Why Is My Baby Not Sleeping At Night?

One of the worst nightmares of new parents is a crying baby at 3’o clock in the morning. While some people are truly blessed to have babies who go to sleep without making a fuss, most of the others suffer. It’s not an unusual thing to see new parents look like sleep-deprived zombies because their baby was up all night. You’re definitely going to be up all night when your baby grows up and stays out partying. You really cannot do much about it then but you definitely can save yourselves some sleep now.

If your baby isn’t sleeping well at night, you can try to make things better by following these tips:

Create A Routine

Create a routine that includes feeding time, playtime, nap time, and the time for proper sleep. Stick to the routine and don’t mess it up because routine is repetition and repetition is power! You are installing the routine in your baby’s mind by doing the same things at the same time every day. The baby will start feeling hungry whenever it’s feeding time and he/she will start feeling sleepy by the time it’s bedtime – it’s a boon that you earn.

Day Time Naps

If your baby sleeps too much during the day time, he/she will not be sleepy at night. So, make sure that you try to keep your baby active and awake throughout the day. However, forcing your baby to stay awake without any naps will make him/her cranky and disrupt a peaceful sleep at night as well. You need to find the perfect balance between the duration of daytime naps and nighttime sleep. Let your baby take naps but not long enough to keep him/her awake at night. If there’s no way you can keep your baby from sleeping more during the day, you need to sleep when your baby sleeps. This will help you deal with the night time fiasco with better strength and sanity.

Put Your Baby To Sleep When Drowsy

Don’t put your baby to sleep while rocking or feeding him/her because you’re making that a habit. Even if you’re rocking or feeding, put the baby down for sleep while the baby is drowsy and not completely asleep. This might help the baby sleep on his/her own and you may be inculcating a healthy habit.

External Noise And Disturbances

Your baby will obviously wake up in the middle of the night if the environment is not peaceful enough to sleep. Try not to make a lot of noise in the house even if you’re not sleeping in the baby’s room. Make sure that the windows are closed and there’s nothing in the room like a noisy old fan that will cause hindrance to your baby’s sleep. Try to be with your baby when there’s external noise like thunder or construction work because your presence might reassure your baby and help him/her sleep faster.

Try to make sure that there’s no bright light that will shine directly on your baby’s face. Too much light can irritate your baby and disrupt a peaceful sleep. Close the curtains if there’s a bright light coming from outside the window. Also, give enough space for the baby to sleep well even if the baby is sleeping in a bassinet. Don’t keep loose towels and toys near the baby during the sleep since they can cover the face of the baby and cause accidents.

Try to keep the temperature of the room pleasant and not too cold or too hot. It’s better that you stay in the same room with the baby during the day so that the baby gets accustomed to the place while awake. This will probably prevent them from being startled if they wake up in the middle of the night.

Not all babies have the same sleeping pattern and a lot of things that they get used to are dependent on you. If you find anything unusual about your baby’s sleep patterns or if your baby isn’t sleeping well no matter what, it’s never a bad idea to talk to your doctor and get their valuable suggestions.

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