Helping Your Baby Sleep

You cannot force a child to sleep, and you cannot teach a child to sleep. But don't worry too much. Provided the baby gets enough to eat, is not in pain, and is not interrupted constantly, he/she will get as much sleep as necessary. On this page, we will discuss your baby's sleep cycle and your role in this process.

Your Baby's Sleep Needs

The need for sleep varies widely: one infant may require as many as 20 or 21 hours a day; another, only 11 hours. The actual amount of time is not important, except to a parent; a baby who sleeps very little can be as strong and healthy as one who sleeps a great deal. On average, a newborn has about eight sleep periods a day. Some periods may last as long as two to four hours; others are catnaps that last for only minutes.

Helping Your Baby Sleep

You can acknowledge all of these facts about sleeping, and you can realize your baby's sleep habits are not an indication of your parenting abilities or the baby's goodness. Still, you feel responsible for helping her get whatever amount of sleep is necessary in any way you can. You will probably find your baby doesn't fall asleep instantly when put into the crib; in fact, wakefulness, perhaps accompanied by crying, may last as long as 30 minutes. Put your baby down when he/she is full and has been thoroughly burped.

A warm bath and a massage with a light lotion, a period of cuddling, or a ride in the carriage in the fresh air may encourage sleep. And the room need not be darkened, unless your baby is confusing night and day and you are having trouble changing a sleep pattern started in the hospital, where the nursery is bright and bustling with activity all day and all night. A room temperature of about 70 degrees is most comfortable for the baby, who should be clothed in a loose sleep sack (a covering blanket is not necessary then), a comfortable gown, or a sleep suit.

Nighttime noises. Do not worry about eliminating all household noise; a baby becomes accustomed to the ordinary sounds very quickly. In fact, babies often find certain sounds soothing and go to sleep more quickly if those sounds are present. The intrauterine sounds the baby is used to are simulated in various crib toys and devices, including a rather expensive teddy bear with a tape cassette. You can reproduce very similar sounds at little cost by taping a running dishwasher or washing machine with your own tape recorder. Other sounds babies sometimes find soothing are the running of the vacuum cleaner, the white noise produced by a radio station that's off the air, a ticking clock, or soft music.

Rocking. A ride in the carriage is only one way to supply the motion that sometimes helps babies sleep. Windup or cradle swings serve the same purpose, and you can rock the baby or walk the floor or dance around the room with her in your arms. You can even lull the baby to sleep by gently jiggling the baby's bed.

Sleeping position. Your newborn's sleeping position is very important. The most recent recommendation is to place a term infant on her back -- not on his/her stomach or side, as was previously advised. (This advice may not apply to premature infants; consult your child's doctor.) Don't worry if the baby is comfortable in only one position at first and her head flattens a bit. It will regain its normal shape in a short time.

Swaddling. Babies often seem to like the feeling of being lightly swaddled. To do this, lay the baby diagonally on a small cotton receiving blanket. Turn up the bottom corner of the blanket, fold one side of the blanket loosely over the baby, then fold the other side over. (Alternatively, you can fold up one side of the blanket, then the bottom, then the other side.) Your baby is snugly enclosed in a kind of envelope that keeps her warm and secure. When you pick the baby up, you can let the top corner rest on her head, like a hood, if you wish.

Babies also like to be in small spaces. Try placing your baby in a corner of the crib, touching the bumper on one side and a rolled blanket on the other. Putting the baby down on the same small, soft blanket every time, perhaps one on which you've put a drop or two of your own perfume or cologne, may help induce sleep.

Parents eagerly anticipate their baby's sleeping through the night, but your baby probably will not achieve an eight-hour sleeping period until she is several months old. Someone will likely advise you to give the baby cereal at the last, late-night feeding as a way to induce a longer sleeping period. This is not recommended. Your baby's doctor will tell you when your baby is developed enough to handle solids.

Pacifier pros and cons. A pacifier may help put your baby to sleep. La Leche League discourages the use of pacifiers on the grounds they may diminish a baby's need to suck and, therefore, make her a less efficient nurser. Some parents disapprove of them, too, probably because they find distasteful the not-uncommon sight of a toddler whose sucking needs have long since been outgrown walking around with a pacifier stuck in her mouth like a plug.

In fact, some find the sucking that is one of a baby's instinctual needs somewhat difficult to understand at all. They may feel that extra-nutritional sucking indicates something is lacking in the emotional development of their child and, therefore, they are "bad" parents.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Newborns need to suck; it is their most satisfying form of gratification. The benefits of a pacifier are apparent when a baby's need to suck goes beyond her need to eat. Infants may awaken a short time after a feeding and indicate what seems to be hunger by trying to put their hands in their mouths or crying, when what they really need is simply to suck. Thumb-sucking would be a good substitute if infants could manage to find these natural, flesh-and-blood pacifiers when they want them. Since a tiny baby rarely can put thumb to mouth at will, a pacifier meets her need to suck and eliminates unnecessary feedings that inconvenience you and may upset the baby's digestion.

Another possible benefit of pacifiers has been discovered in their use with premature babies. Those who were induced to accept pacifiers in the hospital were found to develop sucking muscles sooner than those who did not take them, and thus were able to be taken off intravenous feedings and fed by mouth sooner.

If you give your baby a pacifier in bed, do take it away when she is asleep to avoid the baby's becoming dependent upon it to stay asleep. And never, never tie it on a string around the baby's neck. It could cause strangulation. After six months or so, the need for extra sucking disappears. If you dislike the pacifier, you can probably arrange for it to disappear about the same time.

The Family Bed: Pro and Con

Parents in many foreign countries sleep with their babies routinely, and not always because of a lack of space. In Asia and Central America, for example, parents' concepts of nurturing make it incomprehensible to them that anyone would expect a child to sleep alone in a bed, not to mention in a room alone. This practice has been frowned upon, to put it lightly, in this country since at least the beginning of the 20th century, but it seems to have become more common in recent years. One reason may be the ever-increasing interest in breast-feeding.

The simplest and most convenient way to nurse a baby is to lie comfortably in bed with him/her and to fall asleep together when the feeding is over. Today even medical people who have disapproved most adamantly of parents and babies sleeping together have begun to reevaluate their convictions, and some have swung around completely.

One of the main worries parents have had about sleeping with infants is they will roll over and smother or injure their babies. That's not at all likely. Besides, your baby will surely wake up and cry if you begin to hurt her.

Some of the worries of psychotherapists and physicians have been that a child may become too dependent on sleeping with the parents, may be frightened by seeing the parents in the act of sexual intercourse, or may be overstimulated by the intimate body contact with adults. Parents who advocate the family bed say children almost always want their own beds by the preschool years, if not before, and they themselves have been able to move the children out easily whenever they've wanted to give up the practice.

They ensure their sexual privacy by making love during the baby's deepest sleep periods or by simply moving to another place in the house. And they insist the bodily closeness and touching sleeping together offers brings a feeling of security and comfort to a child, not harm. In addition, they say both parents and infant sleep better in the same bed. The baby does not always fully awaken if she is not hungry and may go back to sleep easily. And the parents can stay comfortably in bed and at rest, if not asleep, while the baby is awake.

The family bed question is obviously a very personal one parents must settle for themselves. If they disagree about the wisdom of sleeping with their children, or if either is deprived of needed sleep because the child is present, they would be foolish to consider adopting the family bed.

Some parents who are only lukewarm about having an infant sleep with them work out compromises of some sort. They may take the baby into their bed for only the first few difficult weeks, or they may carry the baby back to the crib when he/she has fallen asleep. Later, they may limit access to their bed to the kids on weekend mornings or to a sick or frightened child in the middle of the night.

In the next section, we'll move from the family bed to another topic: helping your baby stop crying.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.