A baby’s first year of life is filled with a great number of milestones. Sleeping through the night on a regular basis may be one that parents look forward to the most.

best parenting tip for baby sleep

It can take some time for parents to adjust to a new baby’s sleep routine and learn how to help ensure their baby is getting a healthy amount of sleep. It’s natural to have questions about what is considered normal sleeping habits and what changes might occur over the first 12 months of your child’s life.

What to Expect

Setting a consistent routine is key to helping your baby learn to sleep through the night. During the first few months, your baby’s sleep schedule will largely be dictated by their eating pattern. However, as they grow, they’ll be able to go longer and longer between feedings. At this point, you can start to adhere to a day-night schedule.

Create a bedtime routine

Even at a young age, baby notices patterns. When you create a bedtime routine, baby will notice that you’re preparing for sleep, which may help with self-soothing and relaxation. Consider making mealtime or bath time routines to help baby get ready for bed.

Try to stick to a schedule

Along with your nighttime routine, try to stick to relatively the same times for naps and bedtime. Of course these times will change as baby gets older, and there will be some variation from day to day! But sticking with roughly the same times every day can help.

Hang in there! Your baby is still incredibly young. It is expected that your newborn will sleep in short periods (30 minutes to 3 hours) throughout the day and night. However, there is great individual variability.

If your little one still has her nights and days mixed up, be sure to wake her for feedings throughout the day, be your typical noisy self, and make sure she gets plenty of morning light. At night, keep the lights dim and playtime at a minimum.

Never break the rules

No matter what, be sure as a parent you follow safe sleep patterns for your baby. It may be tempting to break the rules by co-sleeping or allowing baby to sleep on their side or tummy, but it is advisable that you don’t.