A Baby Sleep Plan is an Essential For New Mums.
Without a plan, a goal is just a wish. If your wish is to return to a restful night’s sleep (or at minimum one or two a week), you’re in the right place.
Everyone knows that parenting involves a bit of sleep interruption. Not many are prepared for the reality. Very few have an actual plan in place. Most are hoping for the best.
Having a new baby in the house is like starting a new job – only you don’t get to go home at the end of the day, so it is absolutely essential to have a plan. It is the continual nature of mothering that wears us down and when we add getting up several times a night to the mix, well – rational thinking sometimes goes out the window.
Having a written baby sleeping plan is the secret. Write it out, pin it up and use it!
Understanding what you should expect for baby nap times is the first step. Overtired babies become cranky and unreasonable (as do overtired mums!). You will find this information on the Baby Nap Chart, which itemises baby naps by age.
Next, consider the environment immediately pre-sleep. Think about the lighting in the room, the ambient smells and sounds, the toys and anything else immediately around the sleeping area. Look at the area through newborn eyes, ears and smells.
Babies are fresh entrants to the world. Everything (except you) is new. Make sure you have established a sleeping environment that feels and looks safe for your baby – and that you can roughly replicate somewhere else if you need to. Swaddling is great for new babies as they feel safe. Don’t be concerned about a sleeping room being darkish or having ambient noise from the house – remember the baby slept in a darkish and quite noisy place before birth.
Baby’s pre-sleeping routine is really important. Make it a ritual.
Consider how you can establish a pre-sleep routine that does not directly involve you. While it seems easy to cuddle a one-week old baby off to sleep five times a day, it’s not so cool doing the same thing for a toddler. They are heavy! Have it in your mind as you create your sleeping plan that whatever you create now will be morphed over time, but essentially will not change. You are establishing your baby’s expectations for the future at this early stage. The pre-sleep routine might involve putting toys away, or be reading a book together. Make it something relaxing and quiet.
Next, consider any sleep props (excluding yourself). If you have a specific toy for a sleep prop, consider whether it can be retrieved if it falls out of the cot – or what you will do if it gets lost or left somewhere. If you have sleep props in your pre-sleep or sleep routine, make sure that baby can find them if they wake in the night so they can settle again without needing to call you when they wake. Fingers are quite good in that they cannot be lost!
Small babies do need to be fed during the night, but because you don’t want them expecting you to continue feeding them during the night once they are thriving without a feed, consider how you can manage the night feeds to make them a different experience for your baby to the post-nap or daytime feeds. You can read about when the right time to stop night feeding is here.
You can start establishing your sleep plan in the early weeks – stick to your sleep cues every day. Importantly – it’s OK for you to ask visitors to not come at specific times while you get your routine sorted.
If your sleep routine is broken, don’t panic – just work on getting the routine back in place, or head off to the GP for a check. Sick babies don’t settle well and GPs are always happy to check ears and throats. Once you are sure your baby is not unwell – get back to the business of re-establishing your routine. Babies are creatures of habit and happiest when they know what to expect.
Finally, let your baby know what sleeping is and that it makes you happy when she or he manages to sleep for the expected period. Baby will love to see you happy and will thrive when your mutual routine is established and both of you are getting enough sleep!