How do I get my baby to sleep? Guidelines and tips

Guidelines and tips for struggling parents.

The most common complaint of parents when they have a baby is lack of sleep.. The baby's sleep and especially the lack of sleep caused by sleepless nights ends up seriously affecting the parents.

And it is a fish that bites its own tail: the baby does not sleep and the parents are sleepy, more nervous, tired and with little patience, this is detected by the baby and directly affects his sleep.

How to get a baby to sleep peacefully?

Much has been written on the subject, There are many different theories on how parents should act and some of them contradict each other.. But what they all agree on is that the important thing is for the baby to acquire good sleeping habits.

What does this mean? Basically, we could summarize it as establishing a good routine and being patient.

Sleep habits in newborns

Whether the baby learns to sleep well depends on the parents.. Before giving some advice, we should know that little ones need many hours of rest to recover all the energy they invest in their rapid growth.

When the baby is born, will need between 15 and 22 hours of sleep. It is almost the whole day, it is clear that it is an indispensable part for their development and therefore parents should help them to do it in the best possible way and understanding that it is a basic process for the baby's health.

Three fundamental keys for a baby to sleep well

There are three points to keep in mind when we try to get babies to rest properly.

1. Sleeping space

Studies indicate that children who sleep in separate rooms from their parents sleep more, wake up less, have fewer awakenings, have a better night's sleep, and have a better quality of life.They wake up less, have less difficulty falling asleep and fall asleep earlier. There are also theories that say the opposite... Either way, we should take advantage of the baby's natural need for sleep and enhance it. That is, when we see that the baby starts to show signs of tiredness, we should take the opportunity to create an environment conducive to sleep and avoid interruptions.

2. Learning

Babies are not born knowing how to sleep. Like all other skills, they acquire it through learning. In other words, sleeping well is a skill that parents must teach their children.

3. Parents' rest

If parents are tired, they will have less patience and the baby will notice it and it will directly affect his sleep.And as we said at the beginning, this is the fish that bites its own tail. Parents should also acquire some rest guidelines. Take advantage of the time when the baby sleeps to disconnect. This does not mean taking advantage of this time to do housework, answer the phone or work. It means resting: sleeping, taking a bath, going to the gym, going for a walk... in short, disconnecting from the baby to be able to take care of him/her with renewed energy.

Parents are responsible for the baby's peace of mind

In order to get through this initial period for children, it is important that the parents it is important that the parents understand that they are the immediate referents of the baby.Everything they do and how they feel has repercussions on the child and his behavior. When parents are nervous, the baby is nervous, when parents are calm and stable, children tend to have fewer problems with lack of sleep, uncontrollable crying, etc.

Babies cry, this is inevitable because this is the way they communicate, when they're hungry they cry, when they're in Pain they cry, when they're restless they cry, when they want attention they cry... if they could talk they would. That is why it is important for parents to be clear about this and not to get angry or worry excessively when their child spends the night crying.

One of the attitudes of parents that usually worsens the situation is when the baby cries non-stop, they become nervous, tense and lose patience. As we said before, the baby absorbs everything around him. If the parent holds the baby in his arms and gets desperate or angry, the baby will do the same, he will pass on his anxiety to the parent. Therefore, the sleepless nights that cause so much concern are usually due to the parents' attitudes. The best thing to do when you feel this way is to leave the room, take a deep breath, calm down and come back to the baby when your attitude is calm.

If the baby cries, should we go immediately, or not?

Another point of controversy in the sleep of babies is whether or not we should attend to them immediately.. It seems obvious that we should not. If the little one doesn't really need anything, all it does is test the parents. If he cries and they quickly come to show their affection, the baby learns that he should cry. We are reinforcing that behavior. Nowadays, with the means available to us from another room, we can make sure that the baby is fine and that we don't need to go. If he really has nothing, and is just getting the parents' attention, the crying will stop and he will learn that crying does not get him instant attention from his parents.

Back to patience, it is important to give the baby time. As we have said, the little one is not born taught, he must be guided. When parents try to put the baby to sleep, they should do it following a routine, keeping a relaxed atmosphere, talking softly to the baby, with a soft light... The important thing is that he/she feels accompanied during the process. What usually works when the baby does not "know how to stop" is to distract him, make noises, show him objects that attract his attention, take him out of the room where he is... get the baby to open his eyes and pay attention to something else.

Pacifier: yes or no?

Another controversial topic is the pacifier. There are those who insist on its usefulness and those who blame it for all problems.. 

Every baby is different. Some may be soothed by it and others may reject it. Some may find it helps them sleep and others may wake up when they drop it. It's neither bad nor good, it's a choice that parents can make as they see fit. The only thing that seems to be agreed upon is that the use of the pacifier prevents sudden infant death, which is one of the greatest fears of parents..

Relaxing baths, a good prelude to sleep.

One point where all theories seem to agree is on bathing the baby. The bathing routine relaxes the baby and the parents.Therefore, the habit of bathing the baby before going to bed will be in favor of rest.

Tips for when the child gets older

As the baby grows, he will need less sleep and it will be very important for parents to it will be very important for parents to include the day/night distinction in their child's learning.. Stimulate him during the day and encourage calmness at night. Little by little the baby will acquire a routine similar to that of the parents. And it must learn that it is at night when it should sleep.

Nowadays, different techniques have become fashionable to relax the baby: playing music, massages, exercises, yoga? Any of these options seems to us to be correct because what it favors is relaxation and tranquility around the baby and this is always good.

Guidelines for teaching babies to sleep

Here are some guidelines for teaching babies to sleep.

• Remember that it is always the parents and the baby's and the baby's environment will always decide how the baby will behave.
• It is no good blaming the little onesThey have just arrived in this world and it is the parents who must teach them how to behave.
• Acquire good sleeping habitsThis way we will avoid childhood disorders such as insomnia.
• Establish a routineAs in all areas of development, during childhood, routine is essential to guide learning. Follow certain schedules, steps, establish defined spaces for each activity....
• Parents must help and teach babies the ability to sleep.Children absorb everything from their parents, they are born without knowing and learn from those closest to them, their parents.
• It is important for parents to restThey should disconnect, take advantage of the "free" time to rest and recover energy.
• Take advantage of the baby's need for rest: be attentive to and promote the moments when the baby shows the desire to sleep in order to establish the appropriate environment to reinforce it.
• Reassurance, patience and calmWhat babies notice most is the attitude of the parents. This should be calm and reassuring. In moments of stress or tiredness, parents should be patient.
• Distract the babyWhen the baby starts crying for no reason and we cannot calm him, one option is to distract him with noises or objects that take his attention away from the crying.
• The soothing bathBath time: placing the bath routine before putting the baby to bed will increase the baby's relaxation.
• Day/night distinctionIn order for the baby to acquire the habits of adults, he must learn to distinguish day from night. Stimulate it with activities during the day and promote calm and relaxation at night.