Naptime

The new infant sleeps more, and when he is not, it means either he is hungry or needs a diaper change. It’s little hard to know in the beginning what is making your baby cry. But as both of the parents begin to settle into your routines, you’ll begin to identify the cues that your baby needs to take a nap. You will make sure that he gets good naps during the day and at all the appropriate times so that you won’t have as much trouble getting him to sleep at night.


Even a very small infant rubs his eyes when he gets tired. He’ll yawn, or perhaps he’ll get fussy. As babies get a little older, they try to avoid sleep as per change in their activities.

Make sure about the appropriate nap times during the day. If your baby sleeps 3 times a day, then a mid-morning, early afternoon and late-afternoon nap is appropriate for this baby; with a 7:30 or 8 PM bed time.

Often babies tend to get tired at dinner time, and this is a dilemma for the parents. Do you try to keep him awake through out the dinner and perhaps put him to bed a little bit earlier?

Most parents will think to keep the baby awake a little longer, so that he gets to bed at a regular bed time. But if it’s been a busy day for the little guy, let him have a very short nap and then wake him up gently for the dinner or a feeding, and offer some light play before putting him to bed for the night.

Remember to make regular rituals for naps as well as the bed time so your baby gets used to sleeping, at regular times.

Sleep Issues 1-2 Years Old

As your baby grows up, and turns to be a toddler rather than an infant; she’ll start taking less nap during the day, but 11 hours at night. If you see that your child is willing to sleep only when you're around, then you must eradicate this bad habit of hers as it will be harder to break later on. The best thing which you can do for this is to soothe her to sleep. Continue performing your night time ritual e.g. taking bath, reading books etc and you can tell her to stay in the bed as you come back in five minutes to check. This way, let her know that she's safe and you are nearby.
As per turning in to a toddler, she can be a great negotiator, no matter its bed time. As the baby enjoys the time spending with you, so she will tend to do what can prolong the time you are with her. As per this, your child may prolong the duration in performing the usual nightly routine, plus can ask repeatedly for a glass of water, or keep on requesting that you come to her room and she is in the need of some thing etc. If you suspect this all, don't let her know but instead tell her that it is bed time and that she can finish working on with her activities or anything the next day. Make the nighttime routine more “business like” when you kiss your baby and tuck her in. Don’t wait around or expect your baby to fuss. Just leave after patting her up and close the door; wait about ten minutes before you go back in the room.

Sometimes this all can be a battle versus your temperament. Your toddler wants to control her stimulus and prolong the time as much as possible. You can’t force her at once to fall asleep. Try reverse psychology (alternative ways) and tell her that she doesn’t have to go to sleep, but can play in the crib. Eventually, she’ll fall asleep on her own.

Sleep Methods

There are several known methods devised by the experts on dealing with the sleeping problems that may occur in your developing baby. But, remember to do what you feel can be the best choice for you and your baby, as the baby's nature differ from one baby to another. So you never would know what can work for you and not for others or vice versa.

The Ferber method says to let the baby cry her and she will sleep soon; if you're firm about the bed time, she'll learn to comfort herself to sleep. This never means that you just plunk the baby down in her crib and walk away. It differs from what you may already be doing that it encourages you to put the baby in her crib while she's still awake, so she gets used to falling asleep without you. But this might also mean letting her cry it out for a few weeks. This can be stressful for everyone in the household.

Another method is to "control the crying" method. Again, this involves your usual bedtime rituals of taking a bath, perhaps a snack and a story, rocking and cuddling. Put your baby in her crib and deliver her a good night kiss; If she starts to cry, wait 10 to 15 minutes before going in to comfort her. Resist in picking her up immediately, just shush her quietly and pat her on the back. Some experts suggest to not to talk, as this can reinforce the waking and crying behavior and you want to reassure your baby that you’re there, but you still want to encourage sleeping.

If you see that she is crying for about 30 minutes, increase the intervals before you check on the baby by a few minutes each time, up to about 15 to 20 minutes between checking. This can take some time and can even clench your nerves, but your baby will learn in time that you're not going away and that you're nearby. In the end your baby will not only learn self-comforting herself, but this will also give her the confidence and security that you're there for her.