Inaaya slipping through my fingers in snippets #9 BabyNap

A good sleep repairs and rejuvenates your child and allows them to grow to their full potential. But getting your baby to sleep can be a daunting task for you if you haven’t yet set a sleep routine for them. A regular sleep-wake cycle will not only help your child settle better but will also get you some time for yourself! So start with a bed time routine to encourage your child’s good health.

How can you trigger your child’s sleep :-

• Go slow, calm down – children have the ability to pick up on your gesture and voice tone so talk softly, breathe deeply. Bedtime should be a soothing time for them. Show them you are calm, their room is dimly lit – they will find it much easier to unwind.
• Pamper with Massage – children are active throughout the day. Hence, a good massage (oil/cream) will help them relax their muscles and aids in good sleep.
• Warm bath – a warm bath is known to relax and calm down the nerves. If suitable, give your baby a bath before sleep.
• Bedtime change – babies love to mimic their parents. Hence, brushing your teeth, having dinner early, changing your clothes for bed will be a good example for them if you are embarking on ‘sleep training’.
• Books as a relaxing aid – Books can always be the best friend for any child and reading them off to sleep can be a very good habit you can inculcate. Pick up a book that illustrates that it is sleep time [My personal favourite is “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown]. This will help them anticipate sleep time is approaching.

*Note – Use the same book for toddlers as they love repetitions. Reading should be   last thing you do before snuggling them to sleep. 

• Gentle Music – Finally, babies love music and they are very good sleep triggers. Your baby doesn’t care if you sing well or not, they simply love the sound of your voice, so sing lullabies to them or else play calming music.

What not to do :–

• Avoid short naps – Babies can nap anytime which prevents a good sleep. Hence, divert their mind to keep them awake to avoid these short naps, if even for couple of minutes, to let them sleep well for several hours at night.
• Don’t move immediately if your baby has slept while feeding – If your baby drifts off to sleep while feeding, don’t move them immediately and expect them to sleep unaided. They won’t. It will rather disturb their sleep. Wait and take a step gradually. Slowly move them to their bed once they are in their deep sleep and be close to them for couple of minutes more.
• Look out for caffeine  – Caffeine (also passed through breastmilk) is a stimulant. It is best to avoid caffeinated beverages, both for you (if nursing) and your baby, in the evening or within 3-4 hours before bedtime.

P. S. Every child is different and so you might have to curate the routine to best suit your child.

Thanks for joining me. Hope you had a good read!

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Disclaimer : The views and opinions expressed in this blog are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily mirror the views or opinions of any individual.