Find out how to soothe your baby so that he can sleep with ease, or just to rest and relax.
Many newborns tend to sleep during the day, and stay awake at night. They do not know the difference between day and night yet. You can teach your baby how to differentiate day and night by behaving differently at these times. In the day, talk to your baby more, play with him, and keep the house bright. At night, keep the lights dim, speak softly and calmly in a lower tone of voice.
Newborns need to be fed every few hours because they have an immature digestive system. As such, they will wake up every few hours as they get hungry and need to be fed. They may also stay awake for an average of two hours before they start getting fretful. Since you are also likely to have a disrupted sleep pattern, it is best to nap when your baby sleeps. As he gets older, his nap time will be reduced.
Get your husband or someone else to help you with housework, laundry and meals so that you do not have to worry about these chores. It is more important for you, the mother, to be well rested so that you are in a good frame of mind to take care of your baby.
Put your baby to sleep on his back. This helps to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or “cot death”. Make sure the cot does not have fluffy toys, pillows, cot bumpers or quilts, because very young babies may not know how to turn their faces to avoid accidental suffocation. Newborns do not need pillows, but you could move your baby’s head position each night (right to left, left to right) to prevent him from developing a flat spot on one side of his head. Avoid putting your baby to sleep in cloth cradles as these are unsafe, and are very difficult to wean from.
One of the best ways to teach your baby to sleep well is to develop a bedtime routine. This means that you do the same things each evening to prepare him for bed. You can start doing this when he is about 6 - 8 weeks old.
Most parents follow the popular bath - massage - quiet time - feed routine. A nice, warm bath is soothing and most babies easily get in the mood for sleep after one.
Once the baby is dried and diapered, you can give him a short massage with a little massage oil, cream, or lotion that has been specially formulated for babies. A massage will also help him to calm down and relax. It also helps to promote parent and child bonding.
After your baby is dressed, you can read, sing, or chat with him as he winds down. Then give him his bedtime feed. Put him in the cot when he is drowsy. Keep the lights dim. Let him fall asleep by himself. This is the hard part. Some babies do it naturally, some do it with a little help: sucking their thumb, cuddling a favourite toy, or fingering the edge of a sleep suit.
You could put on some lullabies or classical music while doing the bedtime routine. Your baby will soon associate that particular piece of music with sleep, and settle down with less fuss when he hears it. This is especially useful when travelling!
It can be a frustrating process if your baby does not sleep well and wakes up many times throughout the night. You can take turns with your husband or other family members to put the baby to sleep. Make sure that everyone is consistent in the way they put the baby to sleep.
Touch is powerful, especially when it is given with love. It is the universal language of love, and one that babies can understand before they can talk.
You may attend infant massage workshops to learn more about the techniques of baby massage. Check with the parent craft centres in hospitals for more details of the workshops.
Express your love with a baby massage while moisturising his delicate skin. For newborns, a massage up to 10 minutes is sufficient, while older babies can enjoy a massage for up to 20 minutes.
Visit Parent Hub, for more useful tips and guides to give your baby a healthy start.
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This article was last reviewed on 15 Nov 2022
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