Baby keeping you up at night?
We know that feeling all to well – and the good news is that the old saying
is true – this too shall pass.
However, in the meantime, there
are some tricks you can try to make your baby snooze that little bit longer at night.
Most babies will start sleeping for longer streches during the night once they reach the six month mark (or so). But even before that, many babies can, to an extent, learn how to fall asleep and stay asleep for a decent stretch of time, you just need to know how to help them do that:
1. Be your baby’s sleep clock
The sleep hormone melatonin isn’t fully produced by infants until at least nine to 12 weeks, which means they don’t have a “schedule” until then. During the newborn stage, expose your baby to plenty of light during the day and wake him up for a feed if he has slept for three hours or more during naptime.
2. Keep the light off
Babies need to learn the difference between night and day, so when he waked during the night for a feed or needs to be changed, keep the lights dim or opt to nurse in bed.
3. Dry a dream feed
If you wake your baby for a feed before you go to sleep yourself, you will fill your baby’s tummy and everyone in the family may get a bit more sleep. If you want to give it a go, try it for three days and see if your baby sleeps longer at night.
Have YOU got any other sleep hacks that worked for you, mama? We'd love to hear them! Share in the comments or tweet us at @Herfamilydotie
