The first few weeks of parenthood are a bit of a whirlwind. You're recovering, you're…
How I got my Newborn to Sleep Through the Night
One of my most dreaded anticipations during pregnancy was the one thing everyone loves to tell you “sleep now because you won’t be once the baby is here”. I seriously hated being told that and EVERYONE tells you over and over and over. I knew I needed to get my baby a sleep schedule but how? Here’s how I got my newborn to sleep through the night.
It’s true that having a newborn is tough. You’re figuring them out while they’re trying to figure out life outside of the womb. There’s a lot going on for both of you and it can be exhausting.
The good news is there are ways to make life with a newborn easier!
*Keep in mind, babies are just tiny humans and ALL HUMANS ARE DIFFERENT. What has worked for mine may not work for yours. These are just tips based off of my personal successes and failures.
1. Set a schedule and stick to It!
In my eyes, this is the most important rule for my son in general. I’m not as strict with it as some people… My child fits into my life. It’s not the other way around. Now don’t get me wrong my child is my absolute world and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him. BUT that is within reason of his needs and not his wants..even as a three month old. I’m not one of those mom’s that has to schedule her days around his nap times. He’s not one of those children that HAS to be in his own bed in order to nap peacefully. I understand that’s the reality for some people, and that’s cool, it’s just not us. But It’s whatever works, right? That being said, T is on a schedule and has been since day one. He goes to bed the same time every night and every morning we wake up and start our routine again. It’s all about finding the routine that works best for you and your baby and sticking with it.
2. Eat full meals.
This is a big one as well. I learned early on that my child is an eater. He will eat and eat and eat all day long if I let him. That’s not necessarily what’s best for him though. The more snacking he does, the more frequently he wants to eat. Understandably so I had been following the rules the hospital lactation nurse had given me by letting him snack whenever he wanted. It wasn’t until T had a visit to the NICU and I watched the NICU nurses put him on a new schedule that I saw how long he could go comfortably without eating if I let him wait for full meals rather than snacking every 2 hours. This helped us both tremendously.
3. Nap in a different place than where he sleeps overnight.
I actually learned this through years of babysitting. Put the baby down for a nap in a well lit room different from his crib for nap time and for bed time put him to bed in his own bed in the dark. It will help his natural rhythm and it will help him associate comfort and sleep with his bed. He’ll sleep longer and better that way.
4. Get him nice and relaxed before bed.
This wasn’t an every day thing for me but more of an “okay he’s extra crabby, let’s break out the big guns tonight so we’re not awake until 2am” T LOVES bath time. After being awake for a good stretch of time before bed time, I run him a nice warm bath and he begins to wind down instantly. Then I get him in some soft, cozy jammies and I rock him for about 5 minutes. He gets nice and sleepy and I put him to bed and let him figure out how to completely fall asleep on his own. Works like a charm every time!
Don’t forget to check out the teething remedies I’ve found that really work!!
Like I said before, this is just a list compiled based off of what helped me get my newborn from waking up every two hours to sleeping from 11pm to 7am EVERY NIGHT at just 6 weeks old! I hope this helps you too!
