Getting a baby to adjust to a normal sleep schedule can be a challenge for new parents. Here are some tips so that both you and your baby can get a good night's rest.

Getting a baby to adjust to a normal sleep schedule can be a challenge for new parents. Here are some tips so that both you and your baby can get a good night's rest.

1) Establish a routine - A kiss good night or stroking the baby before sleep can calm the child, or bathing and cleaning the child before bed time. Make sure to repeat these patterns. Once the baby becomes familiar with this routine, they will know that it is time to sleep. Also, make sure the baby sleeps in the same place and in the same conditions as much as possible.

2) Try lullaby music - Lullaby music can calm the child as can white noise CD's. The sound of a vacuum cleaner is also known to have a soothing effect.

3) Make sure that the room temperature is not too hot or cold and that the baby is in a location that is away from any noise or distractions that may cause the baby to awaken.

4) Shorten nap time during the day - If the baby sleeps too much during the day, then he or she may not be able to sleep as well at night. When napping, keep the lights on and try not to give the baby any cues that it is bedtime by avoiding the night routine. No need to wake the child from napping, but if conditions are brighter and a bit noisier, then the baby will probably wake up on its own.

5) Rocking - Rocking and massaging the baby can relax the child and this may be good as prelude to sleeping through the night.

6) Read a story - Read a story or spend some time with the baby before bed, instead of just dropping the baby off in the crib and leaving. This extra time will allow the baby to transition into sleep.

7) Feeding - Make sure the baby is getting good nutrition. If you must feed the baby in the middle of the night, make sure to keep the lights dim so as to not disturb the baby's sense of time.

Make sure that it is quiet at night and that there is activity during the day. Babies need to learn the difference between night and day.

Note: If you find this article useful, you may reprint it on your website, e-zine, or in your newsletter as long as the resource box below remains in tact and the hyperlinks stay active.

About the Author: Criss White is a professional web writer on baby and new mother topics for baby and pregnancy websites. For more related articles, go to Baby Lullaby (http://babylullaby.bravehost.com) and Baby shower information (http://www.legitimateopportunities.com/baby).

Baby Sleep Aid
For many parents the most difficult part of coping with a new baby is teaching him to sleep through the night. A common misconception is that
you must be absolutely…

If you?re a parent with a young child then here?s a question that may make you yawn ? what were you doing this morning at 1am, 3am or 5am. Were you sleeping like a baby or were you in fact cuddling and rocking your little cherub in an attempt to get them back to sleep? After all that?s what being a parent is all about ? isn?t it?!

A lucky few will have been asleep in bed throughout the night, but a large percentage of the parenting population will have been up feeding or pacing the floor with the little bundles of joy.

Just as your newborn weaves magic through your heart, the effects of sleep deprivation can cast a spell on your body and mind. One child in three has real sleep issues before they reach school age, but these can be overcome in many cases - and it doesn?t have to involve leaving your baby to cry for hours on end.

So, Why Don?t Young Children Sleep?

We all sleep in cycles consisting of blocks of light and deep sleep. Ifyou rock your baby to sleep or let them fall asleep at the breast before putting him down, you?re heading for problems. Your baby passes into a phase of light sleep and is more likely to wake as they realise they?re alone. They?ll cry, you?ll go back to them and because you don?t know any other way, you?ll pick them up, rock them back to sleep and put them back in their cot. And the cycle continues!

Common Sense Way

Controlled comforting was devised by Australian mother-craft nurse Rhonda Abrahams. It?s kinder than controlled crying. ?A baby under 6 months should never be left to cry,? says Ronda ?older babies shouldn?t be left for more than 10 minutes crying.?

Rhonda based her technique on common sense. ?Babies need to learn to go to sleep by themselves so that if they wake in the night they?re able to settle themselves back to sleep,? she explains. To work, the techniques need to be used for all types of sleep, or your baby will get mixed messages. And little ones learn by repetition. So you should adopt this routine for both daytime and nighttime sleeps.

Ready or Not?

Before starting the programme?

Ensure your baby is well. If they become ill just as you start the new routine, stop and start again when they are better.

Make sure that you?re well ? it won?t do either of you any good to be starting a new routine while your body is under stress.

Try to keep a fairly free week to devote as much time and effort as possible to making the routine work. A busy schedule will make it harder, and it?ll take longer to work.

If anyone else cares for your baby, make sure they know what?s involved ? nothing sabotages a new routine as fast as mixed messages.

Get a dim nightlight so that your baby can see their surroundings when they wake.

It?s Just Routine

A regular routine is the surest way to get a baby or toddler to sleep independently. Little ones respond to a familiar pattern of events, and sleeping in the same environment each night gives then a sense of security and comfort. Establishing a bedtime routine will benefit not only your child, but also `you and your partner as you can have a bit of adult quiet time?.

Encourage patterns in the life of your newborn, as these will turn into routine ? and babies learn from repetition. Keep in mind that a habit can be formed in just three days!

The best way to establish a routine is to use the feed / play / sleep method. During the day when your baby wakes, feed them and then let them play for a while. Watch out for tired signs (yawning, rubbing their eyes, grizzling, hiding their face). When you notice them, you?ll need to begin settling them. Have a cuddle before a daytime nap; in the evenings, give them a relaxing bath. Baby massage can also calm your baby. Never over stimulate your child before bedtime or think that the longer you keep them up, the more tired they?ll become and the easier it will be to get them off to sleep. An overtired baby is harder to settle, and if you wait until they?re tired to begin their last feed then they?ll drop off to sleep while you?re feeding them. The main challenge with this is that your baby will get a fright when they wake up in the cot by themselves and they?ll wonder where you are; after all when they fell asleep they were in your arms!

Settling - Newborn ? 6 Months

Unless your baby?s unusually co-operative, prepare yourself for some crying ? it?s useful to have someone else there to support you.

1. Wrap your baby firmly, but not tightly, in a small blanket or pram sheet, covering their hands to help them feel more secure and prevent them from catching themselves in the face if they flail around.

2. Place them in their cot on their side so that they?re looking away from you (avoid eye contact), and with their feet close to the end of the cot. Remember that this isn?t the position that they?ll sleep in ? you?ll turn them onto their back once they?re asleep. In the meantime, they won?t come to any harm, as you?ll be in the room with them at all times. Look at the clock and make a note of the time. You?re going to give them 15 minutes to settle.

3. They?ll probably have started crying by now. Place one hand on their shoulder and gently stroke their back or pat their bottom gently with the other hand. They?ll probably continue to cry.

4. If, after 15 minutes, they?re still crying and showing no signs of settling, pick them up and give them a cuddle (don?t rock them to sleep ? remember this is what you are trying to avoid).

5. Once they?ve calmed down, put them back in their cot, facing the other way this time, and try another 15 minute period of settling. Put one hand on their shoulder and pat or stroke them, as before. If they start to quieten, take your hand away ? the idea is for your baby to settle itself.

6. Once your baby is soundly asleep, roll them gently onto their back, loosen the wrapping and leave them.

7. If your baby is still crying, pick them up, cuddle them, and start again.

The most important thing is persistence. New routines take time, but just think how much more enjoyable parenthood will be when you are getting a good nights sleep.

Settling 6 ? 12 months

Again, it will really help if you have support. With this technique your baby will never be left alone crying for more that ten minutes at a time. Are you ready? Well here goes!

1. Lie your baby in the cot on their back. Ensure that their feet are at the end of the bed and tell them ?It?s time to sleep now?. Leave the room and wait for two minutes. You want to give you baby the chance to fall asleep by themselves. As soon as they realise that they?re alone it is likely that they will start to protest. If they don?t settle within 2 minutes, then go back in.

2. Roll them on their side, facing away from you. Put a hand on their shoulder and keep patting their bottom or upper thigh gently with the other hand. Do this for two minutes, repeating the words ?It?s time to sleep now? in a gentle and soothing voice. If the baby us still protesting after two minutes, then leave the room, and wait out side, this time for four minutes.

3. If they still haven?t settled, go back in and try settling them, this time for four minutes. Next time, it?ll be six minutes, then eight minutes and finally ten minutes.

4. In the unlikely event that after the ten minute session they still haven?t settled then pick them out of the cot, give them a cuddle, calm them (making sure you don?t rock them to sleep), and when they have settled repeat the process.

You will notice that your child?s crying will reach a peak, and then it will tail off, often very quickly, until they eventually settle themselves off to sleep.

As has been indicated throughout this article, the key to success is perseverance. If you follow this routine to the letter then within 3 ? 10 days your baby should be sleeping through the night, and be able to put themselves back to sleep, should they waken.

Good luck and happy sleeping!

Claudia Nicoll is a mother of two, Toby and Joel, as well as a keen fitness enthusiast.

She also runs a website aimed at helping parents to local local baby and toddler activities in the UK - Visit http://www.busylittleones.co.uk

Baby Sleep Patterns
So you've tried everything and nothing works. You've rocked, you've carried, you've sung to her for hours. You know your baby is comfortable
and you've been…

Hush little baby, don?t say a word? Sleep, it may seem like one those things a new parent, especially a mom, has permanently forsaken. Some long gone luxury like wearing a white shirt without baby goo on it. If you are a sleep deprived parent you know it is important to get your baby to sleep on his own. Unfortunately, babies come programmed to sleep with mommy, after all they did that while in her womb. So, it is understandable that it will take some time for baby to get accustomed to falling asleep on his own.

Many tricks for helping your little one fall asleep involve setting up a nighttime routine. Such as following the same schedule, of bathing, feeding then bed or using certain items such as a blankie, or stuffed animal, maybe one with the heart sound, that your baby can associate with sleep. If, after several months your baby still cannot sleep on his own, you may want to look into trying the Ferber Method.

The Ferber Method was introduced by Dr. Richard Ferber as a way to wean a baby from needing mommy in order to sleep. This method, though not for everyone, is normally effective within the first few weeks of starting. It is not recommended to start the Ferber Method unless you have the time to devote to it as it may well cause you some further sleepless nights, especially at the start. Also, as mentioned, this method is not for everyone, as you must be able to listen to your little one cry. If you allow your baby to sleep with you or you sleep in his room, in order to quite him or because you are simply too tired to stay awake, then this method will not work.

To start this method you will put your baby to bed as you always do. It is important that he is tired but awake, so that he can call asleep on his own. Once you leave the room, and he starts crying, let him cry for five minutes. After five minutes you can to in and console him. Only stay in the room a short while, and do not pick him up or rock him, even if he continues to cry. Now, leave the room again, this time wait ten minutes before proceeding as above. Next time wait 15 minutes, and remain at a maximum of 15 minutes the rest of the night, eventually your baby will go to sleep without you in the room.

The second night of this method, start out at ten minutes vs. five, before entering baby?s room. Next move up to 15 minutes, followed by 20. Each night increase the wait time by five minutes.

By sticking to this method your baby will fall asleep on his own. While it may seem cruel, or be hard on you to let your baby cry, the Ferber Method is safe and a successful way of teaching baby to sleep by himself.

About the Author:

Abby Johnson is a staff writer at Kids Digest and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Lifestyle Gazette.

Baby Sleep Pillow
As the cranky crying of an overtired newborn will attest, teaching your baby good sleep habits is a high priority…

When you first come home with your new baby, there are so many new things to learn that it can be quite overwhelming. One priority, however, is to help your baby establish good sleeping habits. For a long time now baby has been sleeping in your womb, which is quite a restful place. The big, wide world is quite different, and it takes time for baby to learn to adapt. But the sooner you can help baby sleeping well, the sooner you can get some much needed rest yourself!

There are probably as many stories about what helps babies to sleep as there are babies - and the reality is that there isn't one totally successful secret that works with all babies. However it's very important to find a way to help your baby to transition between being awake and being asleep. Once baby can do this on his own, he will be able to fall asleep much more easily and with a lot less effort from you. Establishing a routine that baby associates with going to sleep. Use the tips below as a starting point, to try and determine the best way to help your baby through transition. And always remember to trust your instincts - it's amazing how often they're right.

One useful trick if daddy is around at bedtime, is called "fathering down". Just before putting the baby to bed, daddy should cradle baby, with baby's head resting on his daddy's neck. Daddy should then talk to baby in a gentle voice. A male's voice is much deeper than a female's, and many babies find that deepness soothing, and so will transition into sleep more easily.

Another technique is called "wearing down". No, this doesn't mean playing with baby until he's so exhausted that he falls asleep on the floor! The idea is for you place your baby in a sling or carrier - "wear him", basically - and go about your regular household activities in the lead up to bedtime. This is particularly helpful if baby has been very active and is either too excited to sleep or overtired. Moving about with you helps to rock and soothe baby, and so calm him down in preparation for bedtime.

A more modern option is "driving down". Most parents have heard of this trick, which basically involves putting your baby in his car seat and driving around for a while until he's asleep. Unfortunately this is rather inconvenient and uses up petrol, but if you're desperate, it's worth a try - it has a very high success rate. When my children were babies, I often used to time driving somewhere or coming home so that it roughly coincided with the start of my baby's naptime. Then once we were home I'd transfer my baby into his bassinet or crib, and he'd have a lovely long nap. I've been known to take the long route home for just this reason!

Although these techniques are generally successful, obviously you don't want to be obliged to drive around with your baby every night just so he'll go to sleep. The idea of these techniques is to start out with these more drastic techniques, to help baby learn the feel of going off to sleep, then gradually ease out of them. Replace driving in a car, for example, with being rocked in the bassinet. Always remember that learning to transition into sleep is a big thing for your baby to learn, and it probably won't happen overnight. With patience and persistence, however, baby will gradually learn how to fall asleep by himself, helping both baby and yourself get a good night's sleep.

About the Author

Discover more ideas for helping baby to sleep well at Info About Baby You can sign up for a FREE Baby Tips newsletter at Baby Tips Newsletter. The author's book about babies is available at Baby's First Year
Baby Sleep Pillow
As the cranky crying of an overtired newborn will attest, teaching your baby good sleep habits is a high priority…

The environment that your baby enjoyed for nine long months in the womb was not one of absolute quiet. There was a constant symphony of sound — your heartbeat and fluids rushing in and out of the placenta. (Remember those sounds from when you listened to your baby's heartbeat with the Doppler stethoscope?) Research indicates that "white noise" sounds or soft bedtime music helps many babies to relax and fall asleep more easily. This is most certainly because these sounds create an environment more familiar to your baby than a very quiet room.

Many people enjoy using soothing music as their baby's sleep sound. If you do, choose bedtime music carefully. Some music (including jazz and much classical music) is too complex and stimulating. For music to be soothing to your baby, pick simple, repetitive, predictable music, like traditional lullabies. Tapes created especially for putting babies to sleep are great choices. Pick something that you will enjoy listening to night after night, too. (Using a tape player with an automatic repeat function is helpful for keeping the music going as long as you need it to play.)

There are widely available, and very lovely, "nature sounds" tapes that work nicely, too, as well those small sound-generating or white-noise devices and clocks you may have seen in stores. The sounds on these — raindrops, a bubbling brook or running water — often are similar to those sounds your baby heard in utero. A ticking clock or a bubbling fish tank also make wonderful white-noise options.

Tanya, mother of one-year-old Chloe reports, "I went out today and bought a small aquarium and the humming noise does seem to relax Chloe and help her to sleep. I didn't buy any fish though. Who has time to take care of fish when you're half asleep all day?"

You can find suitable tapes and CDs made especially for babies or those made for adults to listen to when they want to relax. Whatever you choose, listen to it first and ask yourself: Does this relax me? Would it make me feel sleepy if I listened to it in bed?

If you must put your baby to sleep in a noisy, active house full of people, keeping the tape running (auto rewind) will help mask baby-waking noises like dishes clanking, people talking, siblings giggling, TV, dogs barking, etc. This can also help transition your sleeping baby from a noisy daytime house to which he's become accustomed subconsciously to one of absolute nighttime quiet.

Once your baby is familiar with his calming noise, or music, you can use these to help your baby fall back to sleep when he wakes up in the middle of the night. Simply sooth him by playing the music (very quietly) during the calming and falling-asleep time. If he wakes and cries, repeat this process.

If your baby gets used to his sleep time sounds you can take advantage of this and take the tape with you if you will be away from home for naptime or bedtime. The familiarity of these sounds will help your baby sleep in an unfamiliar environment.

Eventually your baby will rely on this technique less and less to fall and stay asleep. Don't feel you must rush the process; there is no harm in your baby falling asleep to these gentle sounds. When you are ready to wean him of these you can help this process along by reducing the volume by a small amount every night until you finally don't turn the music or sounds on at all.

Babies enjoy these peaceful sounds, and they are just one more piece in the puzzle that helps you to help your baby sleep - gently, without any crying at all.

~*~*~
Excerpted with permission by McGraw-Hill Publishing from The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night by Elizabeth Pantley, copyright 2002 Website: http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth

About the Author

Elizabeth Pantley has redefined stress-free parenting with her classic books The No-Cry Sleep Solution, The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers & Preschoolers, No-Cry Potty Training and Gentle Baby Care. She is the president of Better Beginnings, Inc. and the author of seven books for parents that are available in eighteen languages.

Baby Sleep Aid
For many parents the most difficult part of coping with a new baby is teaching him to sleep through the night. A common misconception is that
you must be absolutely…