Hi,
I'm Elizabeth O'Shea and today we're looking at 10 ways to help your baby sleep better after they're three months old.
So the baby does need to be older than three months and they do need to be a healthy weight for you to consider some of these options.
But remember,
You're the parent.
You may get advice from lots of sources.
You get to decide what you feel is right for you and your baby.
So why is it important that your baby should sleep through the night?
I think it's good to understand it's a really good life skill.
We're all going to learn at some point in time and you're just helping your baby with some good habits to help them fall asleep and stay asleep all night.
It's also so much better for you if your baby is sleeping through the night because you then have the energy to be able to deal with them during the day and you can be so much more animated and fun if you've had a good night's sleep.
So,
The 10 ways to help your baby sleep through the night.
And the first one is,
Make sure your baby has a full tummy.
They'll feed probably quite a lot in the evening and that's okay.
It's alright,
Especially if you're breastfeeding.
Babies sometimes feed a lot and then their tummies are nice and full.
But number two is Feed them before,
Say,
A bath.
So don't feed them to sleep.
If you feed them to sleep,
They'll learn that they want to go to sleep when they're sucking something.
So feed them,
Then maybe give them their bath.
And number three is have a good bedtime routine.
So that could be the feed,
Then a bath,
Then into their room with a dimmed light.
Changing them into their pyjamas or nightclothes with a nappy on,
And then putting them into their cot,
Maybe reading them a book,
Maybe singing them a lullaby,
And then finishing with something like,
Time to go to sleep now,
Wash.
So they learn that these are the cues that are going to happen before they go to sleep.
Number four is it's okay to cuddle or sway or pat your child but once again make sure they go into the cot awake.
So number five is put them into their cot awake.
Number six is.
.
.
Babies should always be put to sleep on their back.
It's good to use swaddling clothes or a blanket to wrap them up tightly.
Baby feel quite secure when you do that.
Now some babies don't like it but a lot of babies do like that feeling of security.
Number seven is relaxing sounds.
So that could be womb music,
It could be gentle music,
But it could be white noise or there's such things as pink noise or brown noise.
Some babies just like to have that background noise to help them drop off.
Number eight is a dream feed.
As you're going to bed,
It can be useful to give your baby a final feed.
Wake a little bit and if they do then you can if you've got a partner maybe let the partner settle the baby but if not you may need to settle the baby but that can be that final feed.
Once again making sure they go into the bed while still awake.
Number nine is be boring at night.
Don't Be as quiet as you can,
Keep the lights dim.
Don't play a lot or be fun or It's not time to enjoy the baby,
It's time for them to sleep so they learn the difference between you during the night and day.
And number 10 is put them in a separate basinet or cot near your bed,
But actually sometimes it's useful if they can't see you.
So if you have a cot,
But maybe putting the bumper up so that they're not able to see,
Make eye contact.
If they do wake,
It's useful to understand that babies can fuss and sometimes feed a tiny bit.
They're not always hungry,
But they want a breast feed or a milk feed so that they can fall asleep.
If they're not drinking a lot,
They may not need a full feed.
Maybe give them a little bit of time until you're absolutely sure that they need feeding rather than just fussing.
Useful as they get closer to six months to only give water at night because then they're less likely to wake up for it.
If they have a dirty nappy,
You have to change it.
Most nappies these days can cope with a child weeing overnight.
But minimal talk,
Avoid eye contact,
And if you can,
Pat them in their cock without them being able to see your face.
If they can see your face,
It's fine.
They want to wake up and they want to play.
I hope that's helpful,
Good luck and I'll see you again soon.
