|
Rock-a-Bye Baby Rescue
|
Baby Sleep Basics |
First, babies are all a little different in their sleep patterns and durations, and some may need a little more or less sleep than others. Knowing what the appropriate total sleep range is for your baby's age group can be the starting guideline for whether your baby is getting enough sleep. As a baby grows from a newborn to an infant to a toddler, the overall amount of sleep in a 24-hour period starts to decrease, but the length of each sleep sessions at night increases. ( I distinctly remember that first time the baby slept 6 hours at night---it was a milestone moment!)
|
Recommended Total Sleep by Age |
In February 2015, the National Sleep Foundation, the well-respected sleep research and health education organization in Wash DC, published its new expert recommendations for total daily sleep for infants and children, by age group. Their new sleep recommendation charts also identify some baby sleep variability at both ends of the recommended ranges, and tells you when you might want to check in with your doctor regarding too much or too little sleep.
|
Chart Excerpt: National Sleep Foundation Recommends New Sleep Times, Feb 2015
|
|
Alright, so you now have some idea of total sleep, but you’ll want to remember that babies have different sleep cycles than adults. And sleep, especially in newborns, often looks restless, and comes in short sessions and bursts. So it sometimes doesn't feel like 14-17 hours of what you might call sleep. And its not too great for planning around a consistent sleep schedule, or getting any sleep yourself.
|
Naps and Nighttime Scheduling |
So what about night sleep versus day sleep -----and can you expect and plan for. One of our favorite charts is a compiled Pinterest post using information from two books on children's sleep. What we love about this chart is it calls out sleep patterns and durations for daytime scheduling, as well as gives some guidelines for a baby’s bedtime and hours of nighttime sleep. *The total sleep guidelines align with those offered by the National Sleep Foundation (chart above), with the exception of the 6 week - 3 month mark which we can't quite reconcile.
What is important to note is that during the first weeks, most of a baby's sleep centers around feeding sessions every 2.5 to 4 hours---and can be unpredictable. At about 3 months, and/or 12 – 13 pounds, most babies can extend their nighttime sleep to include one longer 6-8 hour sleep session which may be surrounded by a 2-3 hour lead-in bedtime sleep session, or followed by early am nighttime finale. During the day, older infants shift to shorter, less frequent naps (2-3) for the first year. |
|
Tried and True
|
Establishing a sleep routine after they begin to get into a more consistent schedule, and putting baby down when drowsy versus asleep are two tips we see time and time again. A consistent routine and schedule for bedtime, nighttime feedings and naps is important to help baby learn how to soothe and put themselves back to sleep.
The other tip we hear is to try to distinguish day sleep from night sleep. At night, keep it quiet and dark (use nightlight) ---it is not the time to stimulate the baby. Feed, burp, change, soothe, swaddle ----and then lay back down to sleep. Attempt to soothe in crib first before picking up or rocking back to sleep. As for the day, “daytime is playtime” --keep it light and this is great time to connect, talk, sing, cuddle and make baby feel secure. Also don't be fearful of a little noise during the day, get baby used to the sounds of the day. And lay the baby down at consistent nap times when possible. Use that blanket, pacifier, favorite toy, mobile or something to get them to soothe themselves to sleep. (Hint: many of us used a lightweight baby blanket when we were nursing, and then transferred blanket to the bed and laid the baby on their back on top it. And shhhhhhh, we didn’t wash the blanket too much so it kept wafting that secure smell of mom.) Here's some other top tips: Sleep Tips for Newborns - Create different routines to distinguish day and nighttime sleep - Put baby back to bed when drowsy, not asleep. (Soothe from crib) - Place baby to sleep on his/her back with face and head clear of blankets and other soft items. - Help distinguish nighttime and daytime routines - Realize this is not the time to try to establish or force a sleep schedule Sleep Tips for Infants - Develop consistent schedules for naps and nighttime sleep - Create a soothing bedtime wind-down ritual - Have a regular, soothing "time to sleep” environment - Encourage baby to "self-soothe" for sleep. Sleep Tips For Toddlers: - Maintain a consistent sleep routine and bedroom environment - Encourage independent sleepers - Encourage use of security and self-soothing objects And of course, know that tracking sleep sessions and schedules, you can “count on us” and our Baby Tracker line of schedule and activity tracking journals. We have journals to monitor and track the daily feeding, sleeping, diapers, play, todo’s and milestones of newborns, infants and toddlers. There are plenty of other sleep tips, and a great article on infant sleep from Lucile Packard Foundation at Stanford Hospital. You can read more here. Hope this helps. Wishing you joy-filled days and sleep-filled nights. Cited Sources: Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University; National Sleep Foundation; "Solve Your Kids Sleep Problems" R. Farber MD and "Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child" M.Weissbluth MD.via Pinterest post. All content and sources referenced in this article and on this website, including health-related information from medical and non-medical sources, are guidelines, opinions and for informational purposes only and should not be considered to be a health treatment plan for any individual situation. Always seek the direct advice and diagnosis of your own pediatrician in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding the health of your baby. |