For many parents, having a newborn with a disturbed sleeping schedule is an all too familiar situation. The baby wakes constantly throughout the night and it’s difficult to get them to go back down again. It’s hard on the parents and they may be also suffering from sleep deprivation. But what can you do? There are 4 ways that you can deal with your newborn’s disturbed sleeping schedule.
- Put your baby in the Moses basket to sleep
This is often the answer that people go for when they have a newborn. You rock, soothe and settle them down and they will fall asleep. But realistically this is not often possible with a newborn because of how quickly they fall asleep. When you put your newborn in their Moses basket it’s natural for them to think “I’m safe and cozy now” therefore when you pick up the baby, more often than not, they will start crying again. They’re just trying to tell you that it’s not really safe or cozy! Also remember that when someone is sleeping in a Moses basket, the opening of their mouth isn’t covered by their chin and cannot be covered by a blanket.
- Opt for an organic formula
When your baby is younger, breastfeeding may help alleviate the symptoms, or at least make them easier to manage. If you have problems breastfeeding your baby due to low milk supply, check out this lactation powder from Majka which may help you address your milk supply problems. Babies who are born as premature as babies with a disturbed sleeping schedule (like my now 5 month old) can suffer from delayed development and a hard time getting to sleep at night, so you could be one of the lucky ones who find that they start sleeping through the night after they grow a little bit more. Although this will never be guaranteed, it’s not worth worrying if it doesn’t happen for you.
- Introduce white noise
White noise is a really great way of getting your newborn to sleep in their Moses basket. Babies are strange creatures that seem to prefer things that make them feel secure, even if it’s not natural. Their white noise of choice might be the hum of a fan or a fan heater, the hum of a washing machine or for some people, traffic. Some people find that their baby likes the noise from their boiler. All of these noises produce a humming sound and most babies will quickly learn to settle back down if you turn on the white noise when you pick them up from their basket after they’ve woken up.
- Put in a baby monitor
If you don’t want to introduce white noise (or you’re not allowed to use it if your parents think it’s too loud) then a baby monitor might be the best option. You can get wireless baby monitors that connect to your smartphone which will enable you to listen in on the baby when you go out and play with them. This is really helpful for those of us who are trying to get one extra hour of sleep so we can get the children ready for school! It is possible to turn on the TV and watch TV during a nap, but this doesn’t work as well.
Conclusion
So there you have it, 4 ways that you can deal with your newborn’s disturbed newborn sleep schedule. I hope that if you’re in a similar situation to me and are struggling to get your baby to sleep then these tips will help.