How do I get my baby to sleep? Guidelines and Tips

The most common complaint of parents when they have a baby is lack of sleep. The baby's sleep and especially the lack of sleep caused by sleepless nights ends up seriously affecting the parents.

And it is a fish that bites its tail: the baby does not sleep and the parents are sleepy, they are more nervous, tired and with little patience, this is detected by the baby and it directly affects their sleep.

How to get a baby to sleep soundly?

Much has been written on the subject, there are many different theories of how parents should act and some of them contradict each other. But what they all agree on is that the important thing is that the baby acquires good sleep habits.

What does this mean? Basically we could summarize it in establishing a good routine and arm yourself with patience.

Sleeping habits in neonates

That the baby learns to sleep well will depend on the parents. Before giving some advice, we must know that little ones need many hours of rest to recover all the energy they invest in its rapid growth.

When the baby born, she will need to sleep between 15 and 22 hours. It is almost the whole day, it is clear that it is an essential part for its development and therefore parents should help it to be carried out in the best possible way and understanding that it is a basic process for the health of the baby.

Three fundamental keys for a baby to sleep well

There are three points to keep in mind when trying to get babies to get adequate rest.

1. Sleeping space

Studies indicate that children who sleep in separate rooms from parents sleep more, they wake up less, have less difficulty falling asleep and fall asleep earlier. There are also theories that say otherwise... Be that as it may, we must take advantage of the baby's natural need to sleep and enhance it. That is, when we see that the baby begins to show signs of fatigue, we must take the opportunity to create an environment conducive to sleep and avoid interruptions.

2. Learning

Babies are not born knowing how to sleep. Like the rest of the skills, they acquire it thanks to learning. In other words, sleeping well is a skill that parents should teach their children.

3. Parental rest

If the parents are tired, they will have less patience and the baby will notice it and it will directly affect their sleep, and as we said at the beginning, here is the fish that bites its tail. Parents should also acquire some rest guidelines. Take advantage of the time when the baby sleeps to disconnect. That does not mean taking advantage of this time for housework or answering the phone or working. But rest: sleep, take a bath, go to the gym, go for a walk... in short, disconnect from the baby to be able to serve him with renewed energy.

Parents are responsible for the tranquility of the baby

To be able to pass this initial time of the boys and girls it is important that parents understand that they are the immediate referents of the baby: everything they do and how they feel affects the little one and her behavior. When parents are nervous, the baby is nervous, when parents are calm and stable, children tend to have fewer problems of lack of sleep, uncontrollable crying, etc.

Babies cry, this is inevitable because this is the way they communicate, when they are hungry they cry, when something hurts they cry, when they are restless they cry, when they want attention they cry... if they could talk they would. That is why it is important that parents are clear about it and that they do not get angry or worry excessively when their child spends nights crying.

One of the attitudes of parents that usually makes the situation worse is when the baby cries non-stop, they get nervous, they are tense and they lose their patience. As we have said before, the baby absorbs everything that surrounds it. If the father or mother holds you and becomes desperate or angry, the baby will do the same, will infect you with your anxiety. Therefore, the sleepless nights that are so worrying are usually due to the attitudes of the parents. The best thing when they feel like this is to leave the room, breathe deeply, calm down, and return to the baby when her attitude is calm.

If the baby cries, should we go immediately, or not?

Another point of controversy in the sleep of babies is whether we should attend to them immediately or not.. It seems obvious that not. If the little one really doesn't need anything, all he does is test the parents. If she cries and they quickly come to show her affection, the baby learns that she should cry. We are reinforcing that behavior. Nowadays, with the means that we have from another room, we can make sure that the baby is well and that we do not have to go. If she really has nothing, and she is only getting the attention of her parents, the crying will stop and she will learn that crying does not get her instant attention from her parents.

Returning to patience, it is important to give the baby time. As we have said, the child is not born taught, it must be guided. When parents try to put their baby to sleep, they should do so following a routine, maintaining a relaxed environment, talking softly, with a dim light... the important thing is that he feels accompanied during the process. What usually works when the little one does not "know how to stop" is to distract him, make noises, show him objects that attract her attention, get him out of the room where she is... get the baby to open his eyes and attend to something else.

Pacifier: yes or no?

Another topic discussed is the pacifier. There are those who insist on its usefulness and those who blame it for all the problems.

Every baby is different. It may help some to calm down and others may reject it. It may help some to sleep, and it may wake others when it falls off. It is neither bad nor good, it is an option that parents can choose as they see that it is useful to them. The only thing everyone seems to agree on is that the use of a pacifier prevents sudden death, which is one of the greatest fears of parents.

Relaxing baths, a good prelude to sleep

One point where all theories seem to agree is on the baby bath. The bath routine relaxes the baby and the parentsTherefore, the habit of bathing the little one before going to bed will play in favor of rest.

Tips for when the child grows

As the baby grows, he will need less sleep and it will be very important for parents to include the day / night distinction in their learning. Stimulate it during the day and promote calm at night. Little by little the baby will acquire the routine similar to that of the parents. And she must learn that it is at night that she must sleep.

Currently, different techniques have become fashionable to relax the baby: put music, massage, exercise, yoga... Any of these options seems correct to us because what is conducive is relaxation and tranquility around the baby and this is always good.

Guidelines for teaching babies to sleep

Here are some guidelines for teaching babies to sleep.

• Remember that they will always be the parents and the baby's environment which will decide how the little one will behave.
• It is not worth blaming the little onesThey have just arrived in this world and it is the parents who must teach her how she should behave.
• Get good sleep habits: thus we will avoid disorders in childhood such as insomnia.
• Establish a routine: As in all areas of development, during childhood routine is essential to guide learning. Comply with schedules, steps, establish defined spaces for each activity, ...
• Parents should help and teach babies the ability to sleep: boys and girls absorb everything from their parents, are born without knowing and learn from those closest to them, their parents.
• Parental rest is important: they must disconnect, take advantage of their "free" time to rest and regain energy.
• Take advantage of the baby's need for rest: be attentive and enhance the moments when the baby shows the desire to sleep to establish the appropriate environment that reinforces it.
• Peace of mind, patience and calm: What babies perceive most is the attitude of their parents. This should be quiet and calm. In moments of stress or fatigue parents must arm themselves with patience.
• Distract the baby: When the baby starts crying for no reason and we cannot calm him down, one option is to distract him, with noises or objects that draw attention away from her crying.
• The relaxing bath: Placing the bath routine before putting the baby to bed will increase her relaxation.
• Day / night distinction: for the baby to acquire the habits of the elderly, she must learn to distinguish day from night. Stimulate it with activities during the day and promote calm and relaxation at night.