The early days of parenthood are usually the toughest, it is when you and your baby both are learning to adjust to your new life. It is overwhelming as well as exhausting and on top of that, your newborn has a weird sleeping schedule. To make life a little easier for yourself you must be wondering that is it possible to sleep train a newborn? We will let you know that whether sleep training a newborn is possible or not:
Sleep training a newborn:
Even though having a good sleep for long stretches at night sounds amazing when you are extremely sleep deprived and tired. Unfortunately, sleep training a newborn is not a good idea because the baby is too young to learn such basic life skills yet.
Why sleep training a newborn is not possible?
Here are few reasons that why it is not a good idea to try sleep training a newborn:
- Newborns have tiny tummies that need to be fed at least every 2 hours. They cannot sleep all night long without having milk which is why it is not possible to sleep train them just yet.
- These tiny creatures are unaware of the difference between day and night. They might sleep throughout the day and then stay awake all night because they cannot stick to a sleep schedule. They will go to sleep without being bothered about day or night.
- Newborns cry when they are hungry, in pain, or irritated. Their only way of communication is crying and you cannot ignore them because there is always something that bothers them when they cry. Hence, you cannot let them cry while trying different sleep training methods.
- Very young babies are unable to self-soothe, they need your help in sleeping just like every other task. They feel a sense of soothing and security when they are close to you which is why you cannot expect them to go to sleep themselves.
Teaching good sleeping habits to a newborn:
To make your baby a good sleeper it is important to teach them good sleeping habits as soon as they are born. Sleep training a newborn is not a good idea but you can teach good sleeping habits to them and they will become good sleepers in the longer run. So, let’s see what are those sleeping habits that you can teach to your newborn:
- Difference between day and night: Help your baby to learn the difference between day and night by opening the curtains every morning. Let the sunlight come inside the house and give your baby lots of playtime during the day. While at night it is time to relax and unwind, remove everything that would distract the baby, and let them get drowsy. Also, keep the baby’s room a little dark and quiet during the night.
- Be consistent with bedtime: Try to put your baby to sleep at the same time every night to help them understand their sleep schedule. Do not let them have a nap close to bedtime, let them play and get tired so that they can sleep easily at night.
- Bedtime routine: Having a bedtime routine is a great way to make the baby understand that it’s time to sleep. Bedtime routine includes giving a bath, reading a book, breast/bottle feeding and then going to bed.
The bottom line:
Sleep training a newborn is not possible because they are too young to be able to soothe themselves. They need you for going to sleep as much as they need you for every other task. But it is never too early to incorporate good sleeping habits in your baby’s life.