| Little bookworm mom
Having been a mom for 13 years and raising two children, I found that sleep is the most concerned topic for parents. There are often bao moms backstage messages asking the baby about sleep. Yeah, who wouldn't want to get a little more sleep every night? But the reality is that there are small babies at home, especially babies who encounter "sleeping scum", and mothers are really "hard to sleep".
Recently received several messages from young mothers: When can the baby sleep all night? I'm exhausted every day and I'm breaking down!
I understand the feelings of these young mothers very well, because I have a similar experience myself, after giving birth to Dabao, due to lack of experience, plus Dabao is a high-demand baby, drinking night milk several times at night, most of me is sleepless.
When I was pregnant with the second treasure, in order to learn more about the baby's sleep, I consulted a lot of books and found that if the mother used the correct method, at least most of the time, the mother and the baby will get a good night's sleep.
After the birth of the second treasure, I followed the methods mentioned in the American Academy of Pediatrics' New Parents Handbook: forming a bedtime routine, maintaining a consistent practice, and adding a little willpower. It is very happy that when Erbao was 6 months old, he could finally sleep for 8 hours a night, and I could get a good night's sleep.
So, how is it implemented?
In the American Academy of Pediatrics New Parents Handbook, it is mentioned that babies may sleep for 8 hours a night when they are 4 to 6 months old. In order to achieve this goal, mothers can refer to the following methods to let their babies sleep peacefully all night.
(1) When the baby is born to 2 months old
At this stage, your baby needs to wake up every 3 to 4 hours to feed. Mom begins to follow a regular bedtime routine so that the baby will gradually understand that it is time to sleep at night, not to take a nap during the day.
Features of this stage of bedtime program: simple, the time to execute the program does not take too long.
Mothers can do this: bathe the baby, feed, wrap the baby, put it in the crib, dim or turn off the lights, gently pat the baby's body, at this time the baby, likely to fall asleep while feeding.
(2) When the baby is 2 to 4 months old
At this stage, the baby should continue to perform bedtime procedures, but put him in the crib when the baby is not asleep, so that the baby can learn how to fall asleep on his own.
If the baby is always asleep while feeding, the mother can adjust the order of the bedtime program appropriately, feeding first, then putting the baby in a sleeping bag, and finally putting him in the crib when the baby is still awake. If your baby is used to falling asleep with a pat on the back or a nap while feeding, then when your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, the mother needs to use the same method to put him to sleep.
If the baby wakes up in the middle of the night, the mother can not rush to feed, first observe for a few minutes to see if he can fall back asleep. This condition is often part of your baby's sleep cycle, and your baby will fall asleep on his own again.
(3) When the baby is 4 to 6 months old
At this stage, some babies may not need to eat night milk, so he should be able to sleep for 6 to 8 hours a night. At this stage, the mother should continue to maintain the bedtime routine for the baby and let him fall asleep on his own. When your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, let him go back to sleep using self-soothing techniques.
In this process, the baby may cry a few times, the mother should be patient, give the baby a little time to adapt, after a few nights the baby can learn how to soothe himself to sleep.
(4) After the baby is 6 months old
At this stage of the baby, many babies can sleep for more than 8 hours at night. If your baby can't yet, moms need to improve bedtime routines and nighttime sleep plans.
Sleep is essential for your baby's brain development and growth. Mothers can help their baby improve their sleep quality through the following methods.
Before bedtime: Keep your baby more active during the day, which can help your baby fall asleep faster. One hour before bedtime, avoid activities that are easy to get excited, such as: stimulating games, over-teasing your baby, etc.
Sleep environment: Keep the bedroom comfortable, quiet, dim, do not put electronic products, flowers, bonsai, etc. in the baby's bedroom.
Bedtime routines: Consistency is key. Keep the same time, the same place, and the same order of bedtime steps. As mentioned earlier, bedtime procedures: bathing - feeding - wearing a sleeping bag - sleeping in bed.
I successfully realized that when Erbao was 6 months old, I could sleep all night. Moms follow these principles and believe that your baby can sleep peacefully all night. In this process, the mother needs to give the baby enough patience and time.
What sleep problems you have encountered in the process of parenting, please leave a message in the comment area, and we will discuss it together.