Already exhausted with your newborn sleep schedule? Putting a baby to sleep is quite a task. Parents whose babies do not follow a sleep pattern are most likely to be sleep-deprived and exhausted. Hence, making a proper sleep schedule is really necessary for both the parent and the baby.

Newborns until 6 weeks of life usually sleep 16-18 hours of the day waking every 2 hours for a feed. By the age of 3 months, they start sleeping for a longer time during the night, approximately for 5 hours, with 3 to 4 naps in between. Then, up till 6 months of time, the naps reduce to 2 to 3 throughout the day and possibly 8 to 10 hours of sleep at the night. By the time your baby reaches her first birthday, she should ideally sleep 10 to 12 hours at night with two hourly naps during the daytime.

However, not all babies follow this sleep pattern. This is not uncommon for a child to develop a proper sleep schedule even after completing one year of life. Parents of these children have a hard time making them sleep throughout the night. Eventually, the child gets fussier and throws extra tantrums, making the parent exhausted.

Sleep Problems Faced by Babies

Teething

Being a very tough phase in babies’ and toddlers’ life, it majorly disturbs their normal sleep cycle.

Developmental milestones

Whenever a baby is hitting a major developmental stage, sleep regression is often experienced and it’s pretty tricky to tackle.

Separation anxiety

Usually lasting from 5 months to 9 months, separating from a parent might affect his sleeping pattern.

Fever/Sickness

Sick kids are already fussy and crankier. Making them sleeping when they are not feeling well is quite troublesome for the parents.

Screen time

Too much screen time can also have a significant effect on a baby’s quality of sleep and duration.
Despite the fact that abnormal sleep patterns are totally normal for children of this age, it is recommended to try following a proper newborn sleeping schedule to develop the habit. Although there is no ‘’right time’’ to start sleep training, it is preferred around 4 to 6 months of age.
Let’s find out how you can make your baby’s sleep schedule right:

How to Make Newborn Sleep Schedule

Watch for cues

Usually, babies under one year of age give cues when they feel sleepy. These include early cues like yawning, pulling ears, rubbing eyes, crankiness, and late cues like crying and asking for breast (feed).

Set a bedtime routine

Babies follow their biological clock very well. They will memorize the bedtime routine and even follow that on their own when he is around 18-20 months. Bedtime routine may include a quick bath, story reading, a milk feeder, particular praying or spiritual activity, a light massage, or a lullaby. Following a routine consistently will give a signal in the child’s brain that it’s time to sleep.

Provide a dim and calm environment

Even adults prefer to have a rest in calm and quiet surroundings, then why not provide babies with the same environment? Dim lighting and a peaceful atmosphere aid in making the baby fall asleep soon and sound.

Use white noise

There has been a lot of debate regarding the use of white noise for light sleepers. Honestly, for some babies, it works like wonders, and for some; it does just go in vain. So try your luck and use white noise to help your baby sleeping peacefully.

Cut off the nap time

The longer the gap between the evening nap and night sleep, the easier it gets. The logic is quite simple. Try cutting off the afternoon or evening nap timing of your baby, so he gets enough time to utilize his energy and ultimately feels sleepy and tired by bedtime. This method has helped a lot of parents in making the right sleeping pattern for their children.

Favor baby’s preferences

Even after all the tricks, sometimes the baby gives hard time going to bed and falling asleep. In that case, don’t scold or yell at her. Try alternate sleeping methods like rocking in the arms or a bouncer. If the baby still doesn’t sleep, remain calm, change her activity and keep looking for sleeping cues. Of course, it’s frustrating, but you never know what the baby is going through.

Give a hearty last meal before sleep

Generally, babies have tough time trouble sleeping if they are not full tummy. Aim to give them a good meal before going to bed so that they easily fall asleep and do not wake up frequently during the night. Alternatively, if your child is a picky eater, you can offer to breastfeed or formula feed to fill their little tummies.

Don’t let them get overtired

An overtired baby is rather tough to put to sleep. Avoid making them awake for longer than normal hours especially late at night. Once overtired, the babies tend to get fussy and disturbed; hence, the sleep cycle is compromised.

Make use of a pacifier

The use of pacifiers pretty much remains in talk for all parents. Some find it useful and some suggest avoiding it. The best thing is to do your own research and try your luck on the baby. If your baby gives a positive response to the pacifier, then congratulations. Otherwise, there are lots of other methods available too.

Sleep regression

For new parents, sleep regression is also new to them. Children often go through sleeping regression during a developmental milestone. This phase leads to restlessness and trouble in sleeping and eating in the babies. Usually, these regressions are experienced at 4 months, 6 months, and 8 to 10 months of age. However, it’s not the same for every child.

Prefer crib over bed

Pediatricians recommend parents make babies sleep in the crib to avoid chances of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Parents who prefer co-sleeping rather than crib suffer from a tough time setting a good sleeping routine.