The golden rule for moms is ‘sleep when the baby sleeps.’ If you follow that, it means getting a shut eye for only three to five hours because you wake up now and then. In the morning, you’re groggy and downright cranky. Over time, you become overly fatigued. For the golden rule to work for you, you need to keep your baby asleep through the night. With the baby off to dreamland, you can have a peaceful slumber, too. How do you achieve this? Here are some effective strategies:
Set the right atmosphere during nursing or feeding.
For daytime, make it lively and social. Sing to them while they feed. Play some nursery rhymes in the background. Move them around while you cradle them. Once they’re able to hold themselves up in a booster seat, show them different objects or toys while they eat. Let them hold their spoons or cups. Let them watch a cat video online, perhaps. As for the nighttime, keep it quiet and calm. Dim the lights in the nursery. Use the softest music in your playlist. Beware of possible sources of noise, like slamming doors or creaking floors. What you’re trying to do here is helping regulate their body clock, improving their sense of day and night. So until the sun peeks, their body is at rest.
Make the nursery a little cooler.
Do you notice how easy it is for you to catch sleep when the room is a little colder? The same is true for your baby. But not only will they doze off more quickly when the nursery has the right temperature — there’s a good chance that they will stay asleep throughout the night precisely because the cool temp keeps the body from being restless. Now, what’s the exact magic number for your air conditioner? Doctors recommend setting it between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure that your AC equipment is in good working condition. Prioritize regular maintenance. The last thing you need in the middle of the night is a broken-down, leaky, noisy AC. Get the professional air conditioning repair specialists in your area who could give you the help you need.
Pamper your baby.
Baby massages put your child in a more relaxed state, making them sleep faster and more soundly. Of course, there’s the power of touch, too, which reassures and makes your baby feel safer, ushering them into a more peaceful sleep. Dedicate then at least 15 minutes of some pampering massage before bedtime. Use baby-safe oils and brush up on your stroking techniques. Another good pampering technique is bathing your baby. Use warm water, as this triggers drowsiness. You can make this part of your bedtime ritual every night.
Sleeping through the Night
Have you been struggling to keep your baby asleep during the night? Do you have to get up from bed now and then to soothe their occasional emotional outbursts? If you try these mentioned strategies, you can ensure a better, more rested night. Not just for the baby. But for you as well.
