Make the Room Cool
We sleep better when the temperature is cool than during hot days. It is no different for a baby. Cool, the room enough so that an adult can sleep with a light sheet. This would be the ideal sleeping temperature for your baby. You can use the fan or leave the windows open to cool down the room. Ensure that your baby is not near the window and far away from the fans. Also, take care not to over dress your baby.
Give Your Baby a Quick Spa Treatment
New-born babies, who are given a massage before bedtime, tend to sleep faster and more soundly than those babies who dont get a massage. Use baby oil and gently massage your baby for 10 15 minutes to get it relaxed and help it sleep better.
A Secure Environment
Get a bassinet for your baby so that he can sleep in your bedroom and have a good sleep. The enclosed space in the bassinet and the baby blanket makes it feel safe and promotes good sleep in your baby. The closeness to the parents also gives the baby a sense of security helping it sleep soundly.
Reinforce the Circadian Rhythm
One way to regulate the circadian rhythm, which is the internal clock of the body, both in babies and adults, is with light. Lower down your lights or use dim lights as the sun goes down whether or not your baby is going to bed. In contrast, keep your home brightly lit during the daytime so that these rhythms are reinforced. This will help your baby sleep peacefully at night.
Cut Down Your Caffeine
Too much of caffeine can keep an adult wide awake; ditto for a baby if it is being breast-fed. The caffeine in the coffee or the soda that you drink can turn up in the breast milk. This can, in turn, affect the baby. The caffeine gets accumulated quickly in the baby and also stays longer in its body than it does in your body. As a result, the babys sleep pattern is hampered. So, cut down your coffee if you are nursing your baby.
Avoid Eye Contact at Night
Eye contact with your baby is an important aspect of making him feel secure. As soon as the baby locks eyes with you, his heart-rate speeds up, blood pressure rises, and it becomes more awake and active. So plenty of eye contact in essential but only during the day. Avoid looking into your babys eyes at night to prevent it from losing sleep and becoming active.
Give a Break to Diaper Duties
Skip the changing of diapers frequently at night if the diaper is not soaked thoroughly or soiled or if your baby does not have diaper rash or extra sensitive skin. Instead, switch over to absorbent night-time diapers. Apply a thick diaper cream over its skin to protect it and allow your baby uninterrupted sleep all through the night.
Keep Away Mosquitos
Buzzing mosquitos can interrupt a babys sleep and keep it awake. Not to mention the fact that they can carry diseases like dengue, malaria and chikungunya. So, allow your baby a sound free sleep and protect its health by taking preventive measures to keep away mosquitos by using a mosquito net, mosquito repellent ointments or sprays that are safe for your baby.
Given that babies wake up frequently at night, providing an atmosphere conducive to sleep will help it relax and soothe it thereby inducing good sleep.