One of the great challenges of teaching your baby to sleep through the night is distinguishing daytime from nighttime. I will say, that this is probably easiest to achieve if Babywise is implemented from birth (I will explain in a moment), but this can be successful at any infant or toddler stage.
As adults, we comprehend that daylight equates wake time, and darkness means sleep. To a baby, this means nothing! Some of you know this well, I'm sure. The secret to this grand lesson revolves around one word: ROUTINE. Learn this word, breathe this word, it will become your new best friend.
Babywise from birth or early infancy:
Your routine will center around 3 events- feedings, wake time, and sleep. The order and timing of these is imperative for success. Before I give a daily, routine example, I must note that there are many benefits that accompany this routine. 1. Your baby knows what's coming and thrives on predictability. 2. You can more accurately assess your baby's needs. 3. You can plan your day based on your baby's routine. (You might think this means sacrifice, but trust me, a well rested baby in public is 100 times better than a cranky, sleepy one.)
Here's an example of a typical Babywise routine for an infant:
7 am: wake up; feeding (bottle or nursing)
7:30-8:30 am: wake time (once feeding is complete); play with baby-sing, interact, use swing, whatever baby likes that keeps him/her awake.
8:30 am: Lay baby down for 1st nap; IMPORTANT-lay down awake! (We'll discuss.)
10 am: Wake up! At this stage in development, I will wake my baby if he/she is breastfeeding every 3 hrs. (Bottle fed babies tend to go longer, more like 4 hrs. In that case, you can lay down for nap at 9-9:15 am and wake at 11 am).
10:30-11:30 am: play time or bath time!
11:30 am: nap time
1 pm: Wake up! And eat!
1:30-2:30 pm: let's play and cuddle!
2:30 pm: nap time... Again!
4 pm: Wake up!
4:30-5:30 pm: maybe daddy's home and he can entertain? : )
5:30 pm: nap time (and dinner for mom & dad)
7 pm: Wake up, little baby!
7:30-8:30 pm: oh, Daddy is definitely home and you're taking a long bath and reading your Kindle!
8:30 pm: lay down for "nap"
10 pm: Wake up! Bottle (or Mommy)... and, wait for it...
SLEEP!
Does this mean your newborn will not wake up in 3-4 hrs to eat again? Probably not.. Yet. Here's the difference: if your baby does wake up to eat, then feed and lay him/her down immediately after. Key note: no wake time at night! Oh, that seems obvious, right?! Truth is, your baby probably doesn't have sufficient wake time during the day, and most likely lacks routine and structure altogether. It's no one's fault; we all do our best with the knowledge we have. Now you have a proven successful routine that works with my key word: CONSISTENCY! Back on track ( I get carried away with these motivational speeches)...
Here's the beauty: eventually, your baby will stop waking for those middle of the night feedings when he/she realizes it's nighttime. Some of you might worry that your baby will be hungry, but your baby will let you know. Of course, as baby gets older he/she will add rice cereal and food to his/her diet, extending sleep time due to fullness. This will also change routine, but add more to keep you busy.
One other thing I mentioned earlier was laying your baby down awake. This is a big topic that deserves it's own blog. Be prepared for some crying, but follow the Babywise guide of checking on your Baby every 15 minutes until sleep is achieved. I will work on this blog for the near future because I know this issue is huge. (That is, until your 2 year old puts herself to bed, shutting her door and shouting, "Goodnight!" .. Yep, that's my girl and totally worth all the WORK!)
Here are key things to look for: your baby receives a FULL feeding (no snacking!), your baby wakes up happy from nap (this will become more evident when baby is older). Following this routine will make your baby more pleasant during the day, due to full feedings and good naps, and sleepier at night, due to simple routine.
Next blog will center on older babies, both "Babywised" and newbies. Feel free to send me your Babywise schedules for all ages, and I will pass along. I will also be happy any questions related to this post!
Thanks for reading... Lindsey
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