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Becoming a parent is the most important job you will ever undertake. This is true especially when your little one is, well, little! Newborns can be taxing to say the least. There are a million things you need to tend to day and night. Feeding them, diaper changes, putting them to sleep and catering to their every need. And it’s never as easy as it seems. In fact even the simplest of tasks, like sleeping can be a herculean task for your baby. And sometimes, it’s not a phase. Their sleep schedule just gets worse and worse as they grow. And maybe you’ve tried everything on the planet to help it. Singing them calming lullabies, reading books, feeding them, co-sleeping, leaving them overnight in the nursery. But when the only person who’s droopy eyed at the end is you, it’s time to re-evaluate your options.
Here are some of the most helpful things to do when your child’s sleep schedule is non-existent:
1. Make Peace With The Problem
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Sometimes the best solution is to just give up. If you’ve done everything from shifting your baby’s sleep time to replacing your floral curtains to room-darkening curtains, it’s time to face the fact that your baby just does not want to sleep. And no fancy white noise machine is going to change their mind. Some kids just wake up more frequently than others and this is something that you need to live with. Babies wake up pretty often anyway. Almost every 2 to 3 hours in order to feed and for a midnight nappy change. This can get tiresome as it is. If your baby is waking up every other hour for no reason, let them. Ask your partner to take over until they need to be fed and take a nap.
2. Forget About The Clock
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Here’s what’s not going to make things better through those long nights, keeping track of how many times your baby wakes up or when they wake up will not make time go faster. In fact it drags on. Knowing that it’s 2:46 A.M and your baby has woken up for the 6th time will do nothing but infuriate you. And constantly watching the clock tick will leave you feeling frustrated and stressed out. So, what do you do? Just take the clock down. Don’t look at your phone to check the time either. Will this stop your baby from waking up? No. But it will help you fall back to sleep easily. Because you aren’t waking up fully to read the clock, you can drift in and out of sleep as you feed the baby. You’ll lose track of time and it won’t feel so arduous anymore. This means even if you’re waking up just as much, you’re going to get more sleep as you’ll barely wake up. It’s like a really cool magic trick!
3. Co-sleeping Helps Aid This Technique
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No matter where you stand on the subject of co-sleeping, you’ve got to admit that it sure does have its share of advantages. Of course, there are ways to do this safely. On a firm bed with a guardrail and without any loose blankets or pillows in sight. If you’re still uncomfortable with the situation, keep your baby in a bassinet right next to the bed. This way when you wake up, you don’t need to move in order to sooth them or nurse them. This will help you stay in that half-asleep state which will help you fall asleep promptly after your duty is done.
4. Here’s How It Works If You Don’t Want To Co-Sleep
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Move in with your baby. You might have to temporarily shift your residence to the nursery if your baby insists on waking up every hour. Take up a small corner of the room and install a single bed in there. Even if you keep getting up to take the baby out of the crib, you can minimize your movement. Instead of shuffling around from one room to another, you can just stay with the baby. This way you are free to lay down for at least a good half an hour before you’re needed again. This will help you get a couple of small naps in. And although it’s not much, something is better than nothing at all. Moreover, it will help you be less stressed and more relaxed. Your baby is five steps away if you need to get to them and this ought to put you at ease.
The trick is to not be hard on yourself. Some kids just have it harder than others. And although it’s not fair, your baby will eventually stay asleep for longer periods of time. There is no need to rush them and worry yourself. If your baby doesn’t sleep at all however, consult your doctor. Remember to be kind to yourself. You are doing your best. Happy parenting and sweet dreams!
