Everyone told you it was going to be exhausting having a baby, but when you get your newborn home and discover the scope of care required, the reality can be overwhelming. Especially for first-time Moms/parents, being alone at home with a newborn baby who won’t sleep can add to frustration and exhaustion levels, and any help is usually welcome. Getting baby to sleep for longer periods, and eventually overnight, becomes an important goal for the health and sanity of all involved.

Consider that in training your newborn to sleep for longer periods, you are not only giving yourself a break but helping baby as well. Longer sleep periods help baby get the rest needed for healthy growth and development. A Mom or primary caregiver who is rested has more patience and more resources to draw on, and this is good for all involved, including other family members if there are any.

Some tips you may find helpful include:

Prolong wake times: Even though it may seem, at times, that all your baby wants to do is sleep, you can train them to sleep more at night by keeping them awake more during the daytime. Help your new baby adopt your family’s rhythms by engaging them during the day – while allowing plenty of nap time, of course – and keeping them up when it’s not nap time. Tiny babies need lots of sleep, of course, but by ensuring their waking hours are primarily during the day you help them sleep longer at night, and they can pick up this rhythm more quickly. Gentle engagement during the day such as talking to them, taking them for walks (but not bundled up too much or they’ll be comfortable and fall asleep!) for fresh air, and perhaps non-stressful visits are all good to help keep baby awake during the day.

Deeper sleep: While baby is napping, try making noise such as running the vacuum, playing the radio or opening windows so local noises can filter in. While it may seem natural to try and be super-quiet while baby is napping, this actually trains them to expect quiet, and thus they will sleep lightly and be more likely to startle at any little noise. If you help them learn to sleep through various distractions, everyone will benefit from deeper sleep!

Shauna Arthurs is a writer and founder of a network of websites. She writes about prosperity consciousness and financial education issues, among other subjects.

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