Guard Against Unrealistic Expectations
Having a baby who “ sleeps through the night ” is viewed as a badge of honor in parenthood and it causes unrealistic expectations that our babies should sleep much longer than they are actually capable of . Humans rarely sleep without waking through the night , and for human babies , it ’ s even more of a rarity .
Any method that alludes to the idea that you ’ ll all be sleeping blissfully through the night is giving you false hope . Accept that your sleep will not be as perfect and easy as it was before your little one arrived , and adjust to expectations to getting “ good enough ” sleep for a while .
Don ’ t Disturb a Stirring Baby
Responsive , loving parents often rush to pick up baby as soon as she starts to stir or make noise , but wait . There are natural rises and falls in the sleep cycle , and if let be , she may settle right back into sleep . Only pick her up if it is clear that she is awake and needs you . However , if she starts to fuss and show signs of hunger , the more quickly you respond and feed her , the more likely she is to fall back to sleep easier when she ’ s full .
Let Tired Babies Sleep – For a While
In our efforts to develop good sleep habits in our babies , we may sometimes try to stick to a nap / sleep schedule that is more harmful than helpful . By trying to keep a tired baby awake until the scheduled nap time , you may inadvertently cause him to have sleep deprivation which leads to more problems in getting good sleep . If your baby is clearly tired – fussy , yawning , sleepy eyes – put him down for a nap then . Trying to keep him awake may actually disrupt his sleep cycle , not help it .
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