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By: CJ
Krebs
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Your
baby doesn't pay attention to whether it is day and night. But, when
your baby is a few weeks old, you can start teaching them the
difference between morning, night, nap time and beddy-bye-time.
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During
the day keep daytime noises at their normal level, wake your baby
when it's time for her feedings, play with her and talk to her. At
night turn down the lights, the noise, and your voice when talking
to her during her feedings and changes.
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When
your baby is about 1-2 mos. old, put her to bed when she is shows
signs of sleepiness but is still awake. Let her fall asleep on her
own, You may rock and/or sing to her just while she is awake.
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Keep
a semi-scheduled bedtime routine. When it's bedtime, show your baby
it's time to settle down by performing the same steps every night.
Here
are some simple bedtime routine steps to try:
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Start
with a bath or just washing her hands and face. Change diaper and
put pj's.
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Singing
a quiet lullaby is soothing to the baby when it is a familiar voice.
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While
you prepare your baby for bed, if you prefer not to sing, put in a
tape/cd of baby-friendly sounds on low volume and leave it on after
you leave the room.
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Cuddle
and rock your baby before you lay her down to bed. Try to make it
short and put your baby in her crib while she is still awake.
Tricks
to help your baby sleep:
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For
the first 2-3 months your baby needs to wake up to eat, but some
babies jerk themselves and wake up before they are ready to eat. Try
wrapping your baby snuggly in a receiving blanket before putting her
down for bed. It makes newborns feel secure and ready for bed.
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Try
a pacifier. The sucking is soothing to some babies, but not all. If
you encounter too many problems with the pacifier getting lost, or
waking baby when it falls out - you should wean her from it.
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Leave
one special toy in the crib for your baby to look at, talk to and
hold onto. Too many toys can be a distraction.
Sleeping
tricks to avoid:
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Putting
rice cereal in her bottle at night to make her feel full, does not
promote sleep.
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Rocking
your baby is very soothing and can put your baby to sleep. But if
you rock to put her to sleep, she'll want you to rock her every time
she wakes up - even at 4 a.m. (See above notes for tips on rocking
your child)
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Letting
your baby fall asleep with a bottle or nursing before bed is not a
good habit to make. When your baby wakes up at night, she'll expect
you to feed her.
A
Little Reminder:
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Encourage
good sleep habits by creating a consistent sleep routine that ends
before your baby falls asleep, put her to bed awake, and make sure
that a favorite toy will be there for her at night when she wakes
up.
About
The Author
CJ Krebs © 2001
CJ
Krebs, mommy of four, writes short Parenting stories for Sheeze at: http://www.sheeze.com
and helps moderate The Parenting World message board and chat at: http://sheeze.community.everyone.net
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