Rock-a-bye baby tips for the sleepless parent

By Karyn D. Collins
Gannett News Service

Every baby is different when it comes to sleep habits, but quiet and a consistent routine can help. Gannett News Service

"There are a lot of myths out there about what will make a baby stay awake," says Dr. Steven Kairys, chairman of pediatrics at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, N.J. "One example of a myth is that whole thing about how and when a pregnant mother sleeps can affect how her baby will sleep.

"But there are things you and your spouse can do once the baby is born. For one thing, I would say parents need to avoid comparing their child to another child. Every child is different. It's very inappropriate to expect your baby to be like someone else's. "

Parents, he says, must understand how babies sleep at different stages of their development. Newborns, from birth up to six months, often won't sleep through the night. By the time a baby is 3 to 6 months old, however, its sleep pattern will shift, with the baby sleeping through a good part of the night and awake during the day.

Tips for parents desperate to find a way to get baby to settle down:

• Realize there are no rules when it comes to babies. "Some kids are very easily aroused. You tiptoe pass their cribs and they're up," says Kairys. "Other babies stay asleep through anything. That's just the way babies are."
• Establish a quiet and dark environment for the baby.
• Establish pre-bedtime rituals. "Every night, as much as you can, you need to do the same things. You need to have a period of stepping down, where things are quieter, where the child is not being revved up," Kairys says. "It's not fair to the baby to be tossed up in the air and then be expected to go to sleep. That doesn't work for anyone. The ritual may be rocking. It may be a nice warm bath. In general, try not to be overstimulating."
• Watch the baby's room temperature. "Try to keep the temperature at less than 75 degrees because hot temperatures can disturb sleep continuity," says Kairys.
• Stick to a routine. "Don't keep changing the routine. Don't let him cry one night then pick him up the next night. That drives children crazy when they don't know what to expect," Kairys says.
• Stay calm. "Kids in their first year or so of life get their cues from what they feel," he says. "If the parents are very anxious and nervous, kids will pick up on that very quickly, just from the way they're picked up and bounced around. That nervous bouncing just exacerbates the whole situation."