Sleep Habits – Infant

At night, set up a soothing routine. Give your baby a bath, sing lullabies, read a book, or tell a story.
When your baby is getting sleepy, put your baby in their crib in a quiet, darkened room. This will help your baby learn to go to sleep in their crib.
Don’t rock your baby to sleep after about age four to six months. Rock your baby but lay the baby down to sleep while they are drowsy but still awake.
When your newborn wakes up, he/she will usually be hungry and need to be fed (on demand). Your baby will feed and go back to sleep easier if they are not fully crying.
It is usual for a baby to murmur and be restless every 50 to 60 minutes. This restlessness lasts a few minutes, and if babies are left alone, they usually fall back to sleep.
Settle your baby down to sleep as quickly as possible if they are not acting hungry during a nighttime feeding.
If your baby wakes up and doesn’t settle down, check to see if he/she is hungry or needs a diaper change. Feed or change your baby quietly. Keep the light low. Don’t play with or sing to your baby. Put him/her back in the crib as soon as you can.
Try to stay calm. Young children are very sensitive to a parent’s feelings of frustration.
Be consistent. If you change your plan for how to handle nighttime crying, make sure that you and your partner agree on it before you go to bed.

Services related to this information:

811 HealthLine (Newfoundland & Labrador) – Call 811 or 1-888-709-2929 / TTY 1-888-709-3555

Author