Infant sleep problems are not at all uncommon just ask any honest mother or father! It can be extremely frustrating, but many parents do not worry about it as most consider sleep deprivation a parenting “right of passage.” While most parents do go through a period of time with their baby where they are not getting much rest, after awhile it is not at all normal (or even healthy) for the whole family not to be getting the rest they need at night.
The problem with infant sleep issues is that there are not any “hard and fast” rules about when your child should be sleeping for three hours at time, six hours at time, and all the way through the night. Even if you ask your pediatrician, he or she will likely give you a different response from the other pediatrician down the street. Each child is an individual, and they all take a different course that eventually should lead to sleeping through the night. Wanting to be fed, changed, and held are very normal reasons that newborn babies wake up at night. However, as your baby gets older, they should eventually be able to sleep through the night without needing anything from Mom or Dad.
Most babies should be able to sleep through the night somewhere between 3 and d 6 months of age. One of the best ways to get your child “sleeping through” is to develop a nighttime routine that will cue your baby into the fact that it is rest time. Every night go about the same routine and, before long, your child will realize that it is time to be quiet and go to sleep. Babies are very aware of their surroundings, so be sure that you follow the same routine every night. If your child still won’t rest though the night, don’t worry you’re not alone! In fact, infant sleep questions are some of the most common ones that family doctors hear from new parents!
If your doctor has assured you that there are not any infant sleep issues that you need to worry about, but your baby is still not sleeping at night, you might want to visit http://www.sleepsense.net and browse through some of the strategies there. Your child CAN learn to sleep all through the night, and take restful naps, too. The most important step to take is the first one deciding to make the change!