Tips for Mothers Whose Babies Don't Sleep
Mother and Baby
The first 3 or 4 months after birth can be very difficult for some babies. They have trouble adjusting to the world they have entered. Babies do not distinguish between night and day during these months. For this reason, it becomes difficult for them to fall asleep, and they need a lot of support. Sometimes this can be very challenging, but you need to provide all the support for these sleep issues during this 3-4 month period. Generally speaking, all sleep training can be easily applied from the 4th month onwards. However, as a parent, there are many things you can do regarding sleep in the first 4 months. The most important thing to consider in your support is to take the right steps so that this support does not turn into a lifelong habit for the baby.
So, How Should Babies Sleep?
It is quite normal for a baby's sleep pattern to be irregular in the first 1 or 2 months after birth. If your baby has a nature that doesn't sleep, try to soothe them as much as possible and try to put them to sleep with all the methods they like (half swaddle, gentle rocking methods). The half swaddle method is a successful method for many babies. Protect your newborn baby from noisy environments as much as possible and try not to expose them to large crowds. Never hesitate to ask for help from people around you if your baby does not sleep. Taking care of a non-sleeping baby is indeed difficult. You don't have to meet all of your baby's care needs yourself. Our advice to mothers who say 'My baby doesn't sleep, what should I do?' is that you can start doing something to teach your baby the difference between night and day once you have completed the first 2 months. If your baby sleeps a lot during the day, you can wake them up every 1.5 or 2 hours. You can calculate their wakefulness period according to their age and put them back to sleep. If they wake up at night, do not turn on the room light and speak in a low voice. Put them back to sleep immediately after breastfeeding and burping them, and do not change their diaper unless it is dirty. Put them to bed for the night 12 hours after they wake up in the morning. That is, if they woke up at 7 am, darken the room light at 7 pm (use blackout curtains if necessary) and put them to bed. Contrary to popular belief, your child sleeps more at night when put to bed early.
The Time Frame for How Much Babies Should Sleep Can Vary According to the Baby's Development
This time frame should not be less than 14 hours a day and should not exceed 21 hours. Establish a routine before putting your baby to sleep. This routine should be something that is easy for you and can be done easily just before sleep. The routine you establish should be longer for night sleep and shorter for daytime sleep. For example, it could be a short bath, pajamas, milk, and a half swaddle just before your baby goes to sleep at night. For daytime sleep, a routine like darkening the room and a half swaddle may be appropriate. You can also add the same music to these routines. Or, create your own routine. The important thing here is that the actions you take should be done regularly and consistently.
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