Getting Baby to Sleep Through the Night

The greatest lesson  learned by new moms: Absolutely nothing is predictable—except of course for a deficiency of a good night's sleep. It's a given that infants arise a lot during the first three months, and it's crucial to accept realistic expectations. You've  probably heard the basic tips for making those midnight wake-up calls a lot more bearable: You know to hold off on bright lights and to always feed your baby before you go to bed. So what else can you do? Here are some lesser-known nighttime survival strategies:

Make little eye contact.

You likely know to not play, sing, or laugh during those night time feedings, however you should also avoid staring into your infant's eyes late at night. When your baby locks eyes with you, it's almost as if she's drinking a cup of coffee-her pulse rate accelerates, her blood pressure ascends, and she becomes more alive. Do however, make plenty of eye contact during the daytime so she recognizes that  it's time to be awake and to thrive.

Control the temperature.

You know how you sleep best when the room's a bit cooler? Well, your baby is no different. Keep your infant's room a bit warmer during the day and cooler at nighttime. The optimum temperature for baby sleep is between 65 and 70 degrees. If you do not have a thermostat, you may  leave the window slightly ajar or use a fan at night. You want the room just a bit cool- not cold.

Use dimmers.

The brightness level is one way to regulate babies'  circadian rhythms--the body's inner clock. Plug your lamps into dimmer units ( usually available at hardware stores), and when the sun falls in the evening, lower the lights--even if your baby isn't going right  to sleep. To reinforce these rhythms, be sure your home is brightly lit during the day, even if your baby is taking a nap.


Don't give your child the silent treatment.

Astonishingly, the noises they heard  in the uterus were about twice as loud as a vacuum, so babies love and need strong rhythmic noise. Use a white-noise machine, a radio tuned to air static, or a nature-sounds CD .

Do the swing thing.

If you swaddle and use white noise and your baby's still awakening up every hour or two, add the swing to the mix. Put your swaddled baby in the reclined seat and buckle her in.  You may  stop using it slowly when she is better able to soothe herself.

So there you have it - unique ways to get your baby to sleep through the night. You might not have heard of each of these techniques, but they really do work extremely well.

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