New moms always wonder about baby care issues such as feeding, gut health, infections, skincare, and sleep issues. They keep on guessing what’s going on! It brings them into self-doubt whether they are doing right for their baby or not.
New moms keep on worried about if their baby has taken the proper feed if his tummy is full or he is still hungry. Why he is not putting on weight or if he has sleep issues! They keep on searching online about these. Relax mommies, adopt natural parenting. Whatever you may read or learn from books, the internet, and even your elders – there are some things which only you would be able to understand the best. Things differ for different individuals depending upon various social, economic, and environmental factors.
Let’s discuss sleep issues about your newborn during the first six months.
Common Sleep Issues
- Sleep Regression
In the first couple of months, newborns nap for nearly 16 to 17 hours. The sleep regression phase will set in by the end of the third month or might be the early fourth month. According to child sleep experts, this is the time when the circadian rhythm is established and habits are formed. So you might not get relief as early as you are thinking!
- Late Night Sleep
Many parents think to sleep longer in the morning so, they push their child to stay awake late at night. They think by doing this, the child will sleep uninterruptedly through the night. But this is not right. The quality of sleep is more likely to be poor and the child might wake up early if you would not let him sleep when he is exhausted. It might affect the baby’s health as well as the parent’s health.
This is also known as overstimulation. Overstimulated babies take a long time to settle and sleep. Mothers keep the babies awake to spend time with fathers who come late. Instead, fathers should be encouraged to wake up early to spend time with the baby. This is the golden time which you might miss later if you skip spending time with your little one.
- Sleep Routine
You should stick to a regular sleep-wake routine. It is beneficial for all the age groups including adults. Have three cycles of ‘eat – play – sleep’ during the day. Try to make him sleep after every two to three hours of waking up depending upon the age. The sleeping pattern and sleeping hours change with age in growing kids. As a mother, you can sing a Lori song so that the baby can sleep quickly.
- Independent Sleep
Let babies recapture sleep on their own when they mumble during sleep. Do not fuss over, try to stay at a distance. Do not hold and talk to them during each moment of their waking hours. It could turn into excessive stimuli and leaves them exhausted. So do not make him dependent on you to put him to sleep again. It will be beneficial for you in the long term if your baby will learn to sleep on his own at an early age. For more interesting information regarding baby care please visit here.
Happy Sleeping!