4 Tips For Getting Your Baby To Sleep Longer Stretches

There's nothing like a new baby to test your limits of fatigue. Babies don't exactly come out of the womb knowing how to sleep long stretches as adults do. Because of that, new parents find themselves struggling at odd hours of the night trying to keep their eyes open. 

Initially, although it may not seem like it, it's a good thing that your baby is waking up so much. They need to eat frequently in order to keep up with the demands of their growing bodies. 

However, after a while, your baby should be able to sleep longer stretches without the risk of missing out on important nutrition. It's up to you as a parent to help guide them to these longer stretches of sleep. 

Longer periods of sleep won't just help you feel better, but it will also help your baby feel better. Take a look at some of the best tips and tricks to get your baby to sleep longer. 

Swaddle Them  

Part of the reason why babies have trouble settling down outside of their mom's bellies is that they're not used to the way things feel. Help their body feel the same amount of comfort they felt in the womb by swaddling them securely. Ensure that you’ve swaddled them correctly and that they are on their backs. 

Check your baby monitor regularly to ease your worries.  If they can't settle to sleep or stay asleep using this method alone, then it's time to incorporate other measures. 

White Noise  

In addition to the sensation of being in their mother's womb, it helps to imitate the sounds of the mother's womb. White noise is a fantastic trick for soothing babies and getting them sleepy. You can use a white noise machine or even the real thing like a fan. Most babies wind up loving the white noise because it drowns out all other racket, helping them drift off to a peaceful sleep and stay asleep. 

Reduce Naps  

Perhaps you're incorporating white noise and swaddling, and still, your baby won't stay asleep for long stretches. This might be because they're napping too much during the day. Try to limit the amount of sleep that they get during the day so they can save up their tiredness for the evening.   

That's not to say that your baby isn't allowed to nap during the day; just try to make naps shorter. Babies might start to confuse day and night time otherwise. 

Eliminate Sleep Associations  

Even though it might seem natural to rock or nurse your baby to sleep, you might be shooting yourself in the foot. If babies get too used to certain sleep associations, then they'll start to believe they can't get to sleep without that action. Try to teach babies to soothe themselves by putting them in the crib totally awake but drowsy. That way, they'll start to learn that they don't require nursing or rocking to drift off to sleep.