They say the one thing all new parents have in common is feeling exhausted. All. The. Time. I know I was! So it makes sense that parents have lots of questions about how to help their babies sleep better.<\/p>\n
Here are some of the questions I hear the most with answers from me, my fellow pediatricians, and pediatric health educators.<\/p>\n
Is it okay to bring our baby into bed with me\/us?\u00a0<\/b> Why is sharing your bed unsafe?<\/b> It\u2019s fine to bring your baby to bed with you to nurse and\/or snuggle but be sure to return them to their own safe bassinet or bedside sleeper when you feel tired.<\/p>\n Does my baby really need to sleep face up?<\/b> Is it okay for our baby to sleep in the car seat or swing?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n When should we switch from a bassinet or bedside sleeper to a crib?<\/strong> When should we move our baby into their own room?\u00a0<\/strong> I heard we shouldn\u2019t use blankets in the crib. Won\u2019t our baby be cold?<\/strong> How long can we swaddle our baby?\u00a0<\/strong> Is it ok to use a pacifier?\u00a0<\/strong> How do we encourage good sleep if our baby still needs nighttime feedings?<\/strong> Make nighttime feedings brief and boring \u2013 only about business so your baby knows it\u2019s time to sleep \u2013 not play! Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n Our baby wants milk all night long to sleep. How can I stop this?\u00a0<\/strong> Find more resources for parents: They say the one thing all new parents have in common is feeling exhausted. All. The. Time. I know I was! So it makes sense that parents have lots of questions about how to help their babies sleep better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[667],"tags":[348,355,356,347,350,435,349,441],"class_list":["post-2027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newborn-care","tag-baby-sleep","tag-co-sleeping","tag-how-to-get-baby-to-sleep","tag-infant-sleep","tag-safe-infant-sleep","tag-sids","tag-sleep-training","tag-sudden-infant-death-syndrome","ages-baby"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1762826046:8"],"_edit_last":["8"],"slide_template":[""],"video_format_choose":["youtube"],"_custom_body_class":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["60"],"qode_animate-page-title":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-text":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-image":["no"],"qode_show-sidebar":["default"],"qode_hide-featured-image":["no"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_ages":[""],"_thumbnail_id":["2033"],"wpfp_favorites":["10"],"ase_chapter_enable_timeline":["off"],"_yoast_indexnow_last_ping":["1760309173"],"cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":[""],"ase_map_component_start_point":["a:2:{s:3:\"lat\";d:29.76;s:3:\"lng\";d:-95.38;}"],"ase_mapbox_style":["openstreet"],"_wpb_vc_js_status":["false"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["5"],"_cmplz_scanned_post":["1"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2027"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3331,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2027\/revisions\/3331"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nNo. The safest place for a baby to sleep is in a\u00a0safe crib<\/a>\u00a0(firm mattress, no bumpers, pillows, or blankets) \u2013 not in the parent\u2019s bed.<\/p>\n
\nYou (or your partner) may unknowingly roll over on your baby. Your bed\u2019s soft mattress, pillows, or fluffy blankets can increase the risk of suffocation.<\/p>\n
\nYes, please put your baby down on their back and face up! Doing this dramatically reduces their risk of\u00a0SIDS<\/a>.\u00a0Sleeping on the stomach can make it harder to breathe. Other safety and comfort tips:<\/p>\n\n
\n
\nWhen your baby starts to seem crowded in the bassinet, switch to a safe crib in your room.<\/p>\n
\nThe\u00a0AAP recommends\u00a0<\/a>that your baby sleep in the same room with you until at least 6 months to 1 year. Some families who want to sleep train their babies coordinate training plans around the shift out of the parents\u2019 room.<\/p>\n
\nYou can keep them warm with zip-up sleepers or sleep sacks. Loose blankets, pillows, and bedding are hazardous.<\/p>\n
\nTry to ease your baby out of the swaddling by around 2 months. Once they can roll over, a tight swaddle can be dangerous. Leave an arm loose, so if your baby flips over, they can push up to breathe, instead of being stuck face down. Or only swaddle from chest down.\u00a0Once your baby starts rolling over, it\u2019s time to stop swaddling<\/a>, for safety reasons.<\/p>\n
\nYes. Pacifiers satisfy your baby\u2019s need to suck and will help them self-soothe. These also reduce the risk of SIDS. Follow these guidelines:<\/p>\n\n
\nIt\u2019s normal for young babies to wake in the night to feed. About half of 2- to 3-month-old babies are ready to go without eating for a 6-hour stretch at night. Others aren\u2019t ready until 4 or 5 months. You know your baby best.<\/p>\n\n
\nIf your baby is 4 to 5 months or older, this is likely \u201ccomfort nursing\u201d rather than true hunger.\u00a0Some things to try:<\/p>\n\n
\nPediatric Sleep Council<\/a>
\nAmerican Academy of Pediatrics<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"