No More Sleepless/Fussy Nights

As a returning Mom, I am so excited that my newborn daughter is sleeping through night after feedings and up during the day! The question most new parents ask is "When do babies sleep through the night"? There is no real answer to that so this is where I come in to help!

Babies sleep through the night depending on the parenting style, everyday schedule consistency, and how much they eat through the day. I learned that those keys things were important when I was able to successfully get both my boys to sleep through the night with a night feeding and going back to sleep (they are a year apart and were fully trained by 6 months). As a retuning mom of a newborn, I was able to master her cry q’s to further master my training making it quicker for her than it was for my boys.

Here are some tips on how to get a house full of sleeping little ones:

Understanding Night and Day

You always hear the saying babies will sleep all day and be up all night. For whatever reason it is so true! Studies show that babies have yet to develop their internal rhythms. In other words, they are confused. The number one question I asked myself was what can I do to help my baby understand night and day since they were born confused? The answer is simple; unconfuse them 🤣.

I don't know how many times people have told me "get sleep now because you will never sleep again".It felt like a “this is it” moment. I just refused to let that be my truth. I refused to be tired or depressed from lack of sleep because sleep is so important to me and as a mom, I realized sleep is not only important to newborns, it’s vital.

1. Open your blinds throughout your home every morning with baby in hand.

2. Talk with your baby. Say good morning first thing in the morning and speak to him/her.

3. Keep your TV on for background noise. This is a preference for me training purposes only it doesn’t have to be for you.

4. Play child friendly music during the day.

5. Walk around your home with your little one.

6. Make their naps short during the day.

7. Put the baby down! (Important )

8. Begin Solid feeding promptly by month 4.

1.Opening your blinds every morning make your child stay up and also brightens up your day. Doing this everyday sets the tone of your home which will then set the tone of what your little one will and should expect from you. Talking with your little one is so effective starting with a “good morning” first thing. Talking helps your baby be aware and alert of what is taking place during the day. Keeping your TV on even though you are not watching it works for the noise factor so does music at nap time. Their senses are turned on even though they don’t know what is going on.Keeping the volume low but on helps them sleep but the sleep isn’t deepened. Play something soft and soothing to the ear. Keep it very low. Making their naps short makes sleeping through the night longer.

2. My greatest advice is to dedicate the first couple of months at home (work on getting to know your baby). Minimum outdoor action is a major influence in noise, behavior, and sleep. Babies who are home more tend to stay up longer while in public because their surroundings are so different rather than the opposite where people go out and the baby is sleeping. They will get the best sleep once they get home trust me! This always helped me schedule outings according to my babies nap time and bed time.

3. You want to get your routine mastered in the home first so you can take your child/children anywhere and they will not be thrown off or have any issues with adjusting outdoors. This helps them understand that outdoors is not home. Even when you decide to take a vacation, their pattern will not change.

Master Nap Time

4. The longer they are awake during the day, the better. You will gradually pick up when your child sleeps. Not all nap times will be the same if your are not consistent and have created a pattern . Do not let your child sleep for too long during their nap. Begin creating a pattern of when they need to wake up. If they sleep for too long during the day, bed time will be shortened hence why most babies and toddlers are up during the night. EVERY CHILD MUST TAKE A NAP. No matter the age, it is important for children to take naps it helps them relax throughout the day and has special benefits. Most toddlers will be fussy during the day if they are not taking naps. Naps also create a healthy habbit for them to completely shut down at night. Naps should not be longer than 30 minutes when you are sleep training.

Do Not Change Your Schedule (Be Patient)

5. Once you start, do not change it up. Stick with it. You may feel like your child is taking too long to pick it up but most babies do not start showing improving sleep patterns until 3 months if you start independent teachings with them. Make sure your spouse follows the same routine. When everyone does their own thing the child gets thrown off. Also make sure friends, babysitters, and family members are aware of what you have in place. Friends and family memebers must be on the same page and respect the schedule.

Unwritten Rules

6. Create unwritten rules with your spouse, friends, babysitter, and or family members. Unwritten rules are rules that can change at any time between the two parents, friends, or family. Figure out where each person fits in.

Monitored Self Feeding Early

7. As a new mom, I was attached to my first born. I never wanted to put him down. Finally I realized I had to snap out of it or I was going to wish I had detached sooner than later and and I had to realize my attachment to him was not his attachment to me ( a topic that is hard for many to talk about 🫠). By baby number two everything I learned and developed were mastered and he was the easiest to transition. By three and a half months, my boys were self feeding from time to time . Here is a safe self feeding product examples from Amazon : https://amzn.to/3WEfPzCSelf feeding is absolutely important because a child that doesn't have to depend on you all the time while he/she is feeding, is a child that wont feel like he/she needs you for everything. They want to be independent. They literally want to mirror you. He/she will then start to figure things out for themselves which will help you figure out what their little personalities are like earlier on 🥰.

Start Solid Feeding

8. Begin Puree feeding when you see fit. Feeding your baby puree a few hours before bed is so effective for the amount of hours they are able to sleep through the night. Make sure to seek final advice from your pediatrician. I was cleared to start feeding puree to my boys when they were both four months old. From that point, both were sleeping between 6 to 7 hours straight.

I hope these tips can get each parent started on the track to sleepless nights. This can be applied to any age group but may take a little longer for children between 1 and 3 if you did not start from the time they were born. Do not give up! Consistency is key.

Happy Sleep Saving!!