Are You a New Parent? Don't Make These Sleep Mistakes with Your Baby

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A baby is a blessing, but getting used to a new sleep cycle is one of the hardest things to get used to when you have a newborn in the house. Babies usually only sleep two to four hours at a time when you first bring them home, which means your sleep schedule gets messed up as well. Fortunately, you can take steps to make the situation a little easier on the entire family, and most of these steps are very simple indeed. Below are some of these steps.

1. Don't Rely on Props

When we say props, we're not talking about the things adults have, such as the right mattress or a bedtime ritual. Instead, we're talking about things such as pacifiers or "cyber nannies." The problem with pacifiers is that babies become dependent on them and end up not sleeping without them. So the best thing to do is not give them a pacifier in the first place. Cyber nannies include devices that measure an infant's vital signs so the parents can feel confident about their safety. But they can make parents over-anxious or even over-confident, and neither of these is a good thing.

2. Don't Be Inconsistent

Being inconsistent when establishing a sleep schedule for your baby is easy to do but never a good idea. Your baby can feel the difference between being put in a bouncer, being sung or rocked to sleep, and being allowed to sleep in your bed. This means they can get confused, and therefore getting them to sleep is a challenge. For most babies, a warm bath followed by feeding than being put to sleep is the perfect combination that works. Just make sure the routine you use is the same every night.

3. Don't Manipulate Baby's Bedtime

In an attempt to get their baby on a schedule, some parents either rush or delay the baby's bedtime. Instead, you should learn to recognize the signs that the infant is ready for sleep and allow them to wind down before putting them to bed. Some of these signs include:

●       Rubbing their eyes

●       Fussing

●       Looking away

Many parents, especially those who work full-time, try to delay the baby's bedtime to spend more time with them. But both rushing bedtime and delaying it can wreak havoc on the baby's schedule after a while.

4. Don't Use Bumpers or Borders on the Crib

New parents often assume that bumpers and borders for the Crib are necessary to keep the baby safe, but this isn't the case. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) has been linked to asphyxiation, easily caused by bumpers and borders. The truth is, a baby who bumps their head against the crib rail is not likely to become injured. Indeed, the baby is much more likely to be harmed with the bumpers than they are from bumping against the fence. Therefore, to err on the side of caution, skip the bumpers and borders for your baby's Crib.


 

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