All new parents go through the early years with some kind of sleep issue with their child. Consider some of the examples below.

Seven-week-old Aaryan falls asleep quickly as his mom rocks him. But the second his mom puts him down on the bed, Aaryan starts to cry until his mother picks him up again.

Payal, 7 months, still wakes up 3-4 times a night and can’t go back to sleep unless her mom or dad hold and sing to her for up to 30 minutes.

Sumeir, 5 months, refuses to go to sleep even with an elaborate bedtime routine that  has been followed by his parents since he was 3 months.

Does this sound familiar? While there are no easy answers to solve sleep problems, there is a lot you can do to help your child become a good sleeper. The first step being trying out some of the strategies given below, and modify them to meet the needs of your child and family.

Tip 1

An unpredictable sleeping pattern is normal in very young babies, which can be difficult for parents as they may be up a lot at night. It’s important to accept this reality as a parent and help each other.

Moms Speak : Yes this unpredictability drives us crazy the first few days when we don’t know whether the crying is for sleep, hunger or a wet diaper. After a few days it does get better and we start understanding the cries, but by then we realise the baby has mixed up their days and nights.

Tip 2

You can help your baby to sleep more at night by encouraging wakefulness during the day time. Try to spend some time outside each day. This provides good sunlight exposure and helps babies stay awake. Being outside also helps babies learn that daytime is when it’s bright out and they are active and social, and nighttime is when it’s dark and quiet.

Moms Speak : Yes this tip is a tough one to understand as with a baby that’s sleeping the entire day how does one encourage wakefulness in the days. Also with all your family asking you to sleep when the baby is sleeping, this is the most confusing tip. But you still try and just when you think you have figured out the perfect balance of sleeping with the baby, inducing wakefulness and outside time- you discover that there is something called as Overstimulation.

Tip 3

Physical exercise and other forms of excitement (like animated verbal interactions) rev up the nervous system—the system in charge of keeping you alert. So it’s important to not engage in these activities before bedtime. Researchers recommend that parents make the last 2-3 hours before bedtime quiet,calm and not over stimulate the baby.

Moms Speak : This is a tip we like as this helps us make a bedtime routine and fill up a wardrobe with all the essentials for a bedtime routine( 30 books, 10 types of oils, 20 creams, light colored night suits and bed sheets). We are all set to practice this routine but only to realise we cannot exercise this bedtime routine with irregular timings.

Tip 4

Large variations in bedtime could cause infant sleep problems. They cause the baby to wake up at different times each day, therefore resulting in irregular circadian rhythms. The problem may get worse if the baby makes up for lost sleep by taking naps late in the afternoon or evening. So follow the clock.

Moms Speak : Now when you are just about to give up coz you have really tried all the tips. You wake up one day and realise that you did get some sleep that night maybe things will be better now given that your little one is almost 3 months old. You are on top of the world…. And yes you don’t want to hear the word Growth Spurt !

So the most important Tip of them all – With sensitivity, patience, and consistency, every baby does find his/her sleep habit.

Click here to register for our New Parents Cafe in Gurgaon