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What Parents
Should Know About a Baby Sleep Pattern
Is there
anything more precious
than a sleeping baby? I think not. But that is as long as they are
sleeping.
Babies are notorious for being wide awake and ready to go at night time
and
ready to rest and sleep during the day. This would be fine if the rest
of the
world operated like this. But it doesn't. So what exactly does a baby
sleep
pattern look like?
How is a
Baby's Sleep Pattern
Different than an Adult's? Yes, babies
sleep a lot, especially
newborns. Your new baby will sleep about 16 to 18 hours a day.
Unfortunately,
this is not during the typical hours of 6pm and 8am. A baby's sleep
pattern is
much shorter than an adult's and this is why babies continually wake.
When an
adult wakes from sleep they roll over and go back to sleep, this is not
so easy
for a baby. A baby has not yet learned how to go back to sleep. It
seems odd
that this is a learned behavior, but it's true. Until your new baby
learns how
to fall back to sleep, he or she will rely on you to help them get back
to
sleep. A baby sleep
pattern also has
double the amount of light sleep cycles than an adult's. For the sleep
deprived
adult desperately trying everything to lull their precious bundle to
sleep,
this can be excruciating. Because of the many light sleep cycles,
babies wake
up very easily. You've rocked, cuddled and finally little Jr. nods off.
You
slip off to the nursery and just as Jr. touches the mattress he wakes
up! Back
to the rocking chair! Understanding this aspect of a baby sleep pattern
will at
least help you keep your patience, if not anything else. How Can I Help
my Baby Sleep
Better? Naturally, as
a newborn matures, so
will the baby's sleep pattern. Ideally, by the time baby reaches 7-12
weeks, a
regular sleep pattern will have been established. And hopefully, this
will be
between the hours of 10 pm - 7 am. New parents can hang onto the hope
that by
the time baby is 6 months old, your baby's sleep pattern will include
up to 7
hours of uninterrupted sleep. If baby is
fussy, make sure that
the diaper is clean, that he or she is well fed and just the right
temperature.
Since crying is the only means of communication, a fussy baby could
have one of
many things wrong. A comfortable baby is more likely to fall asleep. If
his or
her face is red or if the hair is damp, baby is too warm. No one is
comfortable
when he or she is too warm and this includes babies. Just remove a
blanket or
turn down the heat and watch as your baby's sleep pattern comes
naturally. Chris Towland If
your baby is having
sleep problems then take a look at The Baby Sleep Solution audio
program. It's
the quickest way to solve your baby sleep problem - guaranteed! Take a
look now
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