Monmouth County's Ask the Doctor Spring Issue March/April 2018

Tips to Help your Baby Sleep Better By Lauren Kolacki • Have a consistent bedtime routine. This can include going into their room, shutting the blinds and lights, rocking in the rocking chair, etc. Your baby will quickly come to love the consistency and predictability. **Try to avoid feeding before sleep, so the baby does not come to correlate the two. • Babies possess a startle reflex. This means, when they start to fall asleep they may feel as if they are falling and jerk. This movement causes them to wake instantly. By keeping your baby in a tight swaddle, you prevent the baby from startling him or herself, allowing for an improved night sleep. • Change diaper strategically. • “White Noise.” Place a fan or soothing music in the baby’s room. This will provide a relaxing aura and hinder exterior noises from waking the baby. • Provide a familiar sleeping zone and try to avoid deviating bed time from this space. This corresponds with a bed time routine and the consistency that accompanies it. • Limit day time naps. I know it is hard to wake an innocent, quiet baby, but sleeping too long during the day can interfere with nighttime rest. If the baby begins to sleep longer than 2.5 hours, you may want to wake them. **On the contrary, forcing your baby to stay up during the day so they sleep better at night is counterproductive. He/she can be overstimulated causing them to be overtired and restless, resulting in less sleep.

K I D S ’ H E A L T H

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ASK THE DOCTOR

MARCH/APRIL 2018