Episode 02: Set yourself up for success with your newborn’s sleep habits
In today’s episode I will be discussing newborn sleep habits.
Goal: Provide you information on how you can get yourself in a rhythm that sets you and your baby up for successful sleep habits
The 5 most important factors for baby sleep are:
Paying attention to how long a baby is awake for in between naps and bedtime and making sure you don't let them stay awake too long
For newborns to 2 months old its 45 minutes to 1 hour. That’s it.
Start getting them ready for their nap 5-10 minutes before the awake interval is over.
Also, learn baby-tired cues, if you see your baby do this, even if its only been 35 minutes, start that nap routine and get them down
Try to avoid on the go naps as much as possible
Don't let them take a nap longer than 3 hours during the day
Newborns generally only get one long period of sleep in a day, make it happen at night!
Create an optimal sleep environment for your baby in a dark, quiet room, in their own crib/bassinet with nothing in the crib except for a tight fitted sheet on the mattress
Dark room
Quiet (Get a sound machine)
Room temp between 68 and 72
In the same place for naps and bedtime
Create a consistent bedtime routine
Keep it simple
Shorter for naps: change diaper, swaddle, sing a quick lullaby, turn on sound machine and turn off lights
Avoiding creating sleep crutches, things that babies get used to relying on in order to fall asleep like nursing or being rocked to sleep
Pacifiers are ok
Good for babies between 1-6 months old for SIDs prevention
If they don't want it, don't force it
If they cry when you put them down reassure them for a few seconds with gentle pats and a lullaby or shhhhing sounds
There is a difference between crying and fussing
Let them fuss for a minute or two, if they cry then go comfort them
My Experience
Didn't know what I was doing with my daughter
I couldn't handle letting her cry
I hired a sleep consultant
With my son, I started out the right way
He hardly ever cries when I put him to bed
Never had to sleep train him
Point of clarification: ROUTINE vs. SCHEDULE
I do not believe that infants should be put on a schedule, especially if you are breastfeeding.
Follow their hunger cues
So important to establishing good supply and encouraging good weight gain
A routine is not a schedule
Routine is an order in which you do things or a predictable pattern of how things are going to go in a day
The times those things happen will vary day by day (not drastically)
Follow the EASY order when baby wakes up: Eat, Activity, Sleep, You time!
Recommended reading:
Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracey Hogg
The Sleep Lady's Good Night, Sleep Tight by Kim West
If you follow the basic principles of baby sleep your issues will be mitigated and it will be much easier to correct an issue for a baby who isn’t over