![]() If you are breastfeeding, you should do so in your bed and return your baby to their crib or basinet when they are done. ![]() Breastfeed in bedīreastfeeding is associated with a dramatic reduction in the risk of SIDS. The AAP recommends that your child sleep in your room until their first birthday and definitely until they are 6 months old, at which point the risk for SIDS decreases substantially. Having your baby close allows you to monitor them throughout the night, assess their cries and feed them with more convenience. This allows you to be responsive to their needs without sharing your bed - both of which have shown to reduce the risk of SIDS by as much as 50%. Have your baby sleep in a portable crib or basinet near your bed. Share your room with your baby, but not your bed But, this method can lead to unnecessary frustration for parents and dehydration and failure to thrive (falling behind recognized growth standards) in babies. ![]() You also might hear from advocates of the ‘eat, play, sleep’ bedtime routine, in which babies feed, play for a short amount of time, and then go to sleep. Many babies fall asleep while you are holding them, breastfeeding or bottle-feeding them. This is a good goal, but it is not always possible. Pacifiers should not attach to clothing or hang around your baby’s neck.Ī lot of people may tell you that you should put your baby down to sleep when they are drowsy, but not fully asleep. Parents can consider using a pacifier at nighttime or nap time, which has shown a protective effect against sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).Caregivers should always avoid alcohol, sedating medications and illicit drug use while caring for an infant.Parents and caregivers should avoid exposing babies to any smoke.Babies should sleep on a firm surface, such as a mattress with a fitted sheet, that is free of bedding or other soft objects.Babies should sleep on their back until they are 1.Sure, you would like your baby (and yourself) to sleep as much as possible, but making sure they are safe is the top priority. Ensure your baby is sleeping safelyįollowing recommendations from the AAP is the most important step you can take. It can set parents up to feel like they have failed if their baby doesn’t respond to sleep training.Īdditionally, many sleep training tactics do not align with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) recommendations for safe infant sleeping. There is plenty of debate about whether this method works - and truly little experimental evidence. You might have heard that you should “sleep train” your baby or let them “cry it out.” This essentially means that when your baby cries at night, you let them cry while checking on them and they will learn how to soothe themselves back to sleep. And remember, being responsive to your baby’s needs is a good thing. It takes time for babies to learn the rhythms of night and day and when to sleep. You might feel a lot of pressure to get your baby to sleep, but it’s important not to be too hard on yourself. One of the most important things to remember is that your baby is learning how to sleep through the night. Getting your baby to sleep through the night is a process ![]() So once you have the right mindset, what can you do to prepare and help your baby when they cry at night? Maya Bunik, MD, medical director of Children’s Hospital Colorado’s Primary Care Child Health Clinic and breastfeeding expert, provides some advice. Also, if your baby has slept for a six-hour stretch (lucky you), they may be quite hungry when they wake up. Your baby is unlikely to sleep through the night before they are 4 to 6 months old, so it’s better to plan for it to avoid frustration and take naps when you can. But you do know one thing – they're not sleeping, and neither are you.īut the fact is, especially for babies younger than 6 months, it’s very common for babies to cry and wake up during the night. Because they can’t talk, you don’t know for sure why they are crying. Hearing your baby cry in the middle of the night can be unsettling. ![]()
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