Tips to Help Get Your Baby to Sleep

A lot of new parents find that their new baby has trouble sleeping through the nights. Below are a few tips you can try when your little one won't go to sleep.

Mixing breast and bottled milk

Some experts believe that mixing breast milk feeding with bottled milk feeding can lead to baby sleep problems. When a baby breast-feeds, the womans brain signals the breast to create more milk to prepare for the next feed. When you feed your baby bottled milk, your body will begin to produce less milk because of the less frequent feeding.

If you happen to breast-feed near babies bedtime, he or she may not get a full meal from the breast milk and their sleep will become interrupted because they will soon need another feeding.

Giving your baby food to sleep

It is believed that feeding your baby before sleep can also disrupt sleep. Your baby will eventually become dependent on being fed just before going to sleep and will expect it. The baby will then always want food at bedtime to fall asleep.

A good idea is to feed your baby a little earlier in the night instead of bedtime. Your baby will then learn to fall asleep on it's own.

Mom's diet

Everything a mother eats will effect the quality of her breast-milk. Mothers need to make sure they eat enough food and calories daily so that their milk is full of nutrients and energy for the newborn. When a baby feels full from the milk it can sleep longer and better.

Mothers need to eat more healthier foods when breast-feeding and they also need to make sure they get plenty of water and fluids.

Making a routine

If your baby sleeps in till late in the morning because they were up all night, consider waking them up earlier in the morning to condition them to get the sleep they need at night - when everyone else sleeps.

Newborns will sleep most of the day however you need to try to keep them awake between 4-5 hours before your bedtime so they will be tired and sleep longer during your sleep time. If you feed your baby before putting them to bed, they will sleep longer and be more restful.

When your baby wakes in the night feed and change them and then put them back in their own crib. It is not recommended to put them in bed with you as they will grow to expect it and you will never be able to sleep without them. It is also not safe to keep your baby in bed with you as you could roll over on top of them in your sleep, or they could suffocate on your pillows.