Tips on Putting Your Infant to Sleep Safely

Getting a newborn to sleep through the night is a challenge almost every parent faces.But with a little patience and persistence, soon you and your baby will be sleeping soundly.To help you and your baby both get a good night's sleep, you'll want to start by making sure your baby is sleeping safely.Put your baby in something specifically designed for babies to sleep in such as a crib or bassinetLay your baby flat on his or her back.Make sure your baby is alone in the crib without toys, blankets, pillows, or even bumper pads"Typically newborns will not sleep more than three hours in a stretch, and my experience is there's no certain age or weight that they magically start to sleep more. It just gradually begins to lengthen out," said Dr. Robert Wiskind, a pediatrician.When it comes to getting babies to sleep through the night, Dr. Wiskind says you should teach them to fall asleep on their own."So that means that you feed them, you nurse them, you rock them until they are drowsy, but you want to put them in the crib or in the bassinet awake, and if they learn how to fall asleep on their own initially, they'll have a much better chance of falling back to sleep during the night," said Dr. Wiskind.It's also important to establish a bedtime routine with your baby early-on.According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, babies do not have regular sleep cycles until they are about six months old.It's normal for babies to wake up during the night, and it's never too late to work on good sleep habits.