What we wouldn’t give for better sleep with our baby, right? As moms, one of the most exhausting things (mentally and physically) is the lack of sleep.
Before we get into this post, I want to make something clear: these tips are not going to magically get you and your baby sleeping through the night. Believe me, I wish that were the case! However, these can simply help give you and your baby BETTER sleep.
Another little thing is: baby sleep is different before and after 4 months. They go through a biological change where their sleep cycles become like ours. They go through phases of light sleep, deep sleep, REM, etc. This is one of the reasons why they can go from sleeping absolutely anywhere to needing more help with their sleep.
Tips for Better Sleep with a Baby
#1 Babies are different and you can’t treat them the same
As a mom of two, I have seen how different kids can be. My firstborn was sleeping through the night (12 hours) all on her own at 3 months old. (yes, it was as amazing at it sounds) Yet, my second, is waking up two or three times per night to feed still and she is 4 months old. There are many factors that influence this. Their size difference, one was formula fed the other breastfed, one is a significantly more active than the other! It has been important for me to realize and accept that what I did with my first is not necessarily going to work with my second because she is a very different child with different needs. When you change this perspective it helps with the frustration of “this worked before! What is wrong this time!?” There’s nothing wrong with your baby. They just have different needs!
#2 Giving your baby their own space
With todays trends, I am about to put out a very controversial viewpoint. Brace yourself. Your baby will sleep best in their own environment (and you will too!) We recently went through a phase with my baby where she wouldn’t sleep for more than an hour at a time. She was sometimes waking every 20 to 30 minutes! To say I was exhausted and exasperated is an understatement. I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Was it a growth spurt? Is she not getting enough food? Is it her stomach? Does she just miss mom? Is she is pain? We were tried everything from just rocking/snuggling her to giving her tylenol! Finally, I had the realization (as this also happened with my oldest at this age) that it was a change in sleep cycles and I moved her out of our room. She is just a wall away from us, but in her own space. I still get up to nurse her 2-3 times per night. But when I moved her? She suddenly started sleeping fantastic! Waking only for feedings and going right back to sleep all by herself.
I want to make it clear: putting my baby is a different room doesn’t mean I don’t respond to her needs. It means I put her needs first and realized that her sleep cycles have changed. My husband and I getting ready for bed, talking quietly, or being awake in the room with her, or just in the room in general, was disrupting her sleep. Putting her own space with a sound machine and no lights IMMENSELY improved her sleep. And mine too!
#3 The sleep environment
This brings us to our next tip: the sleep environment.
It is a widely known, scientific fact, that we sleep better in the dark. The lack of light increases our melatonin (sleep inducing chemical) and we are able to sleep better and deeper. When there is too much light, it reduces our melatonin and can conflict with our sleep. Babies are no different! When their sleep cycles change around 4 months, they begin to need to a dark environment to promote better rest.
Also, if you have other children, use a sound machine to help mask the noise of the other children during naptimes, or just noises in general during the night. I never used a sound machine with my first baby until she was much older. But now with two kids, its impossible and unrealistic to keep the house quiet 24/7 to have better naps. The sound machine also helps to mask the sounds of a new environment when we travel so they can still sleep great no matter where we are! Any form of blackout covers or curtains and sound machines are what have helped us have great sleep no matter what.
#4 Create a routine
Create a simple bedtime routine for your baby. Something you can do no matter where you are and no matter what is going on. It is tempting to create an elaborate routine of bath, reading, singing, rocking, feeding, etc. However, it is not realistic to be able to do this every single time your baby bed. Especially when you have multiple children or when you are traveling and so on.
Our routine with our baby is pretty simple. We do a bath most nights, then sleep sack, nurse (sing while nursing), then into bed. We put her down drowsy and falling asleep but not all the way asleep. She sleeps in her own space where it is dark and she has a sound machine. This is a simple routine that we can do anywhere we are and no matter what is going on. Keeping it simple and quick makes the sleepy cues easier for the baby!
#5 Quiet Night Wakings
Babies of course, wake during the night. It is very important to keep the sleep environment as much as possible during these wakings. Avoid talking and interacting much. Keep the lights as dim as possible. (this nursing light has been amazing!) Only change diapers if absolutely necessary. Try to change the diaper first, then feed baby. This will get them awake enough to nurse well and won’t disrupt their sleep, since they are already awake to feed. Feeding them last well help soothe them back to sleep as well!
Extra Notes and Tips
I want to reiterate again, that these tips CAN help IMPROVE sleep. But these will not necessarily get your baby sleeping through the night. I implemented all these with my baby and she now sleeps on her own, in her own space, puts herself to sleep, etc. BUT, she still wakes up to feed at night. That is something that has to do with your baby’s size and needs.
A little extra tip, start implementing these things as early as possible with your baby. This will help both you and your baby as you will have a routine established and habits in place before any sleep regression. It won’t be a big change later on when they really need it.
I hope this can be a help to any mamas out there who really need some sleep!
This has been a post about getting better sleep with your baby.
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