Infant sleep in the night starts at the age of 3 months.
Babies are learning and observing all the time and your infant sleep quickly associate with your sleep time.
Infant sleep problems:
- Infants often have sleep problems during the first year of life including, trouble getting to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night and having irregular sleep patterns.
- Weaning the baby from breastfeeding is also a cause to disturb your infant sleep.
- Babies are teething at the age of 8-12, and that can cause them to wake up in discomfort.
- Some physical problems can also disturb your infant sleep. Soiled diaper, hunger, stuffy nose, too hot or cold, irritating sleepwear can also cause sleep disturbances.
- Some medical problems such as, fever, ear infection, allergies and urinary tract infection are also the causes.
Tips for restful infant sleep:
- Introduce some baby foods if your baby wakes up in the midnight. This helps your baby feel sleepy. Don’t forget to introduce new patterns gently and slowly to make restful infant sleep.
- If your baby isn’t going to sleep or crying for you, then she needs to learn to self-comfort, but not all at once. Ease her into the habit of sleeping alone.
- Don’t change the rituals at bedtime. Take a warm bath followed by feeding. Rocking and snuggling, singing or reading – these are all bonding times for mother and baby.
- If your baby does not fall asleep right away, try putting her in her crib with the rocker or glider right next to the crib, singing or reading to her.
- You can stand at the crib and rub or pat her back to put your infant to sleep.
- After 2-3 weeks, move your chair a short distance away from your infant sleep crib, so the baby can see you. You have to continue the rituals including, talking, reading and singing for your baby.
- In another week or two, position your chair at the door. These changes can disturb your infant sleep. In this time you can fold her laundry and put it away; talk to her in the middle, so she’s aware of your presence, but your attention isn’t focused entirely on her. In this way you can reduce separation anxiety in your child.
- At the ages of 8-12 months, your infant sleeps during the day and should be regularly sleeping through the night. There is also much more activity and stimulation during the day. At this age babies are learning so much and are eating up the world.
- Feeding before going to bed gives restful infant sleep. Place a bottle in your bedroom to soothe your child if she wakes up in the night.
- Conducting nursery gives restful infant sleep. Make sure that the diaper is clean and his sheets are clean and soft.
- To reduce the teething problem, use a topical pain treatment that’s safe for the baby, so that your infant sleep without any disturbances.
- To make comfortable infant sleep, keep the room at a temperature that is not too hot or too cold.
- Keep a humidifier in the room to maintain a good moisture balance, especially in the winter when rooms can dry out.
