We all have gone through the terror of baby’s cry in the middle of the night at some point in our life. I have always loved my sleep but, raising a child has made things a lot different. Now, I give more priority to my baby’s sleep and, ensure she is getting good quality sleep. My only concern in the initial parenting days was that – is my baby sleeping well through the night? Mia (My Daughter) used to struggle a lot with her sleep and often wake up crying terribly. I had studied a lot of articles on baby sleep from sleep education sites like Voonky and its importance that is why I was more worried about Mia. My wife was equally tensed about her. Therefore, I consulted many physicians and experienced moms to find a solution to this problem. We tried all the advised ideas and found some really effective solutions to Mia’s sleep problems.

I am writing this article with the intention to help parents like us who want their baby to get sufficient sleep through the night. Also, sleep is necessary for everyone including parents as well. By following these advises, even my wife and I could get enough sleep and stay more active during the daytime. Hence, dear parents read carefully to help your baby and yourself to get those lacking Zzz…

• Study your Baby’s Sleep Pattern: Babies are very smart they constantly learn form thing around them and us. Every newborn starts developing a sleep pattern with time as they grow. Infants sleep more on own and need very fewer efforts but as they pass 6 months, it becomes difficult to understand their sleep patterns. For first few days keep a journal for recording the baby’s sleep timings. This will help to know how much sleep baby is getting and when do they wake up. Moreover, note their behavior when they wake up or want to sleep. It always helped me to identify if Mia is looking forward to eating, play or sleep. We took quite some time to understand Mia’s sleep pattern but later everything became easy. She behaved unpredictably only when she suffered from illness otherwise it was all good. So, help your baby get what she wants by understanding her behavior and sleep patterns.

• Control their stimulation: Stimulation is something that excites you. Babies find everything around them exciting and stimulating whether its ceiling, color, walls or anything. If a baby is stimulated, it becomes difficult for her to sleep. Even a tired baby can stay awake watching around and finally gets irritated with lack of sleep. It is important that your baby feels boring while going to bed so that she can sleep more and effortlessly. We often try to amuse our kids when they tend to get irritated before bed but, it only makes them energetic and keeps them wide awake. This is a very common mistake that most parents do, even I was among them so now onwards I try making nighttime boring for Mia so that she gets to sleep faster. It is a very useful trick to make the baby sleep faster. In case she wakes up in the middle of the night, we let her try on own for some time so that she doesn’t get used to us.

• Swaddle the baby: I love this one, Mia looks too cute in her swaddle. Most babies have no control over their body and wake themselves up by hitting their face in sleep. Moreover, a baby has a habit of lying in a safe womb-like environment feels strange outside. Therefore, swaddle blankets give them womb comfort and make them sleep longer and better through the night. Swaddling helps babies to rest better and sleep longer than usual. Moreover, they can relate sleep with the swaddle and go to sleep faster.

• Don’t get them too attached: My wife used to breastfeed Mia and, soon Mia got accustomed to feeding before sleep. This became troublesome as Mia grew. My wife had to be with her every time she wakes. My grandma told her to stop breastfeeding her before sleep so that Mia can sleep even when my wife is out on her work trips. In fact, we bought Mia a soft bear to hold while she sleeps so that she can comfort and sleep well with anyone around her. Now she cannot sleep without her bear beside her which is good for us.

• Hint them their sleep time: Nowadays, Mia has become very naughty. We literally had to force her to sleep every night. Initially, when she was around 9 months or a year old, we started practicing certain pre-sleep activities like changing her diaper or making the bed. Then she realized her sleep time. It definitely helped us to get her to sleep as she prepares her mind that it’s now time. We use to switch off all the additional lights, TV and anything that is not supposed to be a night time thing. It is vital for kids to understand that sleep is something that occurs during night time and in the dark environment.

Soon, she automatically started feeling sleepy as we turn off the devices and make her bed. I had no idea that pre-bed routine was so helpful for babies. Anyways it is working still when Mia is almost 3 now.

All these tips have helped me greatly. Today, my wife and I are least bothered about Mia’s sleep. Life is much pleasing with Mia and, we love her so much. I can understand how small thing related to your baby can affect their parents. Together we can help each other to learn and become a more responsible parent in this ever-changing world. Hope this is helpful for you as well!