Having a baby in the house does not mean you’ll never sleep again. But there are a few things you can do for yourself (and for baby when he/she arrives!) that will positively affect nighttime sleep.
5 Tips to Great Sleep
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Keep a consistent wake time.
- Did you know that a consistent wake time plays a role in your nighttime hormones?
- Remaining consistent with both bedtime and wake time will help you achieve those natural bedtime hormone levels. (And these days, ANYTHING to wrangle those hormones, right?! This will help!)
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Daytime sleep affects nighttime sleep.
- Of course, we want to ensure that our babies have consistent nap opportunities. But the biggest thing is not to let those naps last too long or too late. Think about it. If you nap too long or too late, do you have trouble going to sleep at night? Of course, you do! Sweet babies are no different.
- Generally, naps should be under two hours and end by 4 pm.
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Light is for shorter stretches of sleep, and darkness is for longer stretches.
- We want to create an ideal sleep environment that allows our bodies to know that it is nighttime. Our hormones respond to light, whether it is the sun or artificial light.
- We recommend a dual-firmness crib mattress like the Sleep & Grow Crib Mattress. It features extra-firm support that infants need on one side and less firmness on the other side to provide the comfort that toddlers prefer so that it will grow with your baby and their nursery!
- Keep the room as dark as possible. (Bonus tip: Turn off all electronics 30 minutes before bedtime.)
- We want to create an ideal sleep environment that allows our bodies to know that it is nighttime. Our hormones respond to light, whether it is the sun or artificial light.
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Movement is beneficial.
- You may not feel like you have tons of extra energy these days. (After all, you ARE growing a human!) But just in case, you’ll want to make sure extra energy gets burned off in the late afternoon or early evening.
- When your baby arrives, you may notice increased fussiness as you get closer to the evening hours, so you’ll want them to exercise. Aim for around 30 minutes of movement (tummy time, play mat, wiggling with mom or dad, etc.) after dinner.
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Use a sound machine!
- In infants, white noise helps the body get into and stay in that restorative REM sleep. It relaxes the body and minimizes additional stimulation. And for you, a white noise machine will get you to sleep faster and help you stay asleep.
- Learn more about the LectroFan Classic and why we love it!
Ultimate takeaway: SLEEP IS IMPORTANT. Here at Moms on Call, we just use the natural rhythms of life to produce more predictable results.
Basically, sunshine, exercise and a solid routine will get the job done.
But please don’t believe the lie that having a newborn means you’ll never sleep again. If you fear how lack of sleep will affect you once that sweet blessing arrives, understand your baby is no different. And your baby needs sleep too!
Just for fun, watch this bonus video (It’s less than two minutes long!) on creating the ideal sleep environment for your baby. This is a sample of what you’ll find inside our Online Video Courses – where we break down what you really need to know in a simple, flexible, and fun way.
