Baby sleep is big business.
Books, blogs, leaflets, manuals – you name it, there is an enormous amount of written information available on the topic of getting babies to sleep.
In fact, I will argue, to most new parents, it is pretty much the most important thing in the world. And while some new mums and dads are lucky enough to arrive home from the delivery ward with a great sleeper, many (many) others struggle with babies who seem to just have no interest in sleep at all, certainly not during the night anyway, or any other times where it might be convenient and nice that they actually just went the heck asleep.
However, now help might just be closer than you think, mama.
Yup, it's true – a new smart baby monitor company,
Nanit, has released a free
Baby Sleep Schedule Generator.
And the best bit? How it works is so
wonderfully simple:
All you need to do is just enter in the time you want your baby to wake up in the morning and voila; you will receive a personalized, age-appropriate sleep schedule with suggested nap, meal and bedtimes that can evolve as your baby grows.
In other words – it's like having a virtual sleep consultant in your back pocket.
As to why the Baby Sleep Schedule Generator was created, pediatric sleep expert at Nanit, Dr. Natalie Barnett, explains to Mom.me that it can be hard to set a sleep schedule that works for your family and accounts for your baby's individual needs, and that a customized schedule can help take the guesswork out of sleep for parents and result in more rest for everyone.
"Setting up your baby's day so that they get the right amount of food and right amount of sleep during the day will really help them sleep better at night," Barnett explains.
With a careful combination of recognizing a baby's changing sleep and activity needs, learning sleep and wake cues, and timing meals, naps and bedtimes, Nanit is hoping to help parents set up real-life daily schedules that make getting rest a top priority for both parents and babies.
However, the #1 thing Dr. Barnett wants to stress to new parents when it comes to their babies and sleep is to not overthink it—especially in the beginning. "You can't make any sleep mistakes in the first few months," she says. "I see too many people worrying about rocking their 6-week-olds to sleep. In those early months, your baby may not be able to self-soothe and you may need to be the one soothing them. So, if that means you are rocking, patting, breastfeeding to sleep, then go for it."
It's only when your baby starts getting to the 12- to 14-week mark when tools like a sleep schedule and education about how to structure infant sleep might help.
"Encouraging your baby to fall asleep by themselves will help them go longer through the night without a feed so that we can gradually and naturally cut down those night feeds (with little or no crying involved)," she adds.
(Feature image via Zara.com) 
