By Celine Villadares
Giving birth can be both a wonderful journey for the newly parents and at the same time a moment of distress from lack of sleep in order to attend to the needs of the newborn. A newborn is expected to sleep a lot in order for the growth and development it needs. However, parents you could establish a healthy sleep pattern for your newborn once he enters his 4th month or even earlier. You can try the following methods to prompt a healthy sleeping pattern for your baby and you:
Differentiate Day and Night:
Because a newborn’s senses are still developing, one might think that the newborn doesn’t need to understand the concept of night and day. Your newborn will adjust according to the time based on how much you expose him to it. In the morning, you go out and hold him under the sun for his daily dose of Vitamin D. It is a good way to let him be aware that it is what we call the ‘morning’. Also, interact with him through words. Mothers are known to newborns through smell and as they grow more in weeks they start to recognize the mother’s voice. Do all the activities and care needed in the morning and make the night the calm and quiet ambience your baby needs for a good night sleep.
Start with Solid Food:
Although, we strongly suggest that you ask your pediatrician about introducing solid food to your baby; some pediatrician encourage early introduction of solid food as early as 4 months. When your infant starts to cry often at night for feeding, solid food such as cereal, sweet potato, avocado or banana may help to fill in his hungry stomach, avoiding late nights yearning to be fed which can you and your baby undisrupted night sleep. Again, it is best to seek advice for the right time of introducing solid food to your infant from your pediatrician.
Ambience for Sleeping:
Just like how adults need a proper ambience for sleeping, your baby needs a surrounding that would easily induce a relaxing sleep. Having a quiet and dim lit room is good for encouraging sleep. Also, be aware of the signs that your infant might be tired, once your know that sleepiness is around the corner it is best to bring him to the right ambience for sleeping. The Infant’s position must also be considered, having him sleep on his back is the best option to avoid Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
There could be many ways to induce sleep for your newborn, but still be reminded to enjoy every developmental milestone for your little one. No matter what, your sacrifice as parents would always be appreciated on how healthy your child grows to be! Enjoy every moment. 🙂
