A new baby's sleep schedule may take some time to get used to, and parents may need some guidance on assisting their infant in getting enough sleep. Following are some tips for helping your baby doze off into a comfortable sleep:
Without awakening the infant, transfer them to a crib
- Look into your baby’s eyes. Deep slumber is indicated by your baby's eyes darting under their lids. Take your time until their muscles have loosened and they're able to inhale deeply.
- After that, carry out the floppy-arm test as follows: Raise an arm and let it fall. No need to worry about the baby moving around if they are asleep. Keep one hand on the baby's back and the other on their stomach as you lay them gently in their cot.
- Before you back away, try touching their tummy to assess if they startle.
- When picking them up and putting them down, retain their current position. Put your baby on the crib on its back, not its head first.
Help your infant settle in
Make the last hour before night a time of comfort, joy, and emotional reassurance for you and your family.
Babies sleep poorly when they are restless or agitated. For this reason, you should do everything you can to make your infant feel comfortable, joyful, and loved before night.
Research suggests that this has a positive impact. Regardless of how the family sleeps, parents who respond to their children's emotions in a calming manner report fewer newborn sleep issues.
Children sleep better when their parents are attentive and responsive, regardless of whether they share a room with their parents or sleep elsewhere.
Swaddle
Starting at birth, newborns have a startle response that causes them to feel like they're falling for the first few months of their lives. The baby will wake up due to jerking movements caused by the sense of falling. Babies swaddled tightly are less likely to be startled awake, which means they sleep better and longer.
Illustrate the difference between day and night to your infant
As soon as they are born, newborns cannot tell the difference between night and day. That's why they're up and down all hours of the day and night. Introduce your newborn to the concept of day and night to help them adjust to your daily routine.
As a result of following this helpful newborn sleep tip, your baby will gradually learn to regulate their circadian rhythm, allowing them to stay up longer during the day and sleep longer at night.
You can achieve this by creating a strong contrast between day and night in your home.
It's best to maintain a reasonable degree of ambient light and noise during the daytime and vital to avoid complete darkness whenever a baby is sleeping somewhere. Do the majority of your daily tasks during the workday.
Soften the surroundings at night. Reduce the brightness and the volume in the room. Slow down your life's pace. Close the blinds and make the room completely dark before putting the baby down for the night.
Your baby's waking and sleeping schedules will change over time as they adapt to their new surroundings.