The first few months of your baby’s life will be extremely tricky. Even when you’ve had other babies before, every baby is a different individual. You’ll have some babies responding to things that your other baby didn’t and having characteristics that other babies don’t. It is very common for parents to say that the other kid was like so and so during infancy, while this one is different.
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How do I get my baby to sleep back at 2 am?
Getting your baby back to sleep follows the same process as when you put them down for bedtime:
Lay baby down drowsy
Experts have explained that while you can definitely rock your baby to get them drowsy, do not make a habit of rocking them all the way to sleep. This will create a sleep crutch, which will make the baby depend on being held.
Have a sleep routine
While this may seem mundane, it helps. What a routine does is that it allows your baby to develop a sleep association between certain activities. This includes bathing and preparing the baby for sleep. He knows that when you do such activities it culminates in sleep and that improves his circadian rhythm.
Adjust Bedtime
When your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, then it could be a sign that you need to adjust your bedtime. Although most people would think to move the bedtime further into the night, it is important that you understand that this doesn’t work. It will only make the baby more tired and fussy, then it becomes more difficult to get him settled.
Diaper change
Discomfort is a sure precursor to waking up your baby. Whenever the diapers are soiled, it draws the baby back into consciousness even if it’s the middle of the night. Some parents have considered using bigger diapers than the baby’s size to ensure that the fluid takes a long time before becoming a bother to the baby.
Reduce the number of naps during the day
To ensure that your baby can feel sleepy enough to get to sleep after waking up at night, you will need to reduce how many times he naps during the day. It is also helpful to reduce the length of those individual naps. This helps to increase sleep pressure, which in turn allows the baby to fall asleep easily.
Burp well
Something as simple as a delayed burp could affect how easily the baby can fall asleep because it causes discomfort.
Work on the environment
Everything about nighttime should be geared toward getting the baby in a sleepy mood. Let down the curtains and minimize the amount of light and noise coming into the room. Let it be calm and peaceful. You can also feed the baby while singing a soft lullaby.
Why does the baby always wake up at 2 am?
Babies typically go through variations in sleep patterns as they grow. Our sleep patterns are governed by our circadian rhythm, which is an internal regulation of the sleep-wake cycle. What this means is that your little one wakes up at 2 am because according to his rhythm, he feels awake and energetic. He then plays to gain sleep pressure to be able to fall asleep again. Reasons for this are explained below:
Too many Stimulations
It is very important that you have as few stimulations as possible towards bedtime. If you have put on a nursery rhyme or played a lot with the baby, it will make it harder to fall asleep.
Too many naps during the day
Yes, your baby will fall asleep quite a few times during the day. However, it is critical to ensure that they are not so many as will affect bedtime.
Nap just before bedtime
Of course, if your baby sleeps just before bedtime he will surely have a hard time feeling sleepy at bedtime.
Environment
The environment is an enormous factor. While feeding your baby at night, it should be in a quiet, lull and dimly lit room to create the mindset and put the baby in sleep mode.
Sleep crutches
A baby is beautiful, cuddly, and cute but some of our loving overtures may create some sleep crutches. These include holding the baby while he sleeps, rushing to pick the baby up when he makes a sound, and making too many distracting noises all at once.
Not enough sleep pressure
Sleep pressure is a certain build-up that makes the baby tired enough to be sleepy at bedtime but not so exhausted that the baby gets cranky.
New Skills
We all get excited when we acquire a new skill. We want to try it out and keep practicing and even show it off. This also happens in babies. When they can sit or crawl or walk, they bring that excitement into nighttime and cannot sleep.
How long after a feed can I lay my baby down?
You can lay your baby down as soon as he settles and has been burped adequately. Make sure you don’t lay him down immediately after, this may make him need feeding to fall asleep. Ensure that after the night feed, no matter how long it takes for the burp to come, you wait it out. Hold the baby upright and wait for him to burp; don’t worry if it involves a spit-up.
Is it okay to leave the baby awake in the crib?
No, it is not, although there are experts that say you can put your baby in the crib awake but drowsy. However, to prevent SDS (Sudden Death Syndrome), make sure that there aren’t toys in the crib and the mattress is flat and firm and fits perfectly into the crib.
Can I sleep while my baby is awake?
No, you can’t. That is why it is always highly advised that you have help while you care for your baby. It will provide much-needed relief for when you need to get some rest. If you must sleep make sure someone else is watching your baby; your partner, a friend, or relative.
These guidelines will assist you in understanding your baby’s sleep pattern, getting him to fall to sleep after waking up at night, and also afford you some much needed time to also catch up on some rest.
