to accept going to sleep as being a normal part of their life and do not fight it nearly as much.
Eating Habits Affect Sleeping Habits
Much of your baby’s sleeping schedule will depend on how often your baby eats. If you are like me, you know how easy it can be to get good and sleepy after a meal. The same holds true for babies, they tend to want and need sleep shortly after eating. An important point here is to understand how often babies typically need to eat, given their age.
Newborns typically need to eat every 2 to 3 hours (closer to 2 for smaller babies, and closer to 3 for larger ones). This feeding schedule is extended as the baby gets older: babies feed every 3 hours or so by 6 weeks old, and about every 4 hours by about 4 months of age. Your baby’s eating schedule will effectively determine his sleeping schedule. So, if your baby is 2 months old, he should have an approximate 3-hour cycle of sleeping, feeding, and playing. Once he his 4 months old, he’ll have an approximate 4 hour cycle.
The length of time between feedings, and thus sleep, will continue to be extended as the baby grows older. As you can see, if you keep your baby on a regular eating schedule, you will be able to manage your baby’s sleep schedule much more effectively.
Some Final Tips About Baby Sleep Patterns
Your baby will become accustomed to this regular schedule and this will pay huge dividends in the long run. Your child will grow up understanding what a regular sleep pattern is and will be able to get him or herself to sleep without a big fight about it.
Keep in mind that this does not have to be a rigid schedule. You can, and should, allow for some deviations from the baby sleep pattern when circumstances dictate it. The basic idea is to keep to a general schedule, but your child does not have to go to bed at an exact minute and time every single day.
Your baby will become accustomed to the rituals and schedules that are set. Therefore, it is important to be as consistent as possible with the rituals that you follow in preparing your baby for sleep. For example, if 30 minutes after a meal you put your baby in bed for sleep, your baby will soon come to expect sleep half an hour after a feeding.
The more you understand about how babies acclimate themselves to sleep and sleep schedules, the easier it will be for you to get your baby to actually enjoy getting the rest that he needs.
And in doing so, you might just find that you can get more of the sleep that you need as well.