How to Help Your Baby Sleep More

Over the last decade, Penn State University has been conducting a study on teaching mothers new skills to enable them to attain better and longer sleep for their newborns.

Sleep is essential for healthy weight through childhood, brain development, and emotional regulation. Also parents’ sleep deprivation can lead to depression and elevated instances of traffic accidents. It’s important for newborns to reach the optimum level of sleep for the overall well-being for their growth and development and their whole family.

Responsive Parenting

Responsive parenting (notice how we didn’t say reactive parenting) refers to responding to a child’s needs in a way that is timely, age-appropriate, and tailored to their specific needs. There is a difference when the response is actually what the baby needs instead of the parent projecting what they think the baby wants. When parents in the study responded to things like fussiness, alertness during feeding and play, drowsiness, and sleep, the children slept longer and learned self-soothing skills faster than children who didn’t have parents using responsive parenting. These children also had a lower BMI for the first three years of life.

The Spillover Effect

As the study continued, parents voiced concern that they did everything perfectly using their training for the first born, but didn’t have time with the second born. Researchers at Penn state wanted to see if second born children were affected by the training the parents received.

The researchers assessed a group of moms with a second child, half of which had received the training. Results showed that despite feeling like they didn’t have time to apply the practices, those second born children slept longer, went to bed earlier, fell asleep in under 15 minutes, and had a healthier BMI.

Even though the parents felt like they didn’t have time, they unconsciously were implementing what they were taught and saw how it worked. Plus when you are in a routine with 1 child, the others usually fall into that same routine in general.

Promoting Better Sleep for Yourself and Baby

Responsive parenting at bedtime:

• Establish a healthy routine – this can take a bit of time to actually learn what your baby is telling you versus what the adult thinks baby needs are and what the books say to do. Every baby is unique.
• Respond to children based of age and developmental needs
• Teach self soothing techniques – this is not about leaving a baby to cry alone. It’s about learning and supporting them based on what the baby is communicating. Some babies shake their heads before falling out, some babies lay still, some babies wiggle and some cry/fuss etc. Staying with your baby to support them and learn them is a key component to understanding their communication.

According to Early Childhood theorist Jean Piaget, the first thing a baby learns is trust vs. mistrust. They learn trust when parents respond accordingly to their needs and have consistency. The consistency teaches them they can trust their needs will be met, and they learn what to expect. Knowing what to expect makes transitions like bed and sleep, smooth. When babies, humans in general, have trust they have a strong sense of self-worth and secureness within. These are some of the building blocks to a secure attachment.

For the caregiver new to responsive parenting, once a bedtime is established, be consistent. When the consistent bedtime has been implemented, build a calm routine.

Thirty minutes before the calm routine, it can be helpful to “get the wiggles out”. Do a dance, jump around, or move the baby’s legs and arms to fun music. This can also become a fun part of nightly routine and nightly time to connect with parents/caregivers. The calm routine should include things like warm baths, reading books, and avoiding stimulating activities, screen time or rowdy play. If you have an infant that is not rolling, using a swaddle can add to this calming time.

To encourage self soothing, put the baby to bed while drowsy but awake. Self soothing is a valuable and necessary skill, teaching it as soon as possible will help with healthier sleep.

Babies waking through the night is inevitable, often times for hunger. However, this does not mean that feeding should be the first response. The researchers at Penn state encourage parents to use “lighter touch” methods, like trying a pacifier, verbal reassurance, and gentle touches like patting their butts and rubbing their backs or bellies. Deeper responses include rocking, feeding, and changing the baby’s diaper. These should only be used if the “lighter touch” method doesn’t work.

At Gentle Giraffes, we not only educate you about healthy and sustainable habits but also stand by you as you implement them right from the start. We understand that the early days of parenthood can feel overwhelming, especially when exhaustion sets in. That’s why we’re here to offer our unwavering support throughout the crucial first 16 weeks.

Drawing from our extensive experience, we’ve honed a technique that focuses on establishing routines, understanding and addressing the unique needs of each baby, and alleviating common issues like digestive discomfort and reflux. By minimizing overstimulation and fostering a deep sense of attachment, we ensure that your baby’s nervous system remains calm and balanced.

Our founder possesses a remarkable talent and deep passion for this work! With an intuition that seems almost uncanny when it comes to newborns and infants. She is a steadfast advocate for both newborns and families, bridging the gap between the books and the Docs to promote a calmer, happier baby and family where everyone sleeps…

At Gentle Giraffes, we’re dedicated to supporting you every step of the way, ensuring that your journey into parenthood is as smooth and fulfilling as possible.

You can check out our sleep conditioning and sleep training packages here. Send us a message at contact@gentlegiraffes.com and we will be glad to help.