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Baby not sleeping? 6 Top Tips That Could Help!

Baby not sleeping? 6 Top Tips That Could Help!

You’ve waited nine long months for your precious bundle, and then one day you find yourself holding your newborn baby for the first time, expected to know exactly how to nourish, nurture and protect this new life to the best of your abilities. It is beautiful, but it can also be incredibly overwhelming - especially if you are also not getting enough sleep.

Love To Dream work with sleep experts and medical professionals in order to maximise the safety, comfort and duration of your baby’s sleep. If baby sleeps, mum can too! Through our web and social media content, we want to dispel the myths, rumours and old wives tales, to make sure new mothers have the most current information when it comes to baby sleep.

   

If you need some tips on what could be preventing your baby from getting that precious shut-eye, have a look below for a potential reason:

      

1. Are you underestimating how much sleep your baby requires?

Babies sleep a LOT, and they need to reach a certain quota of sleep hours per day in order to develop. If they don’t meet this, they gain “sleep debt” which makes them overtired, and irritable.

Some parents worry if their baby is rarely awake that something is wrong, but let them take the time they need to grow. It won’t be long until they are a very active toddler!

     

2. Are you overlooking the basics?

It can be very easy to assume something is wrong when your baby is keeping you up all night or seems more distressed than usual, especially if you are sleep deprived and struggling to maintain your own schedule! Usually, it actually comes down to something pretty straightforward. Check the baby's temperature, if they have a dirty diaper, and then if they are hungry. If you usually use white noise, make sure that it is on, and sleeping conditions are as close to what they usually are as possible.


3. Are you missing your baby’s signs of tiredness?

Babies are able to show you they are ready to sleep with little cues. This can include rubbing their eyes, or being a little fussier than usual. You can put your baby down to sleep before they actually drift off, and they should soon be able to snooze. Other cues, such as yawning or falling asleep in your arms, show that your baby may actually be getting overtired, and when you lay them in their crib, they might struggle to find peaceful sleep.


4. Are you intervening every time your baby makes a noise?

Not all cried indicate an urgent need. Sometimes, your baby is simply expressing a frustration at not yet being asleep. Avoid rushing to pick them up right before they should be asleep, and give them some time to get there on their own. Of course you should go to them if you feel that they need the one-to-one contact, but you will be amazed at how quickly your baby can settle themselves once they start to slip into slumber.


5. Are you using too many different methods?

There are loads of ways people recommend to settle your baby to sleep, but try to stick to one preferred method - singing, rocking, white noise etc. The consistency allows them to develop a clear understanding of what this signals, and what comes next. Ie. SLEEP!


6. Have you broken your routine recently?

A change in routine is expected and inevitable - however if your baby is used to a tight schedule (well done mama!), they will need some time to adjust. They need to fully adapt their new sleep prompts before they feel comfortable in their new environment.

Love To Dream MENA sleep expert Julie Mallon adds:

Julie Mallon - Sleep Consultant based in UAE

It is worth noting that there are many guides as to how much your child should be sleeping, but we must acknowledge every child is different and so are their sleep needs!

Behind every behaviour of our children is a communication - your little one is trying to tell you they are ready to sleep - or not ready yet - and so recognising their sleep cues and really paying attention to their behaviour will help enormously.

Also, a nap and bedtime routine will reinforce good sleep habits and this needs only to be brief, but predictable and consistent. A short story (start early) in a darkened room, a cuddle and then placed "sleepy but aware" in their cot will help build the essential skills for sleep.

Be mindful - it's ok if it doesn't happen today. This is a process and there is always tomorrow.

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