Many babies fall asleep and establish a good routine right from the start; others need a little help from their mother in establishing the correct sleeping patterns. Still others seem to cry at night for no rhyme or reason and the whole household is upset and disturbed for months – sometimes years. So what are the things that might prevent baby from sleeping well during the night?
Firstly, having colic is one reason that a baby can waken and cry during the night hours. You will know if your baby has colic because he will draw his knees up to his stomach repeatedly while he cries. A baby with constant colic should be checked out by the doctor for gastric reflux disease and put on appropriate medication.
A baby may cry during the night if he is hungry or thirsty. If your baby will not take a full feed during the night yet seems to want something, a little sip of boiled water may settle him. If a little more formula or food is offered at tea time, it may be enough to carry him through the night without waking.
Being uncomfortable during the night can waken baby and make him cry. Make sure an active baby stays covered on cool nights by enclosing him in a sleeping bag or sleep suit if he kicks the blankets off. Even a warm night can turn cooler in the wee hours, so a light cotton sleeper may be all that is needed to keep baby asleep.
Loud noise can certainly waken baby, whether this is from traffic, dogs barking or noise from the television or other children. If the window must be shut during the night to keep out traffic noise, try and open it for a while during the day to let fresh air into the room. In hot weather a fan may be used, but it should not blow directly on baby all night.
Some younger children suffer from what is called night terrors. They appear to be having some kind of terrible nightmare that makes them appear terrified, but they are not really awake, nor do they remember it the next morning. It is only the rest of the household that is disturbed. Children do grow out of this problem, much to their parent’s relief.
Some parents use the controlled crying technique with success. Basically you leave baby to cry for a little longer each time before going to settle him. Settling or reassurance should be kept to the minimum of patting and saying shush. Baby should not be picked up. Baby should be six months or more before this technique is tried.
Even the most disturbed baby eventually gets to the stage where he sleeps reasonably well, so if nothing you try seems to keep your baby asleep at night, the only thing to do is take turns to get up and try to get a little sleep during the day to compensate. However, it is certainly worthwhile choosing one of the methods that many experts and mums find works and sticking with it for long enough to make a difference.