Understanding the changes going on in your baby’s world can be really beneficial and a sanity saver. Try and see the changes in your baby’s sleep as a positive and that their brain and sleep are maturing well.
There are some things that you can do to help make the transition easier for both you and baby.
– Keeping the start and end of your baby’s day at a fairly consistent time will help to set their body clock. Huge variances in morning and bedtime can leave your baby feeling jet lagged.
– Where possible give your baby the opportunity to fall asleep by themselves. If this doesn’t happen don’t stress. A well rested baby is the most important thing.
– Try to help prevent your baby from becoming overtired. When we are overtired we release a hormone called Cortisol which makes us feel stressed and wired. An overtired baby will find it harder to fall asleep. Looking out for your baby’s tired signs and helping them to fall asleep at the first sign of tiredness will really help.
– Take a look at where your baby is sleeping. Your newborn may have slept through the dog barking, the tv and the hoover but your 4 month old may not be able to. If there are lots of disturbances try eliminating some to see if that helps. In busy households pink noise can be great at helping to block out external noise.
– Seek help! If your baby really isn’t sleeping well and you are both exhausted there is no pride lost in speaking to a health professional or a sleep consultant. We really do want to help and you absolutely do not need to leave your baby to cry to help them to achieve better sleep.