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Sleep is obviously very important for an infant’s growth
and development and for your sanity, so helping your baby
sleep is a valuable skill to have. The important things to
remember about helping your baby sleep are to have a routine
and to be prepared to encounter common sleep problems.
As simple as it sounds, experts agree that “a clam and
pleasant ritual winds down the day’s activities”
which helps to “promote sleep” for your baby (Cooper,
pg. 82). A ritual or routine doesn’t have to be anything
complex or specific. In fact, it’s better not to make
it too drawn out so your little one won’t expect anything
long. Something as simple as a nice bath and a change into
comfy baby clothes
can get your baby ready to sleep. You could have them say
goodnight to the family, read a story to them, say their prayers,
or you could even give them a little massage. Once baby associates
these things with sleepy time, it should be no trouble getting
them to bed.
Try as you may, it’s inevitable that you and baby are
going to run into some common sleep problems, so it’s
best to be prepared. Recent studies show that “up to
60% of children in the United States are sleep deprived”
(Lee, pg. 74). Since sleep is an absolute necessity for a
baby’s growth and development, these problems have to
be corrected as soon as they show. One problem that seems
to be the most common is a baby that won’t sleep through
the night either from hunger, bad dreams, or a confused body
clock. It’s important to remember that babies sleep
around 15 hours a day in their first year. This sleep is divided
into three or four periods, so it’s normal for a baby
to wake once or twice in the night. Also, newborns must be
fed every few hours, so you can’t expect a full night
of sleep from them at all. Aside from this, if your baby is
having constant trouble there are several things you can try.
The best thing to do is make sure baby’s sleeping conditions
are the most supportive of sleep. This means keeping your
infant’s room temperature around 65 degrees Farenheight
(Cooper, pg. 83), and make sure that the crib has proper bedding.
The best solution to all of this, however, is to establish
and maintain your baby’s schedule.
About The Author:
Grant Carroll is the co-owner of http://www.littlepamperedbabies.com
and an extremely proud father. This article may be reproduced
as long as a Live link back to http://www.littlepamperedbabies.com
is is present on the web page.
©Little Pampered Babies 2005. All rights
reserved
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