Sleeping Babies

You already know that babies sleep a lot during the first week months, but what you do will determine who well they continue to sleep for you. Some babies naturally have a problem with sleeping because they have colic or other conditions, but there are some things that you can do early on to establish good habits for sleeping babies. It is impossible to spoil a baby under the age of one, but you can try to establish some good sleeping habits and patterns early on in life that will go with them through the next five years.

Sleeping babies often sleep a lot because they have to. This is when babies grow and thrive. Sleep is when the body grows and develops, and stores all the learning they do while they are awake. You may not think a newborn is learning much, but they learn more than you think. Sleeping babies that sleep well when young will sleep well later on as long as you think about what the future may be like and what they are going to have to be accustomed to as they get older.

For one thing, sleeping babies at a very young age sleep through just about anything. The loud noises that may wake you up may not bother them. If you find that this is the case, you are off to a great start. Sleeping babies become more sensitive as they get older, so keep the noise levels as they always are. If babies are use to noises when they are infants, they will not be bothered by them later on. Have baby sleep in an active room for naps, and while the noise should be kept down some, don't be as worried about it as you think you should be. They will get use to it and they will be able to sleep through noise and disruption later.

You will find that some sleeping babies suddenly stop sleeping well if you have kept them home too much. Some parents do not have a choice, as they have preemies they must keep home or perhaps it is flu season and it is not a good idea to take them out. However, if you get them use to sleeping while away from home at an early age, you will not be a slave to sleeping babies and their need to be at home whenever they need a nap. You will never get anything done if you have to rush home every two hours so your child will fall asleep.

Another tip for keeping sleeping babies in good habits is to allow them to fall asleep on their own if at all possible. Feed them when they first wake, and then lay them down when they are drowsy but not yet asleep. This allows them to get to sleep on their own. If you are not careful, you may have a child that expects to be rocked to sleep each time they go to bed at night or when they go down for a nap. A baby that learns early on that they can put themselves to sleep will feel more comfortable and will have better sleeping habits later on.