Sleeping is very important for your baby’s growth. You have to ensure that your baby is getting the rest they need. In fact, babies are supposed to sleep more hours in a day than they do any other activity. Through sleeping, their bodies and brains can develop effectively.
One of the things that will make a child fall sick often is if they are not getting the right sleep. They have weak bodies that must be allowed to develop well.
Babies have the highest body metabolism. The reason is that most of the energy produced by the body is geared towards growth. This is the reason why babies sleep more than adults too.
It is not only at night that they are supposed to sleep. It is recommended that babies sleep for a good amount of time during the day as well as at night.
But babies may not sleep as you would expect them to. Some will sleep better during the day and not very well during the night.
What makes babies sleep soundly is the environment you set for them. And that is where most mothers face great challenges. It is not just easy to create a perfect environment where the baby will sleep and feel active after they wake up.
Most parents find difficult in not only creating the sleeping environment but in safe infant positioning as well. These are the two critical aspects that make it possible for a baby to sleep.
But how do you create the perfect environment for your baby to sleep? How can you ensure your baby can sleep well without any distractions? The following tips are the best in setting what your baby needs for proper sleeping.
Baby sleep environment tip #1: The right temperature
The temperature in the room where your baby sleeps contributes to the quality of sleep they get. In general, a cooler temperature is equal to better and quality sleep. This is because our bodies can pick and drop temperature during the 24 hour period of the day. In the afternoon, chances are the body temperature is the highest internally. When we fall into sleep, the body will naturally cool off.
For babies, the temperature is even higher at that time than a grown-up’s. For this reason, you can help your baby’s temperature to cool faster. Once they attain the best temperature, they will fall into a deeper sleep; they will also sleep faster for longer.
You need to ensure the temperature of the baby falls comfortably. That way, the baby will be able to sleep faster.
Even if you don’t help the baby to bring their temperature low or high, their own bodies will try to regulate. The only problem here is that your baby’s body will waste a lot of energy trying to regulate the temperature.
But what is the ideal temperature? Well, you understand that the temperature of the room is vital to the quality of sleep, now you need to establish the proper temperature.
It is recommended that you aim for a temperature that about 19-21 degrees Celsius. And if the room does not have a way to regulate the temperature, you need to dress the baby in appropriate attire.
Having the perfect temperature reduces the risk of overheating. This may cause your baby’s body to develop rushes, and you may confuse it for a fever. Interestingly, this happens more in the cold seasons. Most parents and caregivers will try to bundle up the baby in more blankets to keep them warm. But this may cause the baby to overheat, increasing the risk for SIDS.
The baby should never feel hot when you touch their skin. If you feel you baby’s chest or abdomen and it is sweaty – that is a problem.
Baby sleep environment tip #2: The level of darkness
It is not easy to recommend the best level of darkness in the baby’s room. But it is important that you let your baby sleep in a much darker sleep. Many parents might not take this lightly though as they think they are conditioning the baby to a finicky sleeper. Yet that is far from the truth.
A good sleeper is cultivated from an ideal environment. A good sleeper can easily adapt to a new environment. Parents have often reported that their babies have found difficulty in adjusting to new sleeping environments when it is not as dark. These children will adjust, and they are not worse than those who sleep in brighter rooms.
Dark rooms have the following benefit for the baby:
? Better quality of sleep. Cool rooms provide quality sleep for your baby, which can be magnified with darker rooms. The absence of light signals the child’s body that it’s time to rest. Light exposure at the wrong time may send wrong signals which disrupt the quality of sleep for the baby.
Children often have a stimulating time for them to play and that is during the daytime. Which is why it makes sense that they may also need downtime to rest.
Baby sleep environment tip #3: Noise
This is a point that goes hand-in-hand with the one discussed above. The same way light can over stimulate children; noise can also have the same effect.
It might not be easy to control noise from the outside. Perhaps you live on a busy street where noise if just out of control. However, you can control the while noise inside the baby’s room. This is called white noise which has so many benefits for the baby including quality of sleep. White noise also reduces stress and helps avoid overstimulation.
But white noise still has to be used safely and effectively. The noise should not be too loud for the baby. It is a good idea to place the source of the noise from across the crib instead of right next to it. And this noise should always play continuously without many interactions.
Playing boring, constant and monotonous sounds helps the child sleep deeper. Just ensure you don’t play music for them.
Conclusion
Creating the perfect environment will encourage your baby to have a perfect sleep. If you use the tips provided above, you might be able to encourage proper sleep for them. Just be sure to observe what might be working well and what might not be.
About Author Bio: Tara Bucci
I’m a stay at home mom of a little girl named Isabella. If you are reading this there is a good chance you are a mom as well. Just like my career before Isabella, I am very focused on providing and finding the best of the best for my little girl. I started babymommablog to help share all of the things I have learned over the last couple of years from expecting to raising Isabella. Read more about baby sleep help guide here.
