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 first year, 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.

As a new mother or father, one of your priorities should be to develop good sleeping habits for your newborn baby. It is important for your baby to learn how to sleep on his or her own. The transition from sleeping with parents to sleeping on their own can be demanding and take some time. Of course, the need for a full night of rest, for the parents, should be adequate motivation to help one’s newborn baby learn how to sleep on their own. In order to instill good sleeping habits in your baby, you have to research and investigate a variety of baby sleep tips and solutions: try as many methods as you can and see which ones work for you and your newborn. Don’t be afraid to trust your parental instincts also.

Most baby sleep methods converge around the concept of determining routines and associations for your child’s naptime and sleep. The sooner your little one starts to relate bedtime with sleep, the more likely he is capable of going to sleep with no problem at all and sleeping through most of the night. A period that is commonly disregarded in forming day and night associations, is the “transition” period, the time between being awake and falling asleep. The following are a list of some transitioning techniques to try:

1. “Fathering Down” is good method parents should use in encouraging your baby’s sleep routine. Prior to placing the baby in bed, the father should cradle the baby so that the newborn’s head rests on the father’s neck. The father should then talk gently to the newborn until the child falls asleep. Babies are usually more soothed and calmed by a male’s deeper speech, and can fall asleep more smoothly upon hearing it for some time.

2. You can also attempt to execute a technique that is sometimes referred to as the “Wearing Down” method. If your baby is extremely energetic throughout the day and becomes so aroused that, at night, he or she cannot sleep, then this would be a very effective technique to use. All you have to do is “wear” your baby in a sling or carrier for about thirty minutes to an hour before their bedtime. Simply go about performing your normal household duties and, over time, the baby will gradually fall asleep. The idea and process of the baby being next to his or her parent and slowly rocked before bedtime aids the newborn in making an easier transition from being awake to being asleep.

3. Finally, if you’ve exhausted all the other options, and nothing works, you can attempt to employ the rarely used but effective “Driving Down” method. Unfortunately, most parents are informed about this procedure as a last resort. This technique involves placing your baby in the car and driving him or her around until they fall asleep. This method, while inconvenient, usually works all the time, and if you desperately need a full night of sleep, it is the most trusted and reliable method to use.

Apparently, you shouldn’t have to drive around every night or carry him in a sling to make your baby sleep through the night. The initial idea is to begin with these more demanding methods and slowly ease out of them. Keep in mind that your baby is going through major development while he is yet very young and small. They have never slept on their own before and it may take a while for them to adjust to their new sleeping routine. Newborns simply don’t know how to transition from being awake to being asleep, and it may require much patience on the part of the parents. However, by utilyzing these effective techniques you will be slowly conditioning your baby’s sleep pattern and habits, which will ensure that both you and your little one will obtain a good night of sleep.

About the Author:
Marvin Perry is the author of “Newborn Baby Sleep Solutions -Tips and Wisdom” and he maintains an informative site on developing healthy sleep habits for babies. To view Marvin’s helping baby sleep site go to: http://www.helping-baby-sleep-pattern.com.

Sleeping…

A newborn baby spends most of her time on two things: sleeping and feeding – although, as she needs an average of 8 diaper changes a day, maybe that should be three things

Newborn babies sleep for around 17-18 hours a day, but the bad news is she will sleep only for 3 or 4 hours at a time. When she wakes she will probably need feeding and/or a diaper change.

Babies are not born with a conception of day and night, so you have to teach her to take short naps in the day and longer sleeps at night. During the first few weeks you will have to feed on demand and let her decide when she will sleep. Then you should try to encourage her to take the majority of her sleep at night by changing her surroundings: at night she should sleep in a darkened room (either her own bedroom or a corner of yours), in her cot. During the day keep her in bright light (but not direct sunlight, babies get sunburnt very easily), in her buggy.

After about 4 months baby should be sleeping for a total of about 15 hours, but she should now be sleeping for around 8-10 hours at night and without a break. She will benefit from a set routine at bedtime. A bath followed by a feed and a clean diaper, then settle her in her bed while she is still awake and play her some soothing music. Mobiles suspended over the cot work wonders.

Getting baby to establish a routine is a gradual process so don’t worry if it takes a while. There will still be the odd night-time feed required until she reaches about 6 months when she should last all night without refuelling! Aren’t you looking forward to that!

Sleeping Position
To minimise the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (also known as cot death):

• place baby on her back,
• tuck in the sheet and blanket (don’t use a duvet until she is at least 12 months),
• make sure the room is neither too hot nor too cold – ideal temperature 65?F,

Sleeping Problems
If baby isn’t sleeping well at night, it may be because:

• she is too hot, too cold, hungry, thirsty, or needs changing,
• she is getting too much sleep in the day. A recent study found that keeping baby in bright light during the daytime naps will teach her the difference between a night-time sleep and a daytime nap,
• she isn’t tired enough. Introduce more energetic playtimes, then wind down an hour before bedtime,
• she is over-tired. Introduce a quiet time before bed to calm her down. You might also try baby massage.
• she has colic. That’s a whole different problem and you will find a separate article about colic.

Finally, remember that, like adults, all babies are not the same and some will need less sleep than others.

About the Author:
Tony Luck who runs a site with advice about babies. You will also find the fascinating chinese pregnancy calendar which is supposed to tell you whether the baby you are expecting will be a girl or boy, and a conception chart to tell you when baby is expected.