When babies have sleep problems

How Sleep Problems Develop

When it comes to your baby's sleep problems, it may all stem back to what he's gotten used to. Here are some of the most common obstacles keeping babies from sleeping through the night

As you pace the floor outside your anything-but-asleep baby's room for the umpteenth night in a row, you may be wondering, "How did I get here? Why isn't my child sleeping through the night?" Maybe it's time to take a critical look at your baby's overall sleep patterns. It may just clue you in on why he's having a hard time sleeping through the night.

1. Your baby's sleep routine is inconsistent. Babies are creatures of habit so when, where, and how they are put down to rest is key. Babies with unpredictable sleep routines can be fussy, anxious, and prone to outbursts. Your goal — both at bedtime and for naps — is consistency, so aim for a regular schedule and sleep site (preferably baby's crib) with the same comforting quiet-down routine every time (bath, feeding, story time, etc.).


2. Your baby isn't getting enough sleep. You'd think a baby who went to bed later might sleep later in the morning, but it just doesn't work that way. Babies need a lot of sleep (14 to 15 hours a day — which includes two naps — for the average infant four to six months old), and too little translates into an overtired child who will, in fact, sleep poorly both at naptime and overnight. So make sure your darling is getting the proper amount of sleep for his age. (In a nutshell: an early bedtime and plenty of naptime.)


3. Your baby's bad sleep habits are being rewarded. If your child cries at night to be fed and you feed him, or if he cries because he wants to be held, and you pick him up, then he learns a tricky lesson: Cry and I'll get what I want. But by six months, rest assured he needs neither a nighttime snack nor a cuddle; he's just getting away with that because he can. If your child has become a "trained night feeder" remember this: Healthy full-term babies are capable of fasting for up to 12 hours at night by six months of age (provided they get enough to eat during the day).


4. Your baby leans on sleep crutches. If he can't get to sleep without his pacifier, or without you or Daddy rocking him, you're in for trouble. Why? Because if he drifts off that way, he'll expect the same send-off should he wake (and wake again) during the night. The trick: Put your baby in his crib before he's asleep so he learns how to soothe himself and nod off on his own.


source: web