 |
Top 10 Questions About sleep
Continued from page 1
4. How do I wake my newborn for a feeding?
Newborns often wake to eat every 2 to 3 hours, although breastfed
babies eat more often than bottle-fed ones. If your newborn has gone
more than 4 hours without eating, you should gently get him out of
his crib and begin to talk to him. Try undressing him, changing his
diaper or turning on lights and soft music to wake him up.
5. Where should my newborn sleep?
Babies should sleep in a crib until they are ready to be moved
into a toddler bed (usually at around age 2 or 3). The American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now recommends that babies sleep in
their parents’ room, in their own crib, to lower the risk of Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Bed-sharing is not recommended because
it can increase the risk of SIDS and make it harder to move your
baby to his own crib or bed when he is older. (See
Stopping SIDS.)
6. When is it safe to let my baby sleep on his stomach?
The AAP recommends that all babies be put down for sleep on their
back to greatly reduce the risk of SIDS. But, at around 6 months of
age, babies learn to roll over. Fortunately, once your baby can
easily roll from his back to tummy and then to his back again, his
risk for SIDS lowers. At this point, with your healthcare provider’s
approval, he can sleep on his stomach.
7. When should I give my child a pillow?
Pillows are not recommended for children under 2 years old
because they can easily smother a child. The best time to give your
baby a pillow is when he moves from the crib to the bed (at around 2
to 3 years of age). If you decide to give your baby a pillow, choose
a small one, about the size of an airline pillow, that is firm (soft
or feather pillows increase the risk of smothering), and change the
case regularly.
8. When and how should I teach my little one good sleep habits?
Good sleep routines should be started early. As soon as you bring
your newborn home from the hospital, try to put him to sleep in his
own crib awake, not in your bed. Babies thrive on consistency; so
once yours is 2 to 3 months old, try to maintain a sleep schedule
with a set bedtime, wake time and naptimes. A consistent feeding
schedule will also help your infant develop a daily ritual. A short
bedtime routine such as a bath, diaper change and then pajamas each
night will signal that it’s time for bed. Putting your baby down to
sleep when he is drowsy but still awake will teach him how to fall
asleep on his own and will also help him learn to fall back to sleep
by himself after he wakes at night.
9. How can I teach my baby not to cry for me after I put him down
to sleep or after a nighttime awakening?
Babies need to learn how to fall asleep without your help both at
bedtime and after they wake up at night. After your baby is 2 to 3
months old, you can begin to teach him this skill. If he’s crying,
check on him to make sure nothing is wrong. Try not to hold or rock
him; this will reinforce the crying. You may allow him to cry for a
little while (if you can handle it), but always check on him every
few minutes. Eventually, he’ll learn how to self-soothe.
10. When and for how long should my child nap?
Newborns nap throughout the day without a set schedule, but older
infants usually have a longer period of sleep at night and two naps
during the day, in the morning and afternoon. It is best for him to
nap at the same time each day (such as 10a.m. and 2p.m.). To keep your
baby on his sleep schedule, you can wake him from his nap. In general,
he should not nap past 4p.m.; otherwise he’ll have trouble falling
asleep at bedtime. And if possible, have your baby nap at home in the
same place where he sleeps at night. This way, when he’s in his crib,
he’ll know it’s time to sleep.
Next page: Stopping
SIDs
PREVIOUS Page
2 of 3 NEXT
|
|
Printer-Friendly Version
