My Baby Doesn’t Sleep Through the Night – Why It’s Normal
Many parents believe strongly that babies should sleep through the night. Most of them feel stressed over it. In reality, babies don’t sleep through the night and it is quite normal. I am sure most of the new parents will not believe this. Here is a report of a study conducted by McGill University.
Report of the study
A total of 388 infants were included in the study. Their sleep pattern was studied at 6 months and again at 1 year. The reports showed that
- At 6 months of age, 38% of the infants didn’t sleep continuously at least for 6 hours at night and 57% of the infants were not staying asleep for 8 hours.
- At 12 months of age, 28% of the infants didn’t sleep continuously at least for 6 hours at night and 43% of the infants were not sleeping for 8 hours.
- The study also concluded that breastfed babies woke more frequently than formula-fed babies.
So, it has been proven that babies don’t sleep through the night and it is normal. Parents need not worry but it can affect the new parents physically and mentally. Here are a few tips to help your baby sleep through the night.
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Breastfeeding on demand
Breastfeeding on demand also called responsive feeding and feeding on cue, is the practice of initiating the feeding when the baby requests and continuing the session until the baby is satisfied. There are no strict schedules and time limits. Experts feel that feeding on demand would most likely promote more night sleep than a feeding schedule. This is because the babies need more calories in the day and when they get more during the day, they will need less during the night.
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Tips for helping baby sleep in the long term
a. Bedtime routine
A good bedtime routine will put an end to your bedtime miseries.
There are a few things that you can add to your bedtime routine. They are listed below. You can include a few, skip a few, or develop a routine of your own. It is left for you to decide
- A warm bath – Give a relaxing warm bath
- Feeding – Feeding after giving a bath because feeding before a bath can cause digestion issues.
- Massage – A gentle massage with essential oil is not only one of the best sleeping routines but also has other benefits. It tightens the bond between you and the baby and also helps to treat colic and gas.
- Dress your baby appropriately for sleep.
- You can sing a lullaby but remember singing the same song is important in the initial stages to set a bedtime routine.
- You can play soothing music or use a baby shusher. The white noise that you use should be soft and relaxing. The baby shusher in the Sleep Helper ™ kit from Nasobuddy produces sounds that resemble the sounds of the womb.
b. Day and night differentiation
One of the main reasons why your bundle of joy doesn’t sleep is they can’t differentiate between day and night. First, you must help your baby to avoid confusion between day and night. How to do it?
- Expose your baby to natural light in the daytime. Open the shades of the room and let sunlight in. Involve your baby in the hustles of morning life.
- When it becomes dark, make sure your baby is not exposed to artificial lights. Let the room be dark and quiet. Let your baby get used to the fact that nights are for sleeping.
c. Help with colic
First, you should follow a few tips to avoid colic as much as possible. To avoid colic, make your baby burp after feeding and give a warm bath before sleep. You can give a soft massage with essential oil. This not only helps in colic but also relaxes and soothes your baby. It will also become a pre-sleep routine. Nasobuddy® The Sleep Helper™ kit has a colic swaddle belt that gives relief from colic and keeps your baby swaddled. The best part is the swaddle is very comfortable as it does not restrict the movements of the baby’s hands and legs. Nasobuddy® The Sleep Helper™ kitalso has a baby lavender balm which is the most widely recommended essential oil to help your baby sleep. It’s also a great pain reliever and helps immensely with colic.
d. Self-soothing
As the word implies, self-soothing means the baby comforts himself instead of depending on his parents. It is true that self-soothing is not possible up to four months of age. But after four months you can teach your baby self-soothing. Self-soothing not only helps your baby and you to sleep longer but also encourages your baby to be self-reliant.
- You can just stroke your baby’s hair.
- You can play soothing music or use a baby shusher. The white noise that you use should be soft and relaxing. The baby shusher in the Sleep Helper ™ kit from Nasobuddy produces sounds that resemble the sounds of the womb. The kit also has a colic swaddle belt that helps to soothe the baby’s colic pain.
- Don’t lift your baby from the crib whenever he cries. Just rock the crib until he falls asleep again.
It is very normal for babies to stay awake at night and it is also normal for parents to check their babies frequently because of their protective instincts. However, it is important that you relax. Get the Sleep Helper ™ kit from here to make your baby sleep longer.