Newborn Sleep Regression: How to Help Your Baby Sleep

Has your baby started resisting going to sleep? Is he waking up at night and staying awake for hours? If yes, then he may be dealing with sleep regression.

Sleep regression can be challenging for every parent. You try everything that’s in your power, from swaddling your baby to rocking him to sleep, but nothing works.

I want to give you good news: newborn sleep regression is only temporary. It may be due to a growth spurt or teething pain, and it usually lasts anywhere from two to four weeks.

To help you survive this challenging period, I put together this post that walks you through five great tactics for dealing with baby sleep regression and how to help your baby sleep.

Make Sure He Dozes Off with a Full Stomach

Keep your baby adequately fed throughout the day and try feeding him right before putting him to bed. The idea is not to let him sleep hungry, which will probably cause him to wake up at night.

More importantly, while feeding your baby, remove all distractions from his sight. A baby’s curiosity can quickly get him distracted towards other things, even if it is something as simple as a clock ticking.

Do not try to feed your baby when he wakes up and starts to cry at night. Feeding him in the middle of the night can become a habit, and your child may start asking for it every time he wakes up.

Help the Baby Learn How to Soothe Himself

When your baby wakes up at night, don’t try to pick him up. Just sit by his side.

This is like telling him, “I am here, my love. Sleep tight.” Maybe say a few words now and then and tap on his back gently a few times. Such gestures will help the baby develop a habit of falling sleeping by himself.

Do not pick him up unless the crying does not stop. In that case, hold him in your arms and rock him until he gets drowsy, an essential part of the sleep training program.

Babies Like a Dark and Quiet Environment

One way of fighting sleep regression is by creating a dark and quiet environment in your baby’s nursery.

An excellent blackout curtain, coupled with a sound machine, can help you have a well-rested baby. If your baby sleeps in a well-lit room, his body will have no way of knowing that it’s time to produce melatonin. Melatonin is, in fact, a crucial ingredient for a long and sound baby’s sleep.

Sound machines can also do wonders for your child’s sleep. These machines do two things right: they soothe babies to go to sleep, and they also drown out annoying sounds that might prevent your infant from getting high-quality sleep.

Make Naps Properly Balanced

If your baby is taking too many catnaps, take steps to ensure he doesn’t sleep more than three hours during the day. And the other way around, if he’s not taking enough naps, he may become overtired and have difficulties falling asleep at night.

The key is to keep naps properly balanced.

Accept Help

You’ll tackle the problem with newborn sleep regression effectively if you accept help. Whether it’s your partner, family member, or friend, help should always be welcomed.

Even though you are an expert at this and think like you don’t need any help, go for it. Not only will it help you get a full night’s sleep every now and then, but it will also help you manage your other tasks.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to prevent newborn sleep regression. Even though it’s not preventable, you can have peace of mind knowing that it’s completely normal.

If you want to lower the side effects of sleep regression and slowly teach your child how to sleep better, you can. Take the five steps I’ve outlined below and keep a positive outlook. Know that this, too, shall pass.

Originally published at https://thesleepycub.us on June 29, 2020.