I’m currently writing this at 7:35 am while both my 2-year-old and 7-month-old are still sleeping. They have both been sound asleep since 7:30 pm last night when my husband and I put them to bed. I love my babies, but having them go to bed and stay in bed for as long as they do is wonderful.
My husband and I did choose to sleep train both our kids when they were 4 months old (if you choose to sleep train, it is recommended that you start when your baby is between 4 and 6 months old). Read about how we did this in my blog post “How to Sleep Train Your Baby Using the Ferber Method“.
Whether or not you choose to sleep train your child, I’m going to share some ways we helped our kids sleep through the night at an early age. Our two girls were and still are very different babies, but doing these things led them to be great sleepers.
*There will occasionally be times when your child will stray from their normal sleep patterns, such as growth spurts, teething, sickness, or changes in their schedule. It’s okay to make exceptions to the techniques listed below, but try to stick to them whenever possible.*
1. Put your baby down when they are awake
I remember hearing this tip after my first child was born and I was extremely confused. How was she supposed to know when and how to fall asleep? The truth is, she will learn this by being put in her crib awake. If you rock or hold your baby until they fall asleep and then transfer them to their crib while they are still asleep, chances are, they will wake up shortly after looking for you. Picture yourself falling asleep in one place only to wake up and find yourself somewhere else. Finding themselves in this position makes it difficult for your baby to self-soothe and fall back asleep.
The main goal in helping your child be a better sleeper and sleep through the night is for them to be able to self-soothe and fall back asleep on their own. I’m not saying your baby will know how to do this right away (my firstborn most certainly did not), but that’s where you come in. Be patient and encourage your baby to fall asleep with as little help as needed early on.
If your baby is having trouble staying in their crib alone, giving them just a couple of pats or rubbing their cheek or head can help them settle down enough for you to leave the room. Get to know your baby and you’ll learn what works for them.
2. Tend to their needs before putting them down
When putting your baby down for a nap or bedtime, it’s important to make sure they are comfortable and set up for success. This means they won’t wake up shortly after being put down for any reason that can be prevented beforehand. Before putting your baby down, make sure they have a clean diaper and are well fed. I also make sure that my baby’s nose is cleared out so she can breathe well and is comfortable. My baby typically sleeps in a sleep sack, so I also make sure they are using the right sack for the room temperature. We don’t want a baby to wake up because they are cold or hot! Both my babies have used these simple fleece sleep sacks and these cotton sleep sacks. I have sized up all the way to an XL for my toddler and they have both slept very well in them.
3. Don’t interrupt them unless necessary
As soon as your baby’s pediatrician gives you the thumbs up to stop nighttime feedings, do it. I don’t mean to cut your baby off from these right away, but gradually increase the length of time that your baby goes in between nighttime feedings until you end up giving them their first feeding in the early morning. For example, my baby would wake up pretty much right on the dot at 3 am for a feeding. This feeding was becoming part of a routine for her (which made me exhausted). She didn’t actually need this feeding, so pushing it off 30 minutes – 1 hour every night eventually resulted in me feeding her at 6 am instead of 3 am. This was a much more acceptable time for my baby to wake up, and it made it so she (and I) was able to sleep through the night. Remember to always do whatever feels right for you and your baby – this is what felt right for us.
You can also stop changing your baby’s diaper at night around this time. Every baby is different, so trust your gut on when to do this. I stopped doing nighttime diaper changes when she no longer had bowel movements during the night. If the diaper is just wet, there’s no reason to change it (unless their pajamas are wet, too, of course).
While you are still doing nighttime feedings and diaper changes, try to keep them as uneventful as possible. I try to make minimal eye contact, stay quiet, and keep the lights dim so they know to keep sleeping afterward. I love this rechargeable night light for nighttime diaper changes and feedings. You can turn it on and off by just tapping it, and it is dimmable. I even brought this night light to the hospital when I had my second baby because I hated the harsh hospital lights during nighttime feedings.
Lastly, avoid the urge to rush in if your baby is stirring, making sounds, or crying. (You can read more about how we sleep-trained both our babies in my blog post “How to Sleep Train Your Baby Using the Ferber Method“). Babies can be loud sleepers! Not every sound means that they need you. The key to teaching them how to fall asleep independently is to give them time to settle down on their own.
4. Stick to a nap/bedtime routine
Kids of all ages thrive from routines. Sticking to a predictable bedtime routine will let your baby know that it is time for them to go to sleep. These are the 5 things I do every time before putting my kids to bed:
- Change their diaper
- Read a book
- Close shades
- Turn on the sound machine
- Put them in bed (always place them on their back)
Even if my kids take a nap at someone else’s house, we still follow this routine (I use this travel sound machine when we need it and always have a book in our diaper bag). My kids know what to expect when we do this routine and they are able to prepare themselves for sleep. We always give them a kiss and hug after putting them in bed (sometimes 3 or 4 sets of these in my toddler’s case – she always asks for more), and then we walk out of the room. They know what to do from there.
5. Follow their sleep cues and schedule
Having a schedule is fantastic, but sometimes days can go a little differently than expected – and that’s okay. When the baby decides to sleep in until 10 am (this has happened to us numerous times after our trip abroad), you adjust their schedule. Or when the baby decides to wake up early, you also make adjustments. Pay attention to your baby’s sleep cues (yawning, rubbing their eyes or face, putting their head down, or just being extra fussy). Knowing your baby’s awake times for their age is also helpful. Sometimes just knowing around the time that your baby should be getting tired is enough. Just remember that their awake window in the morning is typically shorter than in the afternoon.
I got my baby on a (loose) schedule when they were only a couple of weeks old. At this very young age, it mostly consisted of sleeping, eating, a brief awake time, and then back to sleep again. These didn’t happen at the same time every day, but the important thing at this young age is the order in which they happened.
To sum it up
There are several things that work together in order for your baby to be able to sleep through the night. Keep your baby engaged and active during their awake times so they are ready for that rest time when it’s time for a nap. Make sure you are feeding your baby enough during the day so they are not hungry during their long stretch of sleep at night. I also shorten the time between my baby’s last bottle of the day and her bedtime bottle to make sure she is comfortably full for bedtime.
I know I shared my own baby’s sleeping habits, but remember that every baby is different. If you follow these 5 things, you will be setting up your baby for success and steering them in the right direction to sleep as many hours as they can throughout the night. When your baby is able to sleep throughout the night also depends on their own sleeping patterns so this happens at different ages for babies. Try not to compare your baby to other babies – all you can do is set them up for success and take it from there. 🥰
*The information and opinions in this post should not be taken as medical advice. Always consult your pediatrician when you have any questions or concerns about your child’s feeding, sleep patterns, awake windows, or anything regarding your child’s wellbeing.*
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