What’s the “magic recipe?” for baby sleep?
A friend recently asked me, “So what’s the ‘magic recipe’ to get babies to sleep better?”
What a great question!
There are 5 elements to a healthy sleep foundation. Combined, when you focus on all of the elements, your baby will have a strong sleep foundation and be able to sleep better. Let’s talk about them!
The first element is nutrition. Getting your newborn and/or baby on a feeding schedule is the most important part of the sleep foundation. We need to make sure babies are well nourished. The first few months, we really want to work on full feeds and not snacking during the day. A baby should be fed every 2 to 3 hours during the day. With pediatrician approval, once babies hit their birth weight, you do not need to wake them up in the middle of the night to feed. Some babies are done with their night feeds by 10 weeks. Some parents want to continue with a night feed until they are 6 months old. You need to do what you’re comfortable with and what your pediatrician advises. Babies should always be woken up from their nap if it’s been more than 3 hours since their last feed. Stretching these full feeds out across 2-3 hours will positively impact nighttime sleep. Because they can go hours in between feedings during the day, they will be able to at night as well. Once babies begin solids, typically between 4 and 6 months, they can go longer stretches between feedings.
The second element is setting up the ideal sleep environment. If your baby is in your room in a bassinet or in their own room, the room should have the following four components: 1. Darkening shades/curtains 2. White noise 3. Ideal temperature and 4. A firm mattress with nothing inside. Wherever your baby is sleeping, the room should be dark. We want it to be SO dark, you can’t even see your hand in front of your face. We want the room to be dark to signal to your baby, “It’s time to sleep.”
Make sure you have a sound machine in the sleep environment. White noise is so important. I prefer The Hatch sound machine because it grows with your child. My 4-year old still uses it every day with quiet time and morning wake-ups.
White noise helps eliminate external stimuli in the background which will help your baby and/or toddler continue sleeping. White noise is very comforting for babies because it reminds them of being in the womb. Did you know that the decibel (db) level IN the womb is around 85db? So asking parents to set theirs for 60 db is actually quieter than the child is used to in utero!
Clients always ask me, “What percentage should I put The Hatch to?” The safe zone for babies is around 60db. (If you're curious, for adults it's 70db. A Harley motorcycle next to you is around 95db.) I tell my clients their sound machine should be set between 50-60db. This can be a little confusing because sound machines like The Hatch don't typically come with a db reader. I put my boys' sound machines at 45%. I downloaded a free db reader app and it reads 65db which I'm comfortable with because they are no longer babies.
The third component of the sleep environment is having the ideal room temperature. Your baby’s sleep environment should be between 68 and 72 degrees. Not too hot and not too cold.
The last component of the sleep environment is a firm mattress. Every baby should be placed on their backs, in their own sleep space (bassinet or crib), with nothing inside. Once babies turn 1 year old, they are allowed to have a comfort item in their crib.
Once you’ve established a solid feeding schedule and have an ideal sleep environment, you should focus on the third element: nailing down your bedtime routine. Routines are so important because they signal, “Oh, soon it’s time to do my job… put myself to sleep.” Routines make babies feel secure and confident because they know what to expect! Routines should be consistent and you should follow the same order every night. When beginning a bedtime routine, I’m going to encourage you to put your last feed at the start of your routine and not at the end. We do not want the baby falling asleep during the feed. When we start the routine with a feed, we are ensuring the baby stays awake because there are steps that follow which will stimulate the baby and keep them awake.
Bedtime routines do not need to be long and drawn out. Some families bathe their babies each night. Some don’t. Totally up to you. A typical bedtime routine looks like the following: feed, bath, lotion, jammies, books, sound machine on, lay baby down awake, say bedtime phrase, lights off, out the door. Whatever your routine is, begin with a feed and end with laying your baby down fully awake in their crib.
The fourth component of establishing a healthy sleep foundation is having a solid morning wake up time. Even if they were last up at 6:00am and they’re sleeping now and it’s only 7:00am… if 7:00am is the goal, wake them at 7:00am! I know it sounds awful, but do it. My alarm is set for 5:10am Monday-Friday. Do you think I’m able to sleep in on the weekends? Nope. By setting a daily wake time, you are setting their internal clock, their circadian rhythm. It might take weeks for them to get there but if you are consistent, it will pay off. Wake them up at the same time every morning.
The last component is making sure you meet your child’s emotional needs during the day. This one is a fun one. Play, read, talk, and laugh with your baby every day! Talk through what you’re doing. If you’re reading a book, read it out loud to them (they don’t need to ONLY hear children’s books), play peek-a-boo, have tummy time during the day. Try your best to be present and focus on your baby. The time they are little babies goes by so fast (although some days do drag on, I know).
So, yes, there is a “magic recipe” for getting your baby to sleep through the night! When you get them on a solid food schedule, set up the ideal sleep environment, create that strong bedtime routine, establish the morning wake up time, and meet their needs emotionally throughout the day, they will be set up to sleep longer and better at night!
