They usually say that, when the baby is born, the quiet and well-slept nights are missing for some time. Associated with this idea, we have several concerns related with how the baby sleeps, why there are so many sleep interruptions, what is the solution for our baby to have a peaceful night's sleep, when he will sleep one night in a row.
The first months of a baby can be challenging, above all because it is a baby who reacts to all kinds of stimulations, noises, smells and sensations. Everything is new. Just like us, a human being with habits and routines, a baby will have to create his own, through the guidance and references offered to him.
Baby's sleep is essential for his development, it is his time of rest and growth. It can be deep or restless. It can last 16 hours or just 20 minutes. Over time, baby will change the time he sleeps, sleeping longer hours when he is very tiny and shorter when he is older and has a sense of the 24 hours of the day. Step by step, we can see that they begin to form and adapt to their routines and rhythms, which will have an effect on the durability of their nights' sleep.
But until then, all help and tricks are always welcome! Here are some suggestions that may help your baby to have a deeper sleep:
- Offer references to your baby: keep the house quiet and the curtains completely closed at night and, during the day, leave a little light on during nap times. Also, take advantage of this time to take care of yourself!
- Before bedtime there should always exist a routine, so that the baby understands that it is time to go to sleep. Putting on his pyjamas or singing a song can be part of this routine.
- Timetables are essential! For example, start setting regular times for meals.
- The baby's room cannot be too cold or too hot (between 18ºC and 20ºC), this is enough for the baby to stay warm.
- If the baby needs his favourite toy or dummy to fall asleep, then we must not take these little things away. On the contrary, it will calm the baby down and will be your best friend for him to have a peaceful sleep.
Another question: how can we make sure that our baby is properly and safely lying down? We also have three tips that are infallible!
The first is the choice of the cot - it must comply with European Union safety standards, it must be a firm mattress and the right dimensions. We want to avoid any type of accident.
The second - avoiding unnecessary accessories in the cot (e.g. pillows, sheets or blankets) - a comfortable bodysuit or sleeping bag is enough so that our baby doesn't get cold during the night. Oh and we can't put the whole collection of soft toys inside the cot, just baby's favourite!
The third - it is recommended that the baby sleep on his stomach and we should try to keep his room ventilated.
Here are some tips that we found, but we want to know if you have any other kind of tips. If there are some suggestions that worked or, on the contrary, had no effect at all. And what has been or is your experience at this stage.
