Home » Sleep Sensitivity » How Sleep Consistency Makes for a Happier Baby and Happier You
Sleep Sensitivity

How Sleep Consistency Makes for a Happier Baby and Happier You

Photo: Courtesy of Tara Raye

While being a work-from-home parent comes with a whole set of stressors, you can still use this extra time with your baby to your advantage. Pediatric sleep expert Dr. Natalie Barnett, Ph.D., Nanit’s director of clinical research, has outlined some actionable steps you can take to set your baby up for sleep success.

  • Consistency is key: Develop a consistent feeding and sleeping schedule to ensure that your baby is getting all the sleep and nutrition that they need during the day. This will help to gradually and naturally reduce their need for nighttime feeds. This consistent schedule will also allow parents to plan their days, making it easier to organize their work commitments.
  • Prepare a safe sleep environment: Follow the guidelines of the American Academy of pediatrics and create a safe sleep environment for your baby. This will reduce the risk of injury and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
  • Consistent parent response to baby: Nanit’s research has shown that more families are focusing on sleep training right now. Whichever method of sleep training you choose that is right for your family, the most important thing is that you are consistent about how you implement your approach and respond to your baby.
  • Reduce baby’s exposure to screen time: A recent Nanit research study shows that young infants may be more vulnerable to the effects of screens, and they may cause a disruption to their sleep-wake rhythms.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to your baby’s sleep. As you learn their sleep and feeding cues, you can adapt those to a routine that best suits your family. To help get you started, Nanit has created a Sleep Schedule Generator, which gives you a personalized schedule, taking into account your child’s sleep and wake times. You might find that the schedule needs to be tweaked for your baby and your lifestyle, but remember, adjusting to new routines and schedules can take days or even weeks, but the reward will be well worth it.

Next article