5-sec baby sleep: A ''How To Help Your Baby To Sleep Like A Baby'' Guide

Astonishing Facts Imagine this number: 3,988,076. That is the number of babies born every year. Research has shown that in 1980's, the average parent lost 340 hours of sleep in the first year of a newborn's life. We lose three times more sleep than our parents as this number has risen to over 1050 in 2015.

What scares most of the parents If there’s one thing that scares most young parents, returning from the maternity ward with their first baby (and for some time after), it is the almost complete lack of sleep! You will remember, if you have been in this position, that for a long time you believed, at best that you will never sleep again, at worst, that at some point you will just fall down and never get up again!

I am the father of a son, and like any human being who becomes a parent, I had no parenting handbook when I became one. An issue I experienced the first night with our first baby: EVERY parent is struggling with the sleeping pattern of their baby. My immediate thought was: Is there any weird trick that gets any baby to sleep?

4 Fascinating Facts About How Babies Sleep When people use the phrase “sleeping like a baby”, they’re probably not being literal, and that’s because new parents are usually tired and exhausted trying to find the best strategies for getting their little ones to sleep.

While we can’t erase the exhaustion that comes with taking care of a baby, you can feel free to worry a little less and take some comfort in the fact that some of your baby’s sleep habits are not a cause for alarm, but are actually markers of good health. These are:

#1 Baby Sleep Patterns Are Different from Adult Sleep Patterns We adults depend on circadian rhythms to regulate our sleep patterns — that is, the timing and duration of sleeping hours — but babies aren’t born with a built-in biological clock already ticking. The rhythm takes time to develop, which is why newborn sleep schedules are so erratic and unpredictable. A normal infant won’t have a regular sleep pattern until they’re about 3 to 6 months old. Moreover, even after sleep patterns are established, babies will still sleep differently, because they don’t go through the stages of sleep in the same way adults do.

#2 Babies Are Light Sleepers You probably know this already, but have you asked yourself why? For one, it has to do with those shorter sleep cycles. Infants, particularly newborns, may actually wake up between full cycles, so it’s not so much light sleeping as it is actually learning how to sleep properly.

#3 When It Comes to Daytime Naps, Every Baby Is Different Let’s settle this, before doctors and other health professionals get into an uproar. Yes, there are ideal numbers: A good nap is generally considered to be at least about an hour and a half in length. There are also commonly prescribed amounts of naps per day, depending on age range — three to four naps from three to five months, two to three naps from six to nine months, and up to two thereafter and into the toddler ages. Newborns don’t nap, as much as they have short windows of waking moments, in between sleeping periods of two to four hours at a time throughout the entire day.

Your baby’s actual sleep habits may be close to this, or completely different — depending on factors such as temperament, environment, daily routine, and more.

#4 Babies Process Information and Learn Even During Sleep Contrary to what some may believe, babies get a lot of sleep.

This is good news because sleep influences learning and memory; and if that’s true for adults that spend one-third of their lives asleep, what more for babies that spend up to 75% of their time in slumber? From training themselves to recognize their parent’s voices to figuring out working non-verbal cues to express feelings like hunger or pain — and much, much, more — babies learn and test the limits of their environment continuously when they’re awake. What they learn is then consolidated and bolstered by periods of sleep in between their waking moments.

Sleep Struggles — Why Do Children Cry As They Learn How To Sleep Seeing your baby cry is perhaps the most heartbreaking moment of all. It would be nice if your child could learn how to sleep without any crying or frustration whatsoever. Every parent would sign up for that. Unfortunately, the truth is that all children, regardless of the method you use to help them sleep, inevitably do shed some tears in the process. Let’s see why….

First and foremost, children cry when learning to sleep because they are protesting — they don’t like change. In fact, they hate change. Second, as children begin to learn how to sleep, but haven’t yet figured out how to do so, they are understandably frustrated. They no longer have Mom and Dad on their side to help them get to sleep, and they don’t yet know what to do differently. They will eventually.

Of course, some children seem to learn how to sleep almost magically, with very little effort on the parent’s part. However, children are different. Everyone is unique.

The Developmental Importance of Napping For Babies Yes, though it seems counterintuitive, sometimes the best strategy for getting babies on a regular sleep schedule is to wake them up from a nap. If you don’t wake them up, however, you can start a snowball effect. What this means is that they’ll nap for, let’s say 3 hours, but then they won’t be tired enough to go to bed at night. It’s hard, but having a balance helps. That’s why some babies hit all the right numbers in terms of daily totals, but still struggle to sleep through the night — they’re just not tired enough. Instead of letting them sleep as long as possible during the day, the more effective approach is to make sure they get a few consolidated hours of good sleep. Simply put, naps are a matter of quality over quantity — an hour or two goes a long way. So does a strong routine.

Co-Sleeping: Should Your Child Sleep In Your Bed? Co-sleeping is the practice where the child sleeps in bed with his parents. Not surprisingly, it is one of the most hotly debated and controversial topics related to pediatric sleep. Some people argue that co-sleeping is the right and natural way to raise a child because the practice fosters a stronger bond and a more secure attachment. Conversely, others will tell you that co-sleeping is risky, ridiculous, or even dangerous and they don’t want it for their family. So, which approach holds the truth?

Mary-Ann Schuler, child psychologist and world-renowned baby sleep training expert says:

‘’First, it’s important to understand that co-sleeping is not magic. Although some proponents of the family bed would disagree, numerous couples have reported that their babies did not necessarily sleep deeper or longer because their parents were close by. In fact, some parents found that their child slept longer and woke less frequently when they stopped co-sleeping and moved him into his own crib. However, whether families choose to co-sleep or have their children sleep independently is a personal decision, and if both parents and child are safe, rested, and fulfilled, then co-sleeping is nothing to worry about’’

It is true, motherhood in general and baby sleep in particular are incredibly beautiful things, but sometimes they can become confusing and overwhelming. The vast majority of moms don’t know how, or even where to begin. This is why leveraging psychological tricks for helping a baby sleep is a game changer and will create an immediate effect for parents that use it.

Baby Sleep Miracle? Maybe there is a way to deal with uncomfortable thoughts about sleep deprivation and baby sleep problems.

So, What Exactly Is The Baby Sleep Miracle? Let’s accept that today’s mothers face a world of conflicting information when it comes to understanding their babies’ sleep patterns, and most of it comes from questionable or unreliable sources. Baby Sleep Miracle is a complete guide designed to show parents an easy-to-read and easy-to-follow method to help get their babies sleep, in a fast and efficient way. Created by Mary-Ann Schuler, mother of two, the product provides general guidelines and specific strategies aimed at establishing healthy sleeping habits for any child, no matter how stubborn or active he is.

See, hear and experience first-hand: A scientifically proven way to normalize the sleep of infants and newborns