By Elizabeth Pantley, Author of No Cry Sleep Solution

A good way to encourage good sleep is to get familiar with your baby’s sleepy signals, and put her down to sleep as soon as she seems tired. A baby cannot put herself to sleep, nor can she understand her own sleepy signs.

A baby who is encouraged to stay awake when her body is craving sleep is typically an unhappy, fussy baby. Over time, the pattern develops into sleep deprivation, which further complicates and interferes with your baby’s developing sleep maturity.

Pia, mother of eight-month-old Carrson talks about this problem, “I discovered that I had been putting Carrson to bed purely by the clock, not at all by his tiredness. Once I changed this dynamic and began identifying his sleepy signals he fell asleep easier and slept longer.”

Watch the clock, too!
Most newborns can only handle one or two hours of wakefulness at a time. A three-month-old gets tired after two to three hours of awake time. A one-year-old can be cheerful for about three to four hours, and a two-year-old about five to six hours. Once your child has passed his happy wakefulness stage he’ll quickly become overtired. He’ll then be easily overstimulated and find it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Find that magic moment
Using the clock as a guide, and your child’s sleepy signals as indicators, you can find the magic moment when your baby is tired, but not overtired. When you witness those signs it’s a quick but calm trip right to bed – don’t launch into a prolonged pre-bed routine since your child may then get a second wind!

Typical sleepy signals
Every child is unique and has his own sleepy signs, and you can watch and learn these. Your child may demonstrate one or more of these signs that tell you he is tired and ready to sleep – now:

• reducing his level of movement and activity
• becoming more quiet
• losing interest in people , toys and playtime
• rubbing his eyes
• looking glazed or unfocused
• having a more relaxed jaw, chin and mouth (droopy looking)
• becoming whiny and cranky
• fussing or crying
• losing patience or having tantrums
• yawning
• lying down or slumping in his seat
• watching television or a movie with a blank expression
• caressing a lovey or blanket
• asking for a pacifier, bottle or to nurse

Your child may demonstrate one or two of these sleepy signs, or even something entirely different. The signs may change at each stage of development. The key is to watch your child and encourage him to go to sleep when he is tired.

Excerpted with permission by McGraw-Hill Publishing from No Cry Sleep Solution (McGraw-Hill) by Elizabeth Pantley http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth

About the author:
Elizabeth Pantley is the author of several books, including Gentle Baby Care : No-cry, No-fuss, No-worry — Essential Tips for Raising Your Baby, The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night, Kid Cooperation (with an introduction by William Sears, MD), Perfect Parenting, as well as her latest The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers and is also president of Better Beginnings, Inc. She is a popular speaker on family issues, and her newsletter, Parent Tips, is seen in schools nationwide. She appears as a regular radio show guest, and has been quoted in Parents, Parenting, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, American Baby, Working Mother, and Woman’s Day magazines. Visit Elizabeth’s web site http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth.

By Elizabeth Pantley, Author of No Cry Sleep Solution

According to sleep research, and motherly experience, the length and the quality of naps affect nighttime sleep. (And, conversely, nighttime sleep affects naps.)

Babies differ in their napping needs – but here’s a general guide that applies to most babies:

When should your baby nap?
Timing of naps is important. A nap too late in the day will negatively affect nighttime sleep. Certain times of the day are better for napping because they suit your baby’s biological clock; these optimum periods balance sleep and wake time to affect nighttime sleep in the most positive way.

All babies are different, but generally, the best nap times are as follows:
If baby takes three naps: midmorning/early afternoon/early evening
If baby takes two naps: midmorning/early afternoon
If baby takes one nap: early afternoon

Watch your baby’s sleepy signals!
Naps should happen immediately when your baby shows signs of tiredness. If you wait too long, she becomes overtired, “wired up,” and unable to sleep.

Once you are familiar with the your baby’s nap needs you can plan a nap routine to start the wind-down process. If consistent naps are new to you look more for your baby’s signs of tiredness and scrimp on the routine until you settle into a predictable pattern. In other words, don’t begin a lengthy pre-nap routine if your baby is clearly ready to sleep! Watch for these signs of fatigue; your baby may demonstrate one or more of these:

Decreasing activity quieting down losing interest in people and toys rubbing eyes looking “glazed” fussing yawning laying down caressing a lovey or asking for a pacifier, bottle or to nurse

Timing is very, very important!
You have probably experienced this scenario: Your baby looks tired and you think, “Time for a nap.” So, you wash her hands and face, change her diaper, answer a phone call, put out the dog, and head for baby’s crib or the family bed, only to find that she’s suddenly wide awake and anxious to play!

What happened? She has moved through her window of tiredness and gotten that “second wind” that buys her another hour or two of alert time before she re-enters her tired state. This can often happen later in the day. Suddenly, your baby is (finally!) ready for a nap at dinnertime, and the plot thickens- do you put her for a late nap and thus extend bedtime, or keep her awake and deal with a tired, fussy baby? Rather than face this ordeal, respond earlier to her signs of fatigue and get her in for her nap right at that time.

Once you have watched your baby carefully for a week or so, you should be able to create a nap schedule that works with her daily periods of alertness and tiredness, thus making your nap schedule easy to adhere to.

The nap routine
Once you’ve established a nap schedule for your baby, it is very helpful if you create a simple but specific nap routine. This routine should be different from your nighttime routine, although it can have similarities that signal sleep- for example, the presence of a lovely or special sleep-inducing music. Follow your nap routine the same way every day. (Except, as I mentioned before, if your baby is showing clear signs of being tired and ready to sleep. Then abbreviate or even eliminate your routine for that day.)

For a reluctant napper, your routine might include some relaxing motion, such as rocking/relaxing in a swing/walking in a sling or stroller, and some gentle lullaby music.

A nap routine doesn’t have to be long and involved to be effective. If your baby’s nap occurs about the same time every day there will be many subtle cues, such as the timing of his lunch, that tell your baby that nap time is nearing.

Better naps mean better nighttime sleep.

About the Author:
Elizabeth Pantley is the author of several books, including Gentle Baby Care : No-cry, No-fuss, No-worry — Essential Tips for Raising Your Baby, The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night, Kid Cooperation (with an introduction by William Sears, MD), Perfect Parenting, as well as her latest The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers and is also president of Better Beginnings, Inc. She is a popular speaker on family issues, and her newsletter, Parent Tips, is seen in schools nationwide. She appears as a regular radio show guest, and has been quoted in Parents, Parenting, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, American Baby, Working Mother, and Woman’s Day magazines. Visit Elizabeth’s web site http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth.

A babies’ first birthday is highly anticipated and celebrated time in most families as it denotes a full year since the birth of the baby. This year included many changes and milestones as well as lots of hugs, smiles, boo boos and tears. There may not be another birthday for a while that is surrounded in as much excitement as the first birthday, so having a big bash for baby is not only fun but a great excuse for a party.

Party Time
What time is the best time to invite everyone over for your baby’s party? You want to make sure your baby is not going to be cranky, so you should pick a time when your baby will be well rested and not hungry. If your baby is on a schedule and you know when he should be napping, try to schedule the party between naps. Don’t make the party last too long. Your baby has a short attention span and after too much festivity is likely to begin getting fussy.

Invitation List
Invitation lists vary from house to house. If your main focus is your baby’s birthday don’t invite over so many people that he gets easily overwhelmed. Just a couple of family members would be enough to celebrate the big day. If you want to use your baby’s birthday as a time to have a family get together try having an outdoor barbeque so that your baby doesn’t feel closed in, or inviting a few family members early to celebrate the birthday and have the rest come at the end of the party.

Decorations
Everybody loves balloons, especially babies! There is nothing silly about decorating for your baby’s first birthday party, but remember if you make it too “busy” your maybe may get stressed or overwhelmed by it and not be able to relax and enjoy his day. Try keeping the decorations low key, and in bright colors that will catch your baby’s eye. Stick to one theme and have fun with it!

Cakes
Yes, we said “cakes”. The best part of a first birthday is watching your baby put cake all over his face. No one really wants to eat a cake though that has been in a baby’s face! Many stores will make mini cakes, just for your baby, or you can make a little cake to decorate just for your baby’s birthday. This way your baby has his own cake that he can pose with for pictures and enjoy making a mess out of, while you and your family have a cake you can enjoy eating.

Pictures
Be sure to take lots of pictures and video. This occasion commences the end of your baby’s first year of life and will only happen once. You will definitely want pictures of every moment to look back on and to share with friends and family members that were not able to make it.

Presents
Don’t feel pressured to open all your baby’s presents while the guests are at your house. Most people will understand if you choose to wait till it is quieter and less active in the house to have your baby sit down and try his hand at unwrapping packages. It might be that your baby needs a nap before he is able to tackle the task of tearing off wrapping paper. Be sure to keep a list of what everyone gives your baby though for your thank you notes.

Thank You Notes
It is always good manners to send thank you notes out for the gifts your baby receives from his birthday parties. Use the list you made as your baby opened his presents to write the thank you cards. You can even enclose a picture of your baby with that gift, or another pictures from your baby’s first birthday party. This is a good way to send out baby’s one year pictures to family members, without having to use an extra stamp.

This is the newest article of our Mom to Mom series (well, actually it’s the first!)  We asked our members,

What tips would you give a brand new mom?

The responses we saw most often were:

• Trust Your Instincts
• Breastfeed
• Cherish Every Moment
• Join a Parenting Community
• Sleep when your baby sleeps
• Have pre-made meals handy
• Try to rest and relax

And here is how it broke down …

From our Forums

LaurenOlalde: Advice that many gave me but I didn’t believe, “Time goes by so fast.” The first year has come and gone and my once newborn is now a toddler, I cant even begin to explain where the time has gone.

KimPossible:  Write everything down because you will forget a few months/years later.

Editor’s Note – or add them to your Babies Online Milestones Tracker!

BreezyChas: NEVER wake a sleeping baby….and NEVER hold a sleeping baby (well for long) … In my experience with mine….with our first we held her all the time when she was sleeping because she was new and she would never sleep without someone holding her. With my second we didn’t hold her as much when sleeping and she slept a lot better…by my third…he’d sleep all night in his crib because we didn’t hold him while sleeping…

oceangirl: Trust your instincts.

KimPossible: Don’t be afraid to question your child’s pediatrician or to disagree with him, you are the parent and have the final say.  Do your research, ask other parents for advise you might be surprised what you learn.  Join a parenting message board!! The knowledge and info you learn/receive is priceless!!  Do reviews on products before making a purchase. You might find that something you think is cool but have gotten horrible reviews by other parents.

2CuteBoys: Always trust your instincts, IMO you can never spoil a baby enjoy her/him cause time does go by fast,cherish every moment,be open and honest with your kids,be paient with them…

Frances: My advice would be to take other people’s criticism with a grain of salt. Not everyone will agree with the way you parent YOUR baby… if you choose to breastfeed you may get negativity from people that formula feed or vice versa. As long as your baby is fed, clothed, loved, healthy, safe and happy there is no right or wrong way to parent. You have to do what is best and works for your family regardless of what others have to say. Don’t ever let anyone make you feel you are inferior because you don’t do things the way they did.

From our Twitter Friends

• inklesstales Don’t let your mother or mother-in-law make you afraid. YOU’RE the mommy now.  (2)  Breastfeeding HURTS, but it doesn’t last, and then it’s very cool, and FREE, and healthier – & go ahead & do it in public. (3)  Trust your instincts. You may not know medicine, you may not know much, but YOU KNOW UR BABY.

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  canadiancollect:  Never brag when baby is sleeping well. You’ll jinx it!
  
  
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  rapidreasoning: Advice from someone who just gave birth…treasure every single moment with your new baby!!
  
  Hide Conversation
• BreastfedBabies: Join LLL so you can have breastfeeding friends and join MOMS Club so you can have Mom friends close by!
  
  
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  backwoodbarbie1: Sleep when they sleep.and you can never take to many pictures!!!

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  cindyambrose: If it’s someone close, pre-made meals. if not, maybe vouchers for a pizza place?

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  mommymichelle6:  seek out experienced mom’s to act as mentors. Raising a child REALLY does take a village.

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  kaboogie: There’s ’nuff advice, not enough support. Do what makes sense, leave the rest behind.
  
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  Juicytots:  stock your freezer with quick easy food

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  Soph4Soph: rest as much as you can & see a movie!!

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  CynSieWil: Stock your freezer with three weeks’ worth of dinners–you will NOT have energy to cook or shop
  
  
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  kaboogie: RELAX and use your natural instincts.
  
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  dancingsisters:  Sleep when your baby sleeps. You don’t know when your next chance may be!
  
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  windwardskies:  trust your instincts! All the books/advice in the world can’t compare to what you feel is right.

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  Bncngoffthwlls: The key to good parenting is to always know what your next best distraction will be! U always need 2 know what UR going 2 distract UR kids w/ BEFORE U do something that U know will cause meltdown!

From our Facebook Friends

I was surprised that our Facebook Fans were so quiet on this one, but we did get a few responses …

Renee H

My advice: Take time out for yourself! You don’t have to be “super-mom” like you think. The better you take care of yourself, the better you’ll take care of your little one!

Donna H

Nap when the little one sleeps

Jenni B

Go with your gut instinct. People will off you plenty of advice, but there is something to be said about a mother’s instinct – it’s usually right on.

Lori W

What I would tell a new parent: Read….read….read….oh, and relax and enjoy your child! Even though babies don’t come with “directions”, don’t worry that you’ll do something wrong. Your own “mother’s instinct” will kick in automatically without even thinking about it! Did I say read?…………..

From our Myspace Friends

Heather W

Rayne’s Mommy

Always remember when you feel you are having a bad day….Look at your baby and everything becomes better!

Karen

(Haha…sorry that was some advice I heard when I was prego with my first and I’ve always remembered it.)

Latoya G

Be prepared to sacrifice all the time you have to properly raise your little one, it won’t spoil him but it will make him smarter. & Good communications and loving attention by parents during a child’s early years are sure to reap lasting rewards

Desiree Annette

The best is yet to come!

Don’t compare your baby to others. Every baby is different and will reach each milestone when they are good and ready.

Janelle

Rachel Briggs

Rå¢hêlLêê

*Do what you feel is right No matter who is saying not to.

*Don’t be afraid to lay the baby down, you do not have to hold them for the first year of life.

*Crying is ok. Some cries are needed to strengthen the lungs.( not all cries are though)

*Keep your faith in it all. When times get rough and you feel like there is no rest coming for you. Wait it will.

*Don’t feel guilty because you ask for help so you can rest.(If you can not function due to lack of sleep Who will care for your children?)

*DO listen to advice given some of it may be useful one day.You may not want to believe it but Your Mother & Mother-in-laws do give good advice sometimes.

*Just because you gave birth doesn’t mean you gave up on all the things you wanted to do or wanted to have. DO what you love if it requires no children,get a sitter. Do not feel bad about still doing things for yourself.

*Take Pride in your new life with baby. Be Brave,Strong,Courageous! They are all you have and they need you to protect them at all cost!

* When they are old enough to tell you to shut-up or tell you NO or repeat things they hear DO NOT feel bad about time outs or a tap on the buns to let them know its not ok. DO not be afraid to discipline. It helps guide them to be the people we want them to be and helps them to distinguish from right and wrong!!

*Last but not least *** LOVE *** with your heart n soul and give hugs and kisses and praise every chance you get! Your not promised today nor tomorrow so live life to the fullest and don’t be afraid to say what you mean and mean what you say!Protect and Love at all cost!

Sarah

Rachy

So there you have it!

Moms around the world giving you their most valuable tips.  What golden nuggets do you have to share with other new moms?

There is a lot of controversy on whether it is better to parent your baby by a set schedule or by demand. Sometimes your baby will make this decision easy for you as he sets up a schedule for himself. Other times he will want nothing to do with the idea.

What It Is?
When a parent has a set schedule for their baby it generally means that they know when there baby is going to do what throughout the day. Whether it is nursing, napping, playing or bath time, there is a routine that the baby will follow even if he doesn’t’ want to. The parent will do the same activities, everyday in the same order, and will plan their other jobs, such as grocery shopping and cleaning around the babies’ schedule. For some this plan works well.

What Are the Pros and Cons?
Some babies will need a schedule to be content. A baby learns quickly and his body may adapt to a schedule where it is fed and rested at the same time everyday. Your baby’s inner clock may take to a schedule well, making for a happier baby. With a happy baby comes a happy family.

In some cases though a strict schedule can be bad, especially if there is no flexibility for mom and dad. Babies hit growth spurts frequently and when this happens they need to be fed more, in order to keep up with the calories their body is burning. If a schedule is too tight and the baby isn’t fed he will probably become fussy and upset, leading to crying and stress in the house. A schedule can be nice, but it is important to remember to stay a little flexible and listen to your baby.

How Do You Get Your Baby on a Schedule?
If you want to place your baby on a schedule, start by keeping a daily journal of what he does and when he does it. Write down when he gets up, when he eats and when he naps to see if you can detect a pattern. As your baby gets older he will probably start falling into some sort of sketchy pattern on his own. If you notice that your baby is waking up at 630am, eating, playing for a while, eating again and then going back to sleep about 930am everyday, you will know to start watching for this and preparing. Watch your baby’s cues to see when he starts rooting, showing that he is hungry, or rubbing his eyes letting you know he is tired. Once you see a regular pattern emerging, you can plan your parenting around your baby’s schedule, and make the times you are doing chores much more enjoyable for both of you.

What If Your Baby Isn’t Cooperating?
Try as you might, some babies just may not want to cooperate with being put on a schedule. Maybe you have a stubborn baby, or a baby who just wants to relax and go-with-the-flow, napping and eating at different times throughout the day. Forcing your baby to adapt to a schedule you want him to have may only make your baby irritable, fussy, and extremely tired which will just cause him to cry more, however not necessarily nap. If you can’t get your baby on a schedule try to watch his cues and when possible keep flexibility in your schedule, while accepting that your baby may interrupt a shopping trip, or sleep through lunch with grandma. At this point it is your turn to “go-with-the-flow”.

By Sylvia Brown, Author of The Post-Pregnancy Handbook

Unfortunately, fatigue is part of the postnatal period. Although sleep deprivation is almost inevitable, utter exhaustion is avoidable. Here are a few tips and recommendations on how to manage your energy levels in the weeks and months after childbirth.

While some mothers feel “back on their feet” after just a few days home from the hospital, medical studies show that fatigue generally reaches its peak two to four days after you return home. Many women also go through a slump between the eighth and tenth week after childbirth when the accumulated lack of sleep really begins to cause damage. Only 50 percent of women feel that they have regained their usual energy levels within six weeks postpartum. Twenty-five percent more feel that they are back to normal only after six months. This means that a quarter of new mothers are still suffering from fatigue and low energy more than six months after childbirth. But then, remember also that two-thirds of babies aged six to twelve months, and a third of toddlers have trouble sleeping through the night…

Most mothers find that their biggest problem is lack of sleep. A sleep cycle is made up of four phases, which in total last about 90 minutes. The last phase, deep sleep, when physical recuperation takes place and the immune system works hardest, occurs mostly early in the night. Only after the full sleep cycle is complete can the body go into REM (rapid eye movement) sleep when we dream and process all the mental stimuli accumulated during the day. If a mother is woken during any stage of her sleep cycle, she will go back to its very beginning when she falls back to sleep, thus missing out on precious REM sleep. So even if you are sleeping the same number of total hours within a 24-hour period, you may still suffer from REM sleep deprivation.

Elevated hormone levels are notorious for disturbing sleep during pregnancy. These persist for the first weeks after childbirth. Add in a newborn’s erratic sleep patterns as well as the habits of your older children, and it seems that you can’t escape the burning eyes, chills, hunger for sweets, irritability, lethargy, difficulty in concentrating, and even depression that accompany “sleep debt.”

Fortunately, it takes just two or three nights in a row of uninterrupted sleep to cure these symptoms. Most importantly, fatigue is managed through prevention: by building up energy reserves that can be called upon in times of stress and by never letting yourself become completely exhausted.

Managing your time to make rest your top priority usually means a total reorganization of your normal routine. This must be planned well ahead of your delivery. Building a network of friends and family to whom you can assign tasks (household chores, baby-sitting, shopping/cooking/washing up after a meal) ahead of the baby’s birth is the most important step you can take. The secret to surviving the postnatal period is to delegate, delegate, delegate and to forget about what you cannot delegate.

About the Author:
Sylvia Brown wrote The Post-Pregnancy Handbook: The Only Book that Tells What the First Year After Childbirth is Really All About — Physically, Emotionally, Sexually in response to her own frustration at the lack of comprehensive information for the mother in the weeks and months after childbirth.

by: Elizabeth Pantley, author of The No-Cry Sleep Solution

Naps are important for your child’s health and growth. A nap refreshes a child so that she can maintain her energy for the rest of the day. Studies show that children who nap are more adaptable, have longer attention spans, and are less fussy than those who don’t nap.

Does your child needs a nap?
Here are signs that your child would benefit from a nap:

1. Wakes up happy, but gets cranky later
2. Has more patience early in the day
3. Cries more easily in the evening
4. Has an afternoon slump then gets a second wind
5. Has temper tantrums during the bedtime routine
6. Falls asleep in the car or when watching TV

How much naptime does your child need?
Children differ in their sleep needs — but this chart applies to most. Even if your child’s sleep hours add up to the right total, his behavior tells you more than any chart could. When in doubt try for a nap, since even quiet time can help a child feel refreshed.

Average hours of day and night sleep

*These averages don’t signify unbroken stretches of sleep since night waking is normal. © Elizabeth Pantley, The No-Cry Sleep Solution (McGraw-Hill)

Timing and length of naps
Timing of naps is important. A late nap will prevent your child from being tired at bedtime. Generally, the best nap times are:

• Two naps: midmorning (9:00 – 11:00) and early afternoon (12:00 – 2:30)
• One nap: early afternoon (12:00 – 2:30); after lunch

If your child tends towards short naps, don’t assume it’s all she needs. Try these tips for better naps:

• Provide a healthy lunch or snack before nap.
• Keep the room dark.
• Play lullabies or white noise during the nap.
• Dress her in comfortable clothes.
• Be sure that discomfort (teething, allergies, etc.) isn’t preventing sleep.

Watch for signs of tiredness
Tired children fall asleep easily. If you miss the signals they become overtired and are unable to sleep. Your child may show one or more of these signs that tell you he is tired and ready to nap:

• losing interest in playtime
• becoming whiny or fussy
• losing patience
• having tantrums
• rubbing eyes or yawning
• caressing a lovey or blanket
• asking for a pacifier, bottle or to nurse

The nap routine
Once you’ve created a schedule that works with your child’s periods of tiredness, follow a simple but specific nap routine. Your child will be comfortable with a pattern to his day. He may predict when naptime approaches and willingly cooperate with you.

Nap routines change
Children’s sleep needs change over time. The routine that you set up today won’t be the same one you’re using a year from now. Be adaptable!

Copyright Elizabeth Pantley. (McGraw-Hill, 2003)

About the Author:
Elizabeth Pantley is the author of several books, including Gentle Baby Care : No-cry, No-fuss, No-worry — Essential Tips for Raising Your Baby, The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night, Kid Cooperation (with an introduction by William Sears, MD), Perfect Parenting, as well as her latest The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers and is also president of Better Beginnings, Inc. She is a popular speaker on family issues, and her newsletter, Parent Tips, is seen in schools nationwide. She appears as a regular radio show guest, and has been quoted in Parents, Parenting, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, American Baby, Working Mother, and Woman’s Day magazines. Visit Elizabeth’s web site http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth.

It can be so hard to get your baby to fall asleep, even when you know he is tired. He may fight sleep and having to rest by kicking, screaming, crying or just fussing. Needless to say, while he is fighting it, you will probably be going nuts yourself. Babies are stubborn and when they do not want to do something they are sure to let everyone who will listen know about it. Parents often find themselves asking what they can do to get their babies to sleep easier and sleep longer. We have the answers!

1. Create a bedtime routine. Your baby may fall asleep easier if there is an order that you do things every evening and he knows what to expect. Some babies don’t like the feeling of surprise when they are put to bed and would rather be eased into it. Start with dinner, a bath, nursing and then bed. If you want you can throw in a song, a story, or a massage.

2. Try to get your newborn to bed when he is sleepy but not overtired. If you let him get overtired he may have a harder time falling asleep and fight it more. If he is sleepy he will probably let his body’s natural instinct take over and lull him to sleep.

3. Use the light and dark to help “program” your baby. Wake your baby up in the morning once the sun comes up and start putting him to bed as the sun goes down and the room gets dark. Let the natural light help teach your baby when to fall asleep and when to wake up.

4. Check the sleep environment. You don’t want the area he sleeps in to be too busy or have too much going on. Find a quiet corner his bed can go in and take the toys out of the bed. Allow him no distractions so that he can easily go to sleep.

5. Teach your baby how to self-soothe. It is never too early to think about it so that when it is time to begin you can easily help your baby start putting himself to sleep. Once your baby can calm himself and put himself to sleep, it will free up your time to take care of other family matters. It will also help him be able to fall BACK to sleep after being awoken.

6. Pay attention to his pattern. If you watch his sleeping you will begin to notice a pattern forming of when he is tired, is ready for bed, how long he will sleep and you will know about when he will wake up. Knowing your baby’s schedule will make it easier to judge when he needs to sleep and how long you have before he wakes up.

7. Avoid stimulation. Highly stimulating forms of activity right before bedtime can wind up your baby making it hard to get him to settle down and go to sleep. Keep it calm and quiet in the house leading up to his bedtime so that he will fall asleep with little fuss.

Napping a Six Month Old
By the halfway point of your baby’s life, not only has he hit a ton of milestones, but he is probably on a regular nap schedule throughout the day. Most babies will be waking up and going to bed at night about the same time, and taking a couple of naps a day for a couple of hours each. These will normally be in the morning and afternoon. At this point it becomes much easier for mom and dad to plan outings as well as meals in the house, because they know when their baby will be awake, and when he will be asleep.

Napping a One Year Old
Most one year olds are still taking a couple of naps a day at this point; however the naps may not be lasting as long. Your baby is probably up walking, running, and very interested in the world around him. It may be hard to get your baby to actually settle down and take a nap, when there is so much else that they would love to do. Enjoy the down time you do have however, because it may not last much longer.

Napping an 18 Month Old
By the time your baby is 18 months old he probably would have cut out one of his naps. Instead of a mid-morning and mid-afternoon nap, he will probably just be taking his afternoon nap, although it may have moved closer to noon or right after lunch. It also may have gotten longer. Where your baby may have only been sleeping an hour to an hour and a half in the afternoon, he could possibly be sleeping 3 hours now. Make the most of this time during your day and get stuff done.

Napping a Two to Three Year Old
Sometime during your baby’s second and third birthday it is highly likely that he will no longer be taking naps. There is entirely too much going on in his world and too much to see and do. You will put him in his crib or toddler bed and he may sit and play for the two hours he is there instead of napping. Your peace and quiet may be coming to an end. The good news is that since your child still needs at least 12 hours of sleep a day, it might be possible to put him to bed early, around six in the evening and have him sleep all night. This will give you that free time in the evenings to get done things that you were not able to get done during the day.

Not only can it be difficult to get your baby on a night time sleep schedule, but many people worry about the daytime sleep schedule as well. Some babies love to nap and go down easily without many problems for mom and dad. Other babies and toddlers fight naptime making it a very stressful and difficult time for their parents.

Napping a Newborn
When your baby is first born, getting him to take “naps” will seem like a piece of cake. Your baby will mostly sleep anyway, so getting him to rest shouldn’t be a battle. Most babies will fall asleep during feedings wake just in time for the next feeding and a diaper change. This is the time of your baby’s life that you will think your baby is “so easy” and perfect. As they get older naptime might become a little more difficult.

Napping a Three Month Old
By the time your baby’s three month birthday has come around, he will be awake more and possibly trying to put himself on a schedule. During this time you may find naptime becoming increasingly more frustrating as your baby is napping at different times of the day and for different durations. One day you may get a four hour nap out of him which starts at 9am, and the next day he may only doze a few times for 10 minutes at a time until three in the afternoon when he naps for three hours. This flexible nap schedule your baby could be on can get frustrating for you and can make it hard to get things done during the day.

Napping a Six Month Old
By the halfway point of your baby’s life, not only has he hit a ton of milestones, but he is probably on a regular nap schedule throughout the day. Most babies will be waking up and going to bed at night about the same time, and taking a couple of naps a day for a couple of hours each. These will normally be in the morning and afternoon. At this point it becomes much easier for mom and dad to plan outings as well as meals in the house, because they know when their baby will be awake, and when he will be asleep.

Napping a One Year Old
Most one year olds are still taking a couple of naps a day at this point; however the naps may not be lasting as long. Your baby is probably up walking, running, and very interested in the world around him. It may be hard to get your baby to actually settle down and take a nap, when there is so much else that they would love to do. Enjoy the down time you do have however, because it may not last much longer.

Napping an 18 Month Old
By the time your baby is 18 months old he probably would have cut out one of his naps. Instead of a mid-morning and mid-afternoon nap, he will probably just be taking his afternoon nap, although it may have moved closer to noon or right after lunch. It also may have gotten longer. Where your baby may have only been sleeping an hour to an hour and a half in the afternoon, he could possibly be sleeping 3 hours now. Make the most of this time during your day and get stuff done.

Napping a Two to Three Year Old
Sometime during your baby’s second and third birthday it is highly likely that he will no longer be taking naps. There is entirely too much going on in his world and too much to see and do. You will put him in his crib or toddler bed and he may sit and play for the two hours he is there instead of napping. Your peace and quiet may be coming to an end. The good news is that since your child still needs at least 12 hours of sleep a day, it might be possible to put him to bed early, around six in the evening and have him sleep all night. This will give you that free time in the evenings to get done things that you were not able to get done during the day.

Co-sleeping is a topic with a lot of controversy surrounding it in much of today’s society. Some people do not think it is safe for the baby, or fear that it can cause SIDS. Breastfeeding mothers often choose to co-sleep with their newborn because they feel that they get more sleep in those first few months than they would if they had to get up and stay awake while feeding their baby. Other parents just feel happier having their baby’s close by and sleeping near them.

There are many ways to co-sleep. Baby product manufacturers actually make co-sleepers that attach to the bed and keep your baby within arms reach. These make it easy for a mother to lie in bed and nurse her baby while not worrying about her baby accidentally rolling over from the weight of the parents in bed. They also have sleep positioner’s that you can place your baby in, so that they stay either on their side or back and are unable to move. These are also good when your baby can roll, because they are blocked on either side and can not roll off the bed.

Co-sleeping is practiced widely by parents who parent on demand or consider themselves doing a form of attachment parenting. It is a way for parents to keep their babies close by at all times, in hope that the baby will feel more secure and have his needs met quickly. It many ways it is just a matter of convenience for parents and their new baby.

Safety
In order for co-sleeping to work both parents have to be aware and in agreement that they will do co-sleeping. If a parent is aware, then subconsciously, even when they are asleep, they will tend to make room for the baby and know they are there so that they do not move around too much in bed.

Decide How Long
From the beginning you want to know how long you will be co-sleeping. There is nothing wrong with co-sleeping indefinitely, or planning to do it till your baby is big enough for a real bed. However, if you plan on only doing it for a few months you will want to know that too and prepare for it. Have a crib ready for your baby already to help the transition. Once you start the transition, try not to go backwards as it might be confusing for the baby.

Nap Time
If you plan on co-sleeping indefinitely then when it comes to nap time you will want to have a positioner or rails on your bed to keep your baby from rolling off. If you do not plan on co-sleeping indefinitely, you can actually lay your baby in his bed for naps, in an effort to get him used to sleeping there and hopefully make the transition later easier.

Sleeping Through the Night
For parents who co-sleep, they may find that it seems like it takes longer for their baby to start sleeping through the night. Mothers are very tuned into their baby’s wants and needs, especially at night when they are half asleep. Any small whimper may cause a woman to think that her baby is awake and needs something, leading her to respond. In many of these cases, especially as the baby gets older, it is possible that the baby is just settling himself and isn’t really “awake”. In these cases, if left alone the baby would probably fall back into a deep sleep on their own. If the baby is in his own bed, in a different room, mom and dad would probably never hear him making noise and he would be sleeping through the night.

There is no right or wrong place to bed your baby. It is a decision that has to be made by weighing the pros and cons of the situation and making the best choice for your family.