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Home and Family > Babies Toddler > How to Get Your Newborn to Sleep
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Article rating : 0.00, 0 votes. Author : Rachel Steinberg
My husband and I have an 8 week old and are having a lot of trouble with getting him to sleep. What should we do?
At 8 weeks old it is critical not to keep your son awake for too long. Overtired babies have more difficulty sleeping. Babies at this age should not remain awake for more than two hours. This means your baby is asleep two hours from when your child first awoke. Many parents confuse this and start putting the baby down at the two hour mark, so the child is awake for closer to 2 1/2 hours. When this happens it doesn't take long for a baby this little to get overtired , making sleep more difficult. Keep in mind that your son may be ready to go back to sleep after one hour, that's ok! Remember, sleep begets sleep, so it is important to know your baby's signs (i.e., yawning, rubbing, etc.) and ensure he gets as much sleep as he needs.
Depending on your child's temperament and history (i.e., your child was not extremely fussy or colicky), you may try to put him down awake between 8-10 weeks of age for naps. Follow your usual soothing process until he is very groggy (eyes begin rolling back and eyelids get heavy)
but still awake and put him in the crib. This will start to teach your child to go to sleep on his own, which is key to long-term healthy sleep habits. If your child cries, decide on how long you will allow your child to cry before you will pick him up (I recommend anywhere from 5-10 minutes, but no more at this age--whatever you comfort level is). If your child is just "fussing" around don't count this as crying. Many times this behavior is a form of self-soothing and the child will go to sleep on his own. If your child is full- blown crying and clearly is not settling down between 5 to 10 target="_minutes, then pick him up and put him to sleep as you normally would. Wait another week or two and try again.
By four to six months of age you can begin to teach your child healthy sleep habits for both naps and nighttime. For more important developmental sleep information please visit
http://www.child-works.com
Rachel Steinberg is a sleep consultant and co-founder of Child-Works. Child- Works provides parents with research-based consultation in the areas of sleep, behavior and education. Child-Works has created a sleep plan package that helps parents create healthy sleep habits for their child(ren).
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