What is the ideal bedtime for newborns? How to dress a newborn for bed? What would make them feel comfier yet safer? What would keep them asleep for longer during the night? Let’s find out!
Parenthood is no doubt a blessing, yet it comes with many frustrating challenges, but you can overcome these with a little understanding of how to deal with these challenges prior to becoming a parent. The time after birth is both crucial and tougher for new parents as well as the newborns, while the new parents are still learning how to look after this new being in their home, the newborn is also struggling to fit in a different environment.
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As adults, we look forward to a sound sleep after a hectic day with newborns but it turns out to be a nightmare when our little ones don’t want to sleep or are rather disturbed throughout the night. How to make nights smoother and less annoying with newborns, here are a few tips to follow:
Routine Bedtime for Newborns:
Although it is difficult to make newborns sleep according to your desire, it is crucial that a bedtime routine is followed for the babies to get accustomed to, sooner than later. Make sure their last nap is 3 to 3.5 hours before your desired bedtime so that they are sleepy enough when the bedtime is near.
Newborn’s Play before Sleeping:
All that a newborn does during 24 hours is feed, play and sleep. To ensure a good night’s sleep, a healthy quiet cuddle, kicking on the blanket, or just letting them stretch their arms and legs a bit in a well-controlled temperature room will be a good playtime. 10 to 20 minutes of play is enough on average but some infants may play longer than this.
Dressing at Bedtime for Newborn:
Newborns tend to sleep calmly when their body temperature is adequate and when they are neither too cold nor hot. Their dress at nighttime should be enough to keep their temperature regular without the need for an extra blanket.
A rule of thumb to be followed when you dress a newborn for bed is: dress them in one additional layer than what you are comfortable wearing during the night yourself. During summers, a lightweight swaddle or sleep bag, and a onesie or half-sleeve romper would suffice. While during colder months, go for full rompers/ a full sleeves pajama set with a sleep sack or swaddle of fleece or any other warmer fabric.
Comfier Bedtime for Newborns at Night:
This element is equally important as dressing newborns appropriately and it also has many aspects. Consider the following steps to ensure the baby’s comfort:
- Always change babies into a fresh diapers before putting them to bed
- Dress them appropriately for the night, keeping both weather conditions and safety in mind
- Keep their dresses simple (limit them to one or at most 2 pieces)
- Baby’s dress or swaddle should not be too loose or too tight
- Reevaluate all that you do for the babies, and keep making it comfier
