Healthy Sleeping Habits: 0 To 3 Months
It is important to instill healthy sleeping habits for your newborn to get the rest she needs. These habits relate not only to the hours your baby spends sleeping, but also to the bedtime rituals and sleep time you establish from the moment she is born.
Your baby’s sleeping hours
While a baby usually sleeps more than 15 hours a day, her daytime sleep can be spread over periods of half an hour to four hours.
There are babies who confuse day and night. This is because they sleep in the morning and are awake for the first early hours of the day. However, over the weeks, they begin to lengthen their sleep cycles during the day and shorten them at night.
Some believe that babies must be very exhausted in order to sleep well.
In the first few weeks this will not be necessary as they follow practically the same patterns as in the womb. As the weeks go by, it is necessary to increase their daytime activity to allow them to sleep longer.
While it is true that a baby from 0 to 3 months is incapable of learning habits, it is important to familiarize them with certain routines.
Healthy sleeping habits: 0 to 3 months
To help your baby from 0 to 3 months sleep better, in You Are Mom , we suggest some healthy sleeping habits that you should encourage.
Establish a sleep routine
At night, put on certain clothes, sing a song, turn off the lights, and say goodnight. Your baby will not understand your words, but little by little she will associate the expression with going to sleep.
During the day, you can turn on music, put your baby in a room with open windows, and say, “It’s time to sleep.”
Never change the sleep schedule
You should always put your baby to bed at the usual times. Even if you see she’s not sleepy, when it’s time to go to sleep, do the routines you’ve established.
Always let her sleep in the same place
If you put her in a crib during the day and a crib at night, don’t change it for anything in the world. It is important that your baby sees a difference between daytime and nighttime sleep.
Never put the baby in your bed
Babies are exposed to many dangers when they sleep with their parents. If your baby is in bed with you every night, it can also damage the love relationship between you and your partner.
Avoid sleeping in your arms
While it is extremely pleasant to hold a child while she sleeps, it is an unhealthy habit.
Place the baby in her crib, sing to her and give her gentle caresses. But leave the room before she is fully asleep. Teach her to sleep all night.
Don’t wait until baby is too tired to sleep
A baby who is very tired can become upset and cry uncontrollably. This will prevent her from falling asleep and will adversely affect her rest.
Difference between day and night
During the day, put her in another room and cradle and keep some light in the room. Do not avoid the morning noises typical of everyday life.
Do the opposite at night. Don’t turn on the lights and don’t make any noise. Talk very little, don’t laugh and don’t stimulate her too much.
Remember that there are things that are only learned when you are a mother. Finding and establishing your baby’s healthy sleeping habits is one of them.