The natural baby sleep solution is an interesting book on the baby’s sleep patterns.
- BRAC, Basic Rest and Activity cycle of 90-120 minutes decides the sleep and wake times for everyone. This is especially useful for babies, who would be active for about 90 minutes and then need to sleep or slow down.
- Too much stimulation near sleep time can delay sleep and have adverse effects on cognitive development of the baby.
- Unlike adults, babies cannot easily fall asleep on their own till the age of 6 months.
- 6 to 8 months is the best time to sleep train a baby with either Feber method or cry-it-out method, which involves letting the baby cry for a certain amount of time before comforting them.
- The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) regulates all body clocks, including the sleep-wake cycle and even hormonal cycles in women.
- NAPS plan - Note the time baby wakes up. Add 90 minutes to it. Play/feed with the baby. Soothe the baby at 90 minutes to make him fall asleep.
- Use red bulbs in the baby’s room to avoid stimulating them with blue light.
- If you feed the baby whenever he wakes up at night. Then the baby would get conditioned to food at that time. And then it would be impossible for the baby to sleep without food at that time. A 6+ month-old baby should be able to sleep through the night without food. They should get the calories they need during the day.
- A baby who is being put to sleep in the middle of the alertness cycle will not sleep regardless of how sleepy he might be.
- Some babies are early morning larks. Some are night owls. Usually, babies are larks till their teenage years.
- An 8-9-month-old baby might stand up in the crib. The novelty of standing would die down in a few weeks, though.
- The most important lesson is that the baby always functions according to 90-minutes cycle when awake. For the first 3-6 months, the baby needs a nap every 90 minutes. For the next 6-12 months, the baby needs a nap every 180 or 270 minutes. How long they sleep will vary from child to child, though.