When you become a parent, your life is just not about you anymore. It’s about the little soul that has illuminated your world with their beautiful smile, innocent cry, and angelic aura. Their growth and development is your responsibility now. And, they deserve only the best.
Most parents face difficulty in making their little ones fall asleep and setting the right sleeping pattern. This is because as babies grow old, they become more active and curious in nature. It’s their activeness that keeps them wide awake, playful, and away from sleeping when it is bedtime. However, setting and developing an appropriate sleeping pattern and a stable baby bedtime routine is highly important. Here we’ve detailed upon the need for fixing a sleeping routine and some effective ways to do so.
Importance of Sleep & Wake Time for Babies
Our babies thrive when they explore their surroundings, get held, and played with. Such activities are important for their emotional, mental, and physical growth. Parents feel immense joy when spending time with babies by playing with them. However, without a proper sleep schedule and staying up for long hours can harm the health of the baby and even hamper their overall development. Hence, setting the right sleeping routine is highly essential for all babies.
Reasons To Establish A Sleeping Pattern
Organized and healthy baby sleep patterns can be difficult to implement at an early age. However, making and following a proper nap and bedtime schedule can improve a baby's way of living. Infants do not understand the difference between day and night. A simple bedtime routine will allow your baby to understand the difference between the two. Sound sleep makes the baby wake up fresh, energetic and full of life. Babies who sleep at odd times may leave them feeling fussy, cranky and irritated.
Here are some important reasons why setting a good baby bedtime routine is important:
- It helps babies in identifying the difference between day naps vs night sleep.
- It aids in avoiding poor sleeping patterns as they can hamper the health of the baby.
- Proper sleep improves their learning skills, sharpens their memory and even enhances their overall brain development.
How To Help Your Baby Develop A Sleeping Pattern
The matter of a baby's sleep regression makes every parent concerned and nervous. Sleep regression is a situation when a baby starts to wake up frequently at night and then refuses to sleep again. It turns out to be extremely troubling for parents. As a parent, you just need to ensure that your baby follows a fixed sleeping pattern for about 2-3 weeks at a stretch. Once the threshold is passed, your baby will automatically start following the order.
Here’s a checklist to fixing a healthy sleeping routine:
1. Notice signs when your baby is tired: A tired baby will be fussy and yawn continuously. Rubbing their eyes and losing focus are some other signs of tiredness. It is not a good idea to let the babies overtire themselves, or else they will resist sleeping at the right time. Hum a lullaby and put them to sleep as soon as they show signs of tiredness.
2. Give your baby gentle soothing massage: Using soothing and massaging products such as Vicks BabyRub can significantly help in establishing a steady sleeping routine. It contains 2 key natural ingredients – Aloe Vera and Coconut Oil, which makes it safe for babies. Mild fragrances of lavender and rosemary help in relaxing baby and aiding them to fall asleep.
If a baby is being fussy, a gentle Vicks BabyRub massage can help in soothing and calming them. It helps babies feel relaxed and eventually fall asleep. It helps parents in establishing baby sleep patterns when prepping their babies for sleep.
3. Create sleep inducing environment: As babies grow old, they begin to discover and be aware of their surroundings. And, some of those surroundings can be really distracting especially when they’re trying to sleep. When putting your baby to sleep, ensure their environment are conducive for peaceful sleep.
Setting up baby bedtime routine can be difficult in the beginning. However, with time and the help of BabyRub parents will be able to achieve this. Using safe baby products such as Vicks BabyRub for massaging and soothing babies can be a blessing for you as well as your little one.
Disclaimer
Keep the areas of application loosely covered to avoid accidental ingestion or slipping while walking. Read the label carefully. Use as directed.
Image: © Nevit Dilmen