First time parents always wish that their baby came with an instruction manual. The healthcare provider delivers the baby, the nurses hands you over the baby with a manual that lists all the do’s and don’ts. Perfect, right?
Sleep is one of the many puzzles that parents need to solve regarding their babies. Most newborns would sleep upto 18 hours per day, however, inspite of that, most parents end up feeling exhausted and stressed. This is because as parents you have to be up several times, to feed the baby, change and soothe the newborn back to sleep. All this leaves you tired and makes the first few months a daunting experience.
Here’s some of the mistakes most newbie parents make regarding their baby’s sleep.
Sung The Lullaby, Drawn The Curtains, The Baby Would Still Not Doze Off
Expecting too much, too soon is one of the biggest mistakes that you can make while trying to put the baby to sleep. Babies aged 12 weeks or less don’t have a sense of light, which means they don’t understand the day and night concept. Infact, be prepared because the hormones that needs to be kicked in to understand the difference between day and night, doesn’t happen until you are at least three months old. Also, it takes upto 16 weeks for the baby’s stomach to hold milk enough to give you a decent stretch of sleep.
Therefore, remember, its normal to be tired. Onboard as much help as you can lay your hands on because that’s the only time you can find some shut-eye.
Being Observant Of The Squeaks, Grunts, Coos, And Moans While The Baby Sleeps
Most parents think that their baby is awake when it starts making noises or stirring. Reality check, a baby is a noisy sleeper. Don’t wake them up just yet for they are probably in a deep slumber. Don’t be so responsive, understand the difference between when the baby is sleeping and when it is awake. Swaddle, feed and soothe it back to sleep only when you are sure.
Letting Your Baby Be, However, She/He Wants It
It’s always a concern for parents when they think that to sleep better at night, they need to stay awake during the day. It doesn’t work like that because babies don’t follow routines at least till a certain age. To begin with, you can let your newborn be and let him/her sleep whenever they need it and however long they need it for.
Shhh!! The Baby Is Sleeping
Your baby would sleep right through any noise that you make so need of shushing everyone in your house. The best thing to do is being normal when your baby sleeps, because unknowingly, if you keep pin-drop silence in the house while the baby sleeps, you are signing off for more complications in the future. Being normal would let the baby get used to the sounds around him/her and will find it easier to sleep.
Don’t Believe Everything That You Read Or Hear
Everyone loves giving advice for they have been there and done that. Even if you are not interested, people would still give suggestions. Remember that the only opinion that should matter to you is yours and your baby. Friends and families provide information but it’s always you and your spouse’s intuition which are the best guides.
It is important to understand that babies sleep most of the time and they need to be fed, changed and even soothed back to sleep. Having any kind of unnatural expectation would result in stress and you might end up feeling tired always. Try to understand the sleep patterns and preferences of your baby and you would be sorted.
