Although newborn babies sleep for most hours of the day, it can seem like both you and your baby aren’t able to get very restful sleep in the first few weeks or months after their arrival. And while every baby and parent is different, there are some things you can do to help increase the chances of your baby sleeping well so that you can get some much-needed rest, too.
To help you see how this can be possible, here are three ways to help you and your newborn get more sleep.
Discourage Co-Sleeping
While co-sleeping might seem like a good idea at the time, experts at LuxuryStrollers note that sharing a bed with your newborn usually isn’t the ideal way for either of you to get quality sleep at night.
For many parents, they’re either worried about their baby being too far away from them or find that co-sleeping is just more convenient. If you’re worried about your baby, try using a baby monitor instead of co-sleeping. And although sharing a bed might be more convenient in the moment, it won’t be in the long run. Ideally, the Mayo Clinic recommends that you try to move your baby into their own bed as soon as you can, as it’s much easier to disrupt each other’s sleep when you’re sharing a bed. Additionally, co-sleeping can increase your baby’s risk of SIDS.
Get Enough Daytime Sleep
Sometimes, parents may try to keep their baby awake more during the day so that they’ll be extra tired and sleep more at night. However, this line of thinking isn’t actually how baby sleep works.
Instead, Dr. Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, a contributor to KidsHealth.org, shares that babies who get enough sleep during the day won’t be overtired at night. And since overtired babies have a harder time calming down and settling in for nighttime sleep, you’ll want to do everything in your power to make sure your baby is getting enough daytime sleep so you both can rest more easily at night, too.
Know What Makes For Good Sleep Environments
For both you and your baby to get the best sleep you can, you’ve got to put yourselves in a good sleep environment.
Generally, Meredith Wallis, a contributor to Healthline.com, shares that newborn babies sleep best in a dark room where they’re swaddled up with white noise in the background. And for adults, you’ll want to remove anything that could be a distraction or stress-inducer from your bedroom.
If you’re worried about getting enough sleep when you have a newborn at home, consider using the tips mentioned above to help ensure that everyone in your house is getting the sleep they need.
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