Sleeping like a Baby - The Secrets of Sleeping Parents

Many new parents feel excited and overwhelmed when they finally get to bring their new bundle of joy home, I felt clueless. My husband unfortunately had to travel and we had no family to help with the baby so needless to say after a few days of no sleep and running on adrenaline alone I was exhausted. Where did I go wrong? Many parents' babies will awake every two to four hours to eat, be changed, and play. How did they manage to get their baby to sleep without waking up thirty minutes later, crying? So for the first time moms and dads, here are the secrets to sleeping no one shares with you.

1.Let the baby cry for a few minutes. One of the most difficult obstacles for me to overcome was letting my daughter cry. My daughter was fed, changed, and had no sign of any colic or other type of illness, she simply did not want to sleep by herself. First, in the hospital, my daughter wanted to be held all the time. When we brought her home, she would scream when we attempted to put her in the bassinette. Next, we tried putting her in a baby swing, but all too soon that also became an object of dislike. Finally, I made the worst mistake of all; I let her sleep with me. At first we were both getting sleep, but then she began to sleep so close to me, I could not sleep for fear of rolling on her or smothering her. I realized at that point I would have to let her cry, but never more than 20 minutes at a time. The first time I let her cry, I cried with her, but after just a few minutes of crying she went to sleep! Each time became easier and now she goes to bed without fussing.

2. Make some noise. Every Friday night my husband and I have a tradition of listening to music and enjoying the end of the week. After the baby was born, my husband wanted to continue the tradition of playing the music loudly. This drove me nuts! I kept worrying about the baby waking up. The night before her first birthday, I was up late baking a cake. I was using the blender, food processor, and listening to my husband's loud music, when I realized our daughter had not woken up once. It was then I realized I did not have to stop doing what I needed to get done, in fear of waking up the baby! Don't walk on "pins and needles" because the baby is asleep. He or she might wake up a few times because of a noise, in the beginning but a little reassurance and they will fall back to sleep within a few minutes. Eventually, noise won't disturb them.

3. Be consistent. After realizing my daughter could not sleep in the bed with me, I began to put her in the crib. The first few days she fussed, but now she does not fuss going to bed. So what's the secret? Probably the most important secret of all, be consistent. I put my daughter in the crib at the same time, within one half hour, every night. Unless, of course, she is overtired and fussy, then she goes to bed earlier, but still with no fuss! Why? We are on a schedule and consistent with the schedule.

For the first two months of any child's life, many parents are awake every two to four hours and many parents feel exhausted and overwhelmed, but by being consistent with bedtime, not walking on "pins and needles" because the baby is asleep, and finally if the baby is well fed, the diaper is dry, and the baby shows no sign of illness, let the baby cry for a few minutes. Not only will this lead to your happiness and sleep, but also you'll begin to see the baby is also much happier.