Helping Baby Sleep

By Dr Janice TUNG, Associate Consultant and Associate Professor Tan Thiam Chye, Visiting Consultant, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, KK Women's and Children's Hospital

Helping Baby Sleep

Most newborns have a hard time distinguishing between night and day, hence their sometimes frustratingly short bursts of sleep, especially in the night. Don't fret, though, as once your baby is a few weeks old, you can start teaching your newborn the difference and establish healthy sleep habits. Here are some tips:

Related: Baby has Come Home: Dealing with Changes

Use Light

Keep your baby's days bright and the nights dark so it's obvious when it's time to sleep. During the day, keep your house bright, talk to your baby more and have more playtime. During the night, dim the lights and speak softly and calmly in a lower tone of voice. If you use a night-light in your baby's room, choose a small and dim one with a bluish tone, as the white or yellow-light varieties tend to stimulate wakefulness.

Related: Care of Your Newborn: To Have and to Hold

Grab Sleep Whenever You Can

Due to their immature digestive systems, newborns need to be fed every few hours. As this will disrupt your normal sleep pattern, try to nap whenever your baby sleeps. Get your family support system, such as your husband or a helper if you have one, to help out with housework and meals during this time so that you're well rested and in a good frame of mind to take care of your baby. Don't worry, this stage will pass as babies tend to sleep throughout the night as they get older.

Related: 7 Reasons Why Your Baby's Crying

Develop a Bedtime Routine

This is best done when your baby is between weeks 6 and 8. Developing a bedtime routine is one of the best ways to get your baby to sleep well. It means doing the same things each evening to prepare your little one for bed. For example, prepare a warm soothing bath followed by a short massage and then a quiet time-feed routine. Put your baby in the cot when your little darling is feeling drowsy and is likely to fall asleep naturally. You can also try putting on some soothing lullabies or soft classical music while doing the bedtime routine so that your baby will start associating that particular piece of music with sleep. This comes in useful when travelling! If you take turns with your husband or family members to put baby to bed, make sure that everyone is consistent.

Related: Dealing with Baby Blues

Use This Sleep Position

Making your baby sleep on his or her back reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or "cot death". Remove fluffy toys, pillows, cot bumpers or quilts to reduce the possibility of accidental suffocation. Move your baby's head position each night (for example, from right to left and left to right) to prevent a flat spot on one side of the head. Don't let your precious one sleep in cloth cradles as these are unsafe.

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Read these next:

• First Days of Our Lives With Baby
• Care of Your Newborn: To Have and To Hold
• Pregnancy — Skin-to-Skin Contact With Your Baby
• Q&A: Should I Put Juice in a Sippy Cup?
• Time for Bed, Chop Chop!
• Time to unwind

Sources:

The New Art and Science of Pregnancy and Childbirth 2008, World Scientific

Healthy Start for your Pregnancy 2012, Health Promotion Board Singapore