Getting your baby to sleep through the night is something that a lot of parents struggle with. Newborn babies frequently wake throughout the night because their tummies need to be fed more frequently. It’s not uncommon for babies to scream uncontrollably for hours on end, leaving poor parents wondering if they’ll ever sleep again.
Although it’s normal to find yourself waking up several times a night during the first few months, there comes a time when your baby no longer needs to wake up so many times. However, despite your babies being capable of sleeping through the night at some point, tired parents find themselves still exhausted getting up regularly.
Believe it or not, it’s possible for your child to sleep through the night even if it feels like they never will. By applying the right tips, and staying patient, your little one will start sleeping for much longer stretches.
Take a look at some of the best tips for getting your baby to sleep better and longer at night.
Establish a Bedtime Routine
Bedtime routines are one of the most foolproof ways to get your baby ready for sleep. A good nighttime routine can be anything from taking a bath to giving a bottle to reading a story.
The idea is to signal to your baby’s brain so the same thing happens every night right before they go to sleep. As a result, nighttime activities will trigger their brain that it’s time to start getting tired.
Encourage Self Soothing
Some parents shudder at the idea of the cry-it-out method. However, self-soothing doesn’t necessarily mean making a baby cry alone for hours on end. Sometimes teaching your baby to self soothe is a question of going in less to comfort them.
If your baby wakes in the middle of the night and starts crying, simply wait a few more minutes to go in than you would normally. Once you’re in, limit the amount of time that you stay there. Your baby will slowly start to realize that even though you leave the room, you’re still there.
Stop Night Feedings
Once your pediatrician says that your baby is old enough to stop feeding them at night, you should start slowly reducing the number of feeds. In many cases, the reason babies wake up in the middle of the night is that they associate feedings with being able to go back to sleep.
Get in your babies feeds during the day, making sure their bellies are reasonably full before they go to sleep, and slowly wean them off the night feedings. After a while, you and your partner will be sleeping through the night again along with your baby.
