Babies are naturally light sleepers. They also have this sleep pattern which is very different from adults. This pattern is directly connected with the feeding hours. A baby has to be fed every two hours at the most so if she’s taking a nap there’s a great chance that she’ll be awakened by a grumbling stomach. This pattern may prove to be difficult for first-time moms who are working at the same time. She may have difficulty getting enough sleep herself so she could end up sleepy at work.
With this in mind, parents must exert extra effort to train their babies as to the appropriate sleeping time/cycle. Parents can have their babies go to sleep when it is time and help them remain asleep all through out. There are babies who easily pick up routines but then there are others who have difficulty going back to sleep when awakened or even starting sleep at all.For newborns, it is not advisable to impose sleeping hours on them since they wake up when they need feeding and go back to sleep when full. During this time, parents should take as much sleep as they can to prevent dizziness or light headedness resulting from lack of sleep. When the baby reaches her 6th week then it is time to train her in a new sleep cycle and routine. The parents can train their baby by giving her warm bath at a certain time. After this, parents can also read a book to their baby so she’ll gradually be put to sleep. This should be done everyday at about the same time as the previous day. This must be followed religiously so that the baby will have a feel of the ‘sleeping time.’ After the baby has dozed off, parents can now follow suit. Waking time must also be the same time everyday. Parents can wake up ahead of their baby and get them up at the same time everyday. Naps at the middle of the day can also be scheduled.
Parents can commence sleep training with their babies as long as the babies don’t have any sleep condition or medical condition that may affect the sleep pattern. Sometimes even healthy babies cannot sleep immediately and will fuss a bit before finally sleeping. Sleep training may not be effective for these babies. But to be sure, you can train them and look for any signs of mood swings before finally proceeding with the training.
If a baby doesn’t seem to be comfortable at all at any given time and cries a lot, whether prior to sleeping or upon waking up, there must be something wrong with her. She may have a sleep condition which affects her sleeping habits. Bring her to a doctor immediately so you may know if there really is a problem.