her company, too.
Watch for Signs of Tiredness
One 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. Yet a baby who is encouraged to stay awake when her body is craving sleep is typically unhappy.
Over time, this pattern develops into sleep deprivation, which further complicates your baby’s developing sleep maturity.
Mother-Speak
“I discovered that I had been putting Carrson to bed by the clock, not by his tiredness. Once I changed this dynamic he fell asleep easier and slept longer.”
Pia, mother of eight-month-old Carrson
Most newborns can only handle about two hours of wakefulness. Once Baby becomes overtired, he will become overstimu-lated and find it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. Look for that magic moment when Baby is tired, but not overtired. These are some of the signs your baby may show you—he may demonstrate only one or two; you’ll get to know your baby over time:
Review and Choose Sleep Solutions
83
• A lull in movement and activity
• Quieting down
• Losing interest in people and toys (looking away)
• Looking “glazed”
• Fussing
• Rubbing eyes
• Yawning
Learn to read your baby’s sleepy signs and put him to bed when that window of opportunity presents itself.
Make Your Baby Comfortable
Babies are as different from each other as we adults are, and you’ll learn to understand your own baby over time. Here are a few ideas for making babies comfortable. Experiment with them, and you’ll soon discover which are best for your little one: Swaddling
Babies arrive fresh from an environment (the womb) in which they were held tightly. Some babies are most comforted when parents create a womblike setting for sleep by wrapping them securely in a receiving blanket. Your pediatrician, a veteran parent, or a baby book can give you step-by-step instructions for swaddling your baby. If your baby enjoys swaddling, you might want to use it only at night to encourage her to sleep longer.
Also, ask your doctor whether your baby is safe swaddled in a blanket. Once Baby begins to move about, this isn’t a safe way for her to sleep, because she can loosen the blanket and become tangled. Another caution: don’t swaddle a baby if the room is warm; it can create overheating, which is one of the risk factors of SIDS.
84
The No-Cry Sleep Solution
Cozy Cradle
Many new babies simply get lost in a big crib. Your baby may find a smaller cradle or bassinet more to her liking. Many babies even scoot up to the corner of the cradle to wedge their head into the crevice—much like they were wedged into your pelvis. Make sure that if your cradle can rock that you lock it into a stationary position when your baby is sleeping, and that it cannot be tipped over as she does this creeping-into-the-corner routine.
Create a Nest
Because they spent nine months curled into a tight ball, some new babies are not comfortable lying flat on their backs on a firm mattress. However, back sleeping on a firm mattress is the most important protection against SIDS. An alternative that seems to keep many babies happy, and sleeping longer, is to put them to sleep in a car seat, infant seat, or stroller, keeping them in a somewhat curled position. This might help those babies who only sleep well while cradled in Mommy’s or Daddy’s arms, or snugly curled into a sling. It gives you a gentle method to teach Baby how to sleep out of your arms. Safety rules do require that you keep your baby within eyesight if using this suggestion. In addition, if your baby sleeps in a car seat or baby seat, make sure he doesn’t slump over with his head down. This can lead to breathing problems. Help your baby keep his head up by using specially made car-seat padding that provides additional support.
A potential drawback to this idea is that your baby may get
Watch for Signs of Tiredness
One 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. Yet a baby who is encouraged to stay awake when her body is craving sleep is typically unhappy.
Over time, this pattern develops into sleep deprivation, which further complicates your baby’s developing sleep maturity.
Mother-Speak
“I discovered that I had been putting Carrson to bed by the clock, not by his tiredness. Once I changed this dynamic he fell asleep easier and slept longer.”
Pia, mother of eight-month-old Carrson
Most newborns can only handle about two hours of wakefulness. Once Baby becomes overtired, he will become overstimu-lated and find it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. Look for that magic moment when Baby is tired, but not overtired. These are some of the signs your baby may show you—he may demonstrate only one or two; you’ll get to know your baby over time:
Review and Choose Sleep Solutions
83
• A lull in movement and activity
• Quieting down
• Losing interest in people and toys (looking away)
• Looking “glazed”
• Fussing
• Rubbing eyes
• Yawning
Learn to read your baby’s sleepy signs and put him to bed when that window of opportunity presents itself.
Make Your Baby Comfortable
Babies are as different from each other as we adults are, and you’ll learn to understand your own baby over time. Here are a few ideas for making babies comfortable. Experiment with them, and you’ll soon discover which are best for your little one: Swaddling
Babies arrive fresh from an environment (the womb) in which they were held tightly. Some babies are most comforted when parents create a womblike setting for sleep by wrapping them securely in a receiving blanket. Your pediatrician, a veteran parent, or a baby book can give you step-by-step instructions for swaddling your baby. If your baby enjoys swaddling, you might want to use it only at night to encourage her to sleep longer.
Also, ask your doctor whether your baby is safe swaddled in a blanket. Once Baby begins to move about, this isn’t a safe way for her to sleep, because she can loosen the blanket and become tangled. Another caution: don’t swaddle a baby if the room is warm; it can create overheating, which is one of the risk factors of SIDS.
84
The No-Cry Sleep Solution
Cozy Cradle
Many new babies simply get lost in a big crib. Your baby may find a smaller cradle or bassinet more to her liking. Many babies even scoot up to the corner of the cradle to wedge their head into the crevice—much like they were wedged into your pelvis. Make sure that if your cradle can rock that you lock it into a stationary position when your baby is sleeping, and that it cannot be tipped over as she does this creeping-into-the-corner routine.
Create a Nest
Because they spent nine months curled into a tight ball, some new babies are not comfortable lying flat on their backs on a firm mattress. However, back sleeping on a firm mattress is the most important protection against SIDS. An alternative that seems to keep many babies happy, and sleeping longer, is to put them to sleep in a car seat, infant seat, or stroller, keeping them in a somewhat curled position. This might help those babies who only sleep well while cradled in Mommy’s or Daddy’s arms, or snugly curled into a sling. It gives you a gentle method to teach Baby how to sleep out of your arms. Safety rules do require that you keep your baby within eyesight if using this suggestion. In addition, if your baby sleeps in a car seat or baby seat, make sure he doesn’t slump over with his head down. This can lead to breathing problems. Help your baby keep his head up by using specially made car-seat padding that provides additional support.
A potential drawback to this idea is that your baby may get
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