Sound sleep schedule for baby and MAMA!!
Dear All,
Welcome again.
"People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one"
I am sure most of you will agree with the above quote. Truly, motherhood is exhausting, and sleepless nights becomes part of our daily routine.
In this blog, I would like to share my experience on sleep training.
My daughter is 4.5 months old, and she sleeps from 7pm till 6am (of course with dream feeds usually 2 to 3 times), but yes, as impossible as it may sound, it is definitely achievable.
In the first 3 months, I would religiously follow the mantra "sleep when the baby sleeps". She would sleep at night for a stretch of about 5 hours, and day time 3-4 naps of 2 to 3 hours.Accomplishing fixed hours of nap time and night time routine in the first three months, never happened with me. She would automatically change her routine every three days.
Soon I realized that she was too young and scheduling seems impossible and so, I started to let go of the schedule and decided to live in the moment and rest while she sleeps and play with her when she is up. This made me feel more energized and positive, rather than being drained at the end of the day.
When she turned, 3.5 months old, she started showing signs of accepting a routine, where she would nap at fixed timings. That's when I had decided to sleep train her.
Day routine:
Early to bed and early to rise , has always been my mantra. So I planned the same routine for my baby also. Once, she feeds at around 5.30 am, I would dress her up and take for a stroll in the park for an hour. Then, she would nap for about an hour, before her massage and bath time.
After her bath, I would feed her and play with her for half hour or till she is tired. She would then sleep for two hours straight.
Once she is up, she gets some independent play time in her play gym, after being exhausted by all the kicking time, she would sleep for another 1.5 hours.
Evening have been difficult for me. She needs my attention after sunset, so that's when I read her stories and spend some time with her until around .
Night Routine:
After 6.30 pm, I would massage her and feed her , before creating a sleepy atmosphere in the room, with dim lights and no sound.
Sometimes, I would play soft instrumental music, that I was listening to while I was pregnant, to put her to sleep. So it's actually a great idea, to have a sleep music for yourself when you are pregnant, the baby will eventually recognize the music.
Once, you have decided the time you want her to go to bed, start creating a sleep friendly environment, by dimming down the lights, no talking with the baby, and then try to put your child to sleep.
I use Amber shade lights in my room. Having brightness controlled lights installed helps to induce sleep.
Ensure that you are committed to sleep train your baby and spend a minimum of 15 days with your infant. This might surprise you, that after dedicating 10 days with my daughter, where she started sleeping at 11 pm initially , even though I am with her in the room from 7 pm, she now sleeps on her own by between 7 to 8 pm every night!!!
Her wake up time is usually between 6-7 am.
PRO TIPS
1) During dream feeds, restrict the use of bright lights and interacting with your baby, your little one will immediately go back to sleep.
2) Having a fixed night routine, will ensure your baby is in a great mood through out the day. All you have to do is continuously sacrifice night time plans for a month and then you will be a happy mother.
3) Massage your baby and read a bed time story every night, it will create a positive impact on your baby's brain and also built it's word power. Once you continue to do this on the 20th day when you begin this routine the baby's brain will automatically signal that its time to sleep!! It has been my mantra and I follow it till date.
"Motherhood is an experiment on how long your body can function without adequate sleep or nourishment and fueled only on adrenaline, caffeine and baby smiles"
P.S : If you tell me that even after 3 months, your body still feel tired and exhausted, I will believe you. It can never become a habit to stay up all night. Cheers to all the strong mothers out there!! Keep Going . You all rock ..
Welcome again.
"People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one"
I am sure most of you will agree with the above quote. Truly, motherhood is exhausting, and sleepless nights becomes part of our daily routine.
In this blog, I would like to share my experience on sleep training.
My daughter is 4.5 months old, and she sleeps from 7pm till 6am (of course with dream feeds usually 2 to 3 times), but yes, as impossible as it may sound, it is definitely achievable.
In the first 3 months, I would religiously follow the mantra "sleep when the baby sleeps". She would sleep at night for a stretch of about 5 hours, and day time 3-4 naps of 2 to 3 hours.Accomplishing fixed hours of nap time and night time routine in the first three months, never happened with me. She would automatically change her routine every three days.
Soon I realized that she was too young and scheduling seems impossible and so, I started to let go of the schedule and decided to live in the moment and rest while she sleeps and play with her when she is up. This made me feel more energized and positive, rather than being drained at the end of the day.
When she turned, 3.5 months old, she started showing signs of accepting a routine, where she would nap at fixed timings. That's when I had decided to sleep train her.
Day routine:
Early to bed and early to rise , has always been my mantra. So I planned the same routine for my baby also. Once, she feeds at around 5.30 am, I would dress her up and take for a stroll in the park for an hour. Then, she would nap for about an hour, before her massage and bath time.
After her bath, I would feed her and play with her for half hour or till she is tired. She would then sleep for two hours straight.
Once she is up, she gets some independent play time in her play gym, after being exhausted by all the kicking time, she would sleep for another 1.5 hours.
Evening have been difficult for me. She needs my attention after sunset, so that's when I read her stories and spend some time with her until around .
Night Routine:
After 6.30 pm, I would massage her and feed her , before creating a sleepy atmosphere in the room, with dim lights and no sound.
Sometimes, I would play soft instrumental music, that I was listening to while I was pregnant, to put her to sleep. So it's actually a great idea, to have a sleep music for yourself when you are pregnant, the baby will eventually recognize the music.
Once, you have decided the time you want her to go to bed, start creating a sleep friendly environment, by dimming down the lights, no talking with the baby, and then try to put your child to sleep.
I use Amber shade lights in my room. Having brightness controlled lights installed helps to induce sleep.
Ensure that you are committed to sleep train your baby and spend a minimum of 15 days with your infant. This might surprise you, that after dedicating 10 days with my daughter, where she started sleeping at 11 pm initially , even though I am with her in the room from 7 pm, she now sleeps on her own by between 7 to 8 pm every night!!!
Her wake up time is usually between 6-7 am.
PRO TIPS
1) During dream feeds, restrict the use of bright lights and interacting with your baby, your little one will immediately go back to sleep.
2) Having a fixed night routine, will ensure your baby is in a great mood through out the day. All you have to do is continuously sacrifice night time plans for a month and then you will be a happy mother.
3) Massage your baby and read a bed time story every night, it will create a positive impact on your baby's brain and also built it's word power. Once you continue to do this on the 20th day when you begin this routine the baby's brain will automatically signal that its time to sleep!! It has been my mantra and I follow it till date.
"Motherhood is an experiment on how long your body can function without adequate sleep or nourishment and fueled only on adrenaline, caffeine and baby smiles"
P.S : If you tell me that even after 3 months, your body still feel tired and exhausted, I will believe you. It can never become a habit to stay up all night. Cheers to all the strong mothers out there!! Keep Going . You all rock ..
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