For parents who have newborns, we can all relate to one thing: getting them to sleep soundly at night can be a hassle. Babies tend to sleep a lot during the day and can be hard to put to sleep at night. If you're one of those struggling parents who feel frustrated when putting their babies to sleep, here are some tips and tricks that you can use that can help your baby sleep tight until the morning.
Make an effective bedtime routine. Although they are still babies and talking to them about bedtime routine may sound useless, parents should know that having a bedtime routine as early as they are still newborns can be very effective while they are raising them. Research has shown and confirmed that the more nights during the week your baby follows a bedtime routine, the better they will get a good night's sleep.
Bathe them at night. Parents may think that bathing the baby at night is a big no-no, but it can actually help the baby feel sleepy. Try giving them a warm bath at night. Warm night baths can make the baby drowsy and will freshen up their system too.
Feed them one last time. Before you go to bed, you can give your baby one last meal before the day ends. Milk can help the baby fall asleep faster and will wake them less often in the following hours, which can also be a good thing for parents. After all, you too need a good night's sleep. Put your baby back down once you've fed them.
Make sleeping time fun. Now, this may be applicable for older babies to toddler-aged kids. Toddlers tend to resist bedtime because they still feel hyper at night, but when you practice good sleeping habits, they may still adapt to it because they are young. You can even be creative when it comes to getting your babies to sleep. Make a chart that shows what time they should go to bed and what time they should wake up.
Make a nap guideline. For most parents, if babies are asleep, they would just let it fall asleep until it wakes up. This is actually the wrong thing to do. You can always wake your babies from their naps, feed them, change their diapers, play with them, and wait until their next napping schedule. For babies who are just a few months old, they would need to get more sleep than babies who are older. Afternoon naps are also recommended for parents to practice with their babies.
Delay their wake up time. For newborns, you can't change their waking time yet, however, for toddlers you can teach them when the proper time for them to wake up is. You can get them a night light that you can control and for them to check every morning if it's time for them to come out of their rooms.
Make bedtime a little earlier. Parents should know that there is no such thing as an early bedtime. It is important for babies and kids to sleep early in order for them to get the proper amount of sleep. If you're worried that they might wake up early as well, don't worry. Use trick number six for toddlers.
