Hopkinton Writer: Is This Supposed To Get Easier?

My daughter Anna has officially reached the 12-week mark. I had been holding out that this would be the time that life got easier. Isn’t that what the books say?

I had visions of an 8 o’clock bedtime, two scheduled naps, and trips to the store that did not end with us racing back out to the car as Anna screamed her discontent.

Sometimes she is in bed at 9 p.m. Other nights it is midnight.  She can take one long afternoon naps or four short catnaps.  With two other children to care for, it can be challenging.

I know what you are thinking.  You have sent your child off to Center School or Elmwood or, dare I say it, Hopkinton High and that this time, in the grand scheme, is incredibly short.  But when you are living it, it feels like it may go on forever!

Obviously it won’t. But it leaves me to ask, when will this get easier?

According to Babycenter.com babies begin to develop a more regular sleep pattern at three months and continue to develop this pattern between three and six months.

They caution parents however, “This doesn't mean you should suddenly impose a rigid sleep program on your 3 or 4 month old.“

It seems that a schedule is something that develops naturally.  Darn!   But I wanted to know if there were some things I could do to help her along the path.

According to Dr. Sears it is important to help baby fall asleep by setting up familiar nighttime rituals.

1. Relax your baby. Give baby a warm bath followed by a soothing massage to relax tense muscles and busy minds.

2. Feed baby more during the day. Babies need to learn that daytime is for eating and nighttime is mostly for sleeping.

3. Nurse or feed your baby to sleep.  It is very soothing and will calm and relax your baby.

4. Nestle your baby to help him or her fall into a deep sleep.

5. Make sure the room is dark and quiet.

6. Put baby into a warm bed.  Try placing a warm towel down to warm the sheets and then removing it before you put baby down.

Dr. Sears also cautions that, “Sleep is not a state you can force a baby into.” 

I guess this means that I will have to wait a little longer for vision of baby sleep to come true.

If you would like any additional on the development of a 3 month old you can visit Baby Center at http://alturl.com/7f85j. If you would like more tips on  how to get your baby to sleep from Dr. Sears, here is the linkhttp://alturl.com/zqvnn.

I hope you have better luck than me!