Parenting5 Tips For Getting Your Baby’s Sleep Schedule Back On Track

5 Tips For Getting Your Baby’s Sleep Schedule Back On Track

Getting Baby’s Sleep Schedule on Track

It’s important to have a regular sleep schedule for baby. Disruptions like travel, Daylight Savings, and illness can put it off track. So we’re hoping to help parents here with 5 Tips for Getting Your Baby’s Sleep Schedule Back on Track.

5 Tips for Getting Your Baby’s—And Your Own—Sleep Schedule Back on Track

It’s no secret that a good night’s sleep is important for your overall health, however, for most new parents, a quality sleep is more of a dream than a reality. While the beginning of Spring brings fresh flowers and longer days, it also introduces new challenges to the family sleep schedule.

If the change in season is disrupting your family’s sleep schedule, the below tips may be just what you need to get back on track.

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Create a comfortable sleep environment

In Spring, mornings become brighter and birds will start singing earlier so setting the right environment in your baby’s room will help make bedtime easier. Making sure your little one’s room is dark with blackout curtains will help keep baby’s sleep schedule on track.

Combine a dark room with the optimal temperature – 20 to 22 degrees Celsius – and white noise to make sure your little one doesn’t wake up too early.

Related: 5 Things To Consider Before Going On Maternity Leave

Explore sleep training

Research has found that sleep training babies helps them fall asleep faster and wake up less while providing benefits to the baby’s overall sleep patterns. Not only that but sleep training has been proven to have positive mental health impacts for new moms. Whether or not you choose to sleep train your baby, getting in the habit of putting them to sleep while they are still awake will help them learn to adjust quickly to any sleep pattern changes.

Consistency is key

According to a recent Owlet survey, 41% of parents claim that they’re just winging it with their bedtime routines, it’s important to remember that staying consistent is critical. Follow your existing bedtime routine and don’t deviate from it. Some things that can be included in a routine are dimming the lights, shutting the blackout shades, reading a book, offering a bedtime feeding, turning on the sound machine, and saying goodnight to things in the room.

Practice patience

Be patient. Whether you’re working through the 4-month sleep regression or trying to get to the bottom of why your baby isn’t sleeping through the night, remember that sleep learning is a skill that takes time. Stick to what you know and most importantly be aware of your little one’s sleep cues.

Related: The Benefits of Yoga for Children

Don’t forget about you

While getting your baby into a consistent sleeping pattern is sure to help you rest a bit easier, it’s important that new parents take time for themselves and their own sleep needs. A recent survey found that 19% of Canadian parents are losing sleep due to parenting stress. Lack of sleep can be challenging enough before having a baby but the newborn sleep deprivation phase is no joke. That’s why experts recommend sleeping when the baby sleeps. It’s also important for new parents to try and reduce their own stress levels however they can, whether that’s reducing screen time before bed, enjoying a relaxing bath or book of their own, or getting in a good workout or meditation.

5 Tips for Getting Your Baby’s—And Your Own—Sleep Schedule Back on Track

While these tips can be helpful year-round, a recent Owlet survey found that nearly half of Canadian parents with children under five say that Daylight Savings Time is disruptive to their baby’s routine. If you’re still working on adjusting to the longer days, or are already dreading the “fall back,” here are 3 approaches to your little one’s schedule:

The Take-Your-Time Approach

If you’re working on shifting your little one’s sleep schedule or preparing to adjust for Daylight Savings Time, take time during the week to make some gradual changes to your little one’s schedule each day over four days.

A Take-Your-Time approach looks like this:

  • The goal is to wake the baby 20 minutes earlier than normal in the morning on the first day and put them to bed 20 minutes early as well.
  • On day two, wake the baby up 40 minutes earlier than normal and put them to bed 40 minutes early.
  • On day three, wake them up 50 minutes earlier than normal and put them to bed 50 minutes early.
  • When the time change rolls around and the clocks spring forward, or when your little one is into the new sleep schedule, this approach will ensure they are nicely adjusted.

Related: Easy Ways to Enjoy Life’s Everyday Moments

The Keep-it-Concise Approach

If you don’t have time during the week but would like to make some adjustments to your little one’s sleep schedule over one weekend, adjust their schedule on one day. For example, if you’re adjusting their schedule on a Sunday morning, wake your baby up 30 minutes early that day. If it’s Daylight Savings Time, keep in mind, the clocks will have already changed by this time, so the clock will show 30 minutes later in your mind, but your baby’s internal clock will think they’re waking up 30 minutes early. If not, waking a bit earlier than normal like this on the weekend will help you and your baby adjust to the shift in the sleep schedule.

The Let-It-Be Approach

If you prefer to dive right in and get the time change over without making any adjustments, this approach is for you. This means that literally nothing will change with your baby’s existing schedule.

Regardless of how you approach the time change, what’s most important is finding a sleep schedule that works best for your and your new family. Just remember, all babies are different and finding the right way to adjust for your family is key.

 

5 Tips for Getting Your Baby’s—And Your Own—Sleep Schedule Back on Track

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About Owlet Baby Care
Owlet Baby Care was founded by a team of parents in 2012. Owlet’s digital parenting platform aims to give parents real-time data and insights to help parents feel more calm and confident. Owlet believes that every parent deserves peace of mind and the opportunity to feel their well-rested best. www.owletcare.ca

Related: 15 Things Kids Want From Their Parents

Related: 12 Best Sleep and Mental Health Apps to Help Kids Cope During COVID-19

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