Baby sleep: Helping baby sleep through the night

Tired of being awake at all hours with your baby? Use these simple tips to help your baby sleep through the night.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Developing a rhythm

Encouraging good sleep habits

• Encourage activity during the day. When your baby is awake, engage him or her by talking, singing and playing. Stimulation during the day can help promote better sleep at night.
• Follow a consistent bedtime routine. Try relaxing favorites such as bathing, cuddling, singing, playing quiet music or reading. Soon your baby will associate these activities with sleep.
• Put your baby to bed drowsy, but awake. This will help your baby associate bed with the process of falling asleep. Remember to place your baby to sleep on his or her back, and clear the crib or bassinet of blankets and other soft items.
• Give your baby time to settle down. Your baby might fuss or cry before finding a comfortable position and falling asleep. If the crying doesn't stop, speak to your baby calmly and stroke his or her back. Your reassuring presence might be all your baby needs to fall asleep.
• Consider a pacifier. If your baby has trouble settling down, a pacifier might do the trick. In fact, research suggests that using a pacifier during sleep helps reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
• Expect frequent stirring at night. Babies often wriggle, squirm and twitch in their sleep. They can be noisy, too. Unless you suspect that your baby is hungry or uncomfortable, it's OK to wait a few minutes to see if he or she falls back asleep.
• Keep nighttime care low-key. When your baby needs care or feeding during the night, use dim lights, a soft voice and calm movements. This will tell your baby that it's time to sleep — not play.
• Don't 'bed share' during sleep. This can make it harder for your baby to fall asleep on his or her own. Bed sharing might also increase your baby's risk of SIDS. If you'd like to keep your baby close, consider placing your baby's bed in your bedroom.
• Respect your baby's preferences. If your baby is a night owl or an early bird, you might want to adjust routines and schedules based on these natural patterns.

Keeping it in perspective

Can you believe that the Olympic games are over already.  Have a lot of people watched the games?  What are your favorite sports or events to watch?

I have watched them every night since they started and I know that I will miss watching them and seeing all the athletes each evening when I get home from work.

The closing ceremonies are really good and I am enjoying them and the music they are playing is great!  They had some great artists from Great Britain!

Have a great evening everyone and enjoy the rest of the closing games!

I have a heavy heart tonight and I have for a couple days now.  I have a high school friend that lives in England that has shared a very sad story with her friends and colleagues.  My friends, Debora Cackler Harding, who lives in England, told us today of her son's passing.  He was 14.5 years old, a wonderful and full of life boy and his life was taken in an instant when he was out on a bike ride with his father and 6 other people.  His life was gone in an instant and now they have to sift through the thoughts and love they had for this special boy.  Deb, as I remember her, was a girl that was full of life, laughing, smiling, and always happy!  It sounds like her son was the same as she was, he resembled her in her facial features and she so enjoyed her mom and Kaiden time.  I cannot express the sadness and heaviness I feel in my heart for her and her family.  We need to stop and think about how lucky we are with what we have.  I know Deb and her family will cherish every single day that they had with their boy and my heart breaks as I sift through the pictures of her son, Kaiden and know that he was out doing something he loves when his short, young life was so quickly taken.  God Bless you Deb, Thomas, Sam as you deal with this acceptance of the young life of Kaiden being cut short.  I cannot express my sorrow, my tears for a boy I didn't know, my broken heart for a friend......You were blessed to have this special boy, Kaiden, to be in your life for his short and special life.  My love and thoughts are with you all!

My husband and I have been waiting for the Olympics for weeks now!  I hope you all take some time to watch and support the United States with their athletes and their games!  It will be a great 12 days of watching the best athletes that we have here in the United States and around the world!!

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