Baby Bedtime

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Baby Bedtime
She's fed, clean, freshly diapered and now she's yawning. It's bedtime for little one.
Where?
While it's tempting to hold baby and watch her sleep, you need to make a point of putting her down to sleep. At least most of the time. Baby should sleep in a safe crib, bassinet, or co-sleeper in your room or her own nursery for nighttime rest periods. Some families put newborns down for daytime naps in family areas, to help with setting a schedule and developing flexibility. The choice is yours. Wherever baby sleeps, be sure that she is within earshot, either due to proximity or the use of a monitor.

Many couples keep young infants in the master bedroom for the first weeks of life, which is easier on mother and father for middle of the night feedings and diaper changes. Others put babies straight into their own rooms from the start. This is perfectly safe, and there is some evidence that it may be helpful in developing self-soothing skills. There's a lot of debate about having baby sleep in the same bed as her parents. It's convenient and it feels right for some families. Certainly this is a personal decision. However, there is some evidence that co-sleeper devices are safer. So if you've got your heart set on sleeping with baby, consider buying a co-sleeper.

How? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants sleep on their backs, rather than their stomachs. This is important to point out to well-meaning friends and relatives, who may believe that stomach sleeping is best, which was a common belief prior to 1992. If your baby seems to flail about when sleeping on his back, swaddle him in a receiving blanket. Or consider buying a special swaddling blanket. Babies who are snug as bugs in rugs sleep well.

No toys or loose bedding in the crib or bassinet. Never use a pillow for children under two years of age

When? Newborns sleep as much as 16 hours a day. If only some of those hours came in stretches of longer than three hours. The body of a tiny baby does not know the difference between night and day, so do not expect long rest periods at night. Your little one will need to eat and be changed over night, that's just the way little metabolism is. You can help baby learn not to expect playtime at night, however. During the day, when baby awakens, feed her, change her, play with her, keep her with the family socializing.

When you are attempting to set a schedule for your little one, encourage awake behavior during typical waking hours. Play, sing, keep baby where the action is from the hours of 6:00 am (or whenever you deem appropriate) until your own preferred "pre-baby" bedtime of 11:00 pm or so. By the same token, encourage quiet behaviors during quiet middle of the night periods. When you're watching the late evening news, just prior to turning in yourself, give baby a "final" feeding, give lots of quiet cuddling, then settle her into her crib or other sleeping area in a dark room.

When baby awakens for feedings during "sleeping" hours, keep things business like. Do not sing or play. Keep the lights low. Change baby's diaper, feed baby quietly, and settle her back into her sleeping area. Organization is very helpful here. Keep diapering supplies close at hand. If you're bottle-feeding, this is a great time for powdered formula. Pre-measure your water, pre-measure your powder, keep everything within reach. Just run bottle with pre-measured water under bathroom faucet while you or Dad change baby and mix the formula right in the bottle for feeding.

If things are calm and quiet (read: not interesting), baby will be less likely to want to stay awake. Even though it's unrealistic to expect babies to sleep through the night (five or more hours of sleep) prior to weighing thirteen pounds (about three months), you will be helping the process along by setting a routine from the start.

How long will the nighttime waking/feedings last? For some babies, just a few months. For others, as long as a year. However, if your baby is night sleeping for five to eight hour stretches by four months, talk to your pediatrician.

Baby's asleep... now what?
My advice: take time for yourself. Forget the laundry, forget the thank you cards, just relax. You need it. Your body needs to recover from delivery your little miracle. You're going to be up round the clock tending to baby for the immediate future. Take a nap, take a shower, take a break.

Take advantage of any extra hands on deck because they won't be around forever to help.

(Of course, your partner's hands are not extra hands. Make sure he is included in baby's care right from the start. Some Dads are hands on from the start, others need an invitation. Taking care of baby is more fun when the workload is shared.)