Image: Bloggers Own ©fashionandstylepolice.com
Many parents struggle with getting their babies to sleep through the night. I know I did at first, until I figured a way around it. My twins started sleeping through the night at 3 months old. Although, I still would wake them up gently for a dream feed at 11pm, but apart from that, they slept like the babies they are. By the time they were 6 months old, they dropped the dream feed and slept for good 12 hours (7pm to 7am), 99% of the time.
Many people keep asking me how I managed to get them to sleep through the night at such a young age, so I thought I should share some of my tried and tested tips. Here they are:
Have a Daily Routine
I got my kids on a daily routine as soon as they were 3 months, so there was a clear structure to the day. They knew what was coming each time, and they got used to it. Babies like routine in general, and I like having a routine too so it worked perfectly for all of us.
There was and there still is a time slot for everything we do, so baths, feeds, playtime, naps and all. It is a lot more flexible now that they are 2 years old, but the routine is still in place, and they still sleep through the night.
Make Sure your Babies Are Well Fed
A well fed baby is a happy baby, so try as much as possible to get your baby to eat all her feeds, meals and snacks, as the case may be. This eliminates your baby waking up hungry.
A Warm Bath
Your baby will find a warm bath soothing and relaxing so aim to get your baby in a bath an hour before bed time. If you are targeting the regular bed time of 7pm, then aim to get your baby in a bath for 6pm. The hour in between gives you time for the bath, the rest of the bedtime routine, and it puts your baby in the sleep/relaxing mood.
However, if you are bathing your baby too late in the evening, depending on your routine and your baby's body clock, it may have more of a negative effect than a positive effect. For example, if you usually put your baby to bed for say 8pm, and you are running late for whatever reason, and you get home 10pm with your baby wide awake, don't try to take your baby's bath, it may confuse her body clock.
Put your Baby Down Awake
This is a very important tip when it comes to getting your baby to sleep all through the night. You need to put your baby into the cot when she is sleepy but awake. Let your baby fall asleep on her own. You can watch from a distance, or listen from a monitor, but to get your baby to sleep all through the night, she has to learn how to fall asleep on her own first, if not, every time she wakes up, she will cry for you to soothe her back to sleep.
Keep Night Feeds Quiet
If your baby is still waking up at night for her nightly feeds, endeavour to keep these night feeds very boring. So no noise, no eye contact, just feed. On the other hand, make sure you keep day feeds lively and chatty with plenty of cuddles and eye contact. This way your baby understands the difference between night-time and day-time, and sets her body clock accordingly.
Use an Effective Night Time Nappy
I won't be dropping any names but there a few good night-time nappies you could use to eliminate leakages, and you having to change a heavy soiled nappy at 3am. A dry nappy keeps your baby feeling comfortable and asleep.
Try these tips today to get your baby to sleep all through the night. Good luck.
Check out Stella's Blog - Fashion and Style Police
Follow Stella on Facebook