Mid-Life Mommy

If there’s one thing that all new parents share, it’s sleepless nights. I can’t count how many times I’ve struggled to put my baby to sleep only for her to wake up soon after I put her down. Other times she’s cranky and won’t sleep at all. In such cases, it’s important that you find out why your baby can’t sleep and address any issues Here are the top reasons why babies can’t sleep:

Too much excitement. Your baby should be winding down at least an hour before his bed time. Too much play and stimulation before bed time will make your baby too excited to sleep and he’ll wake more often during the night.
There’s too much noise in the background. Babies are sensitive to noise. No matter how low the volume of your TV or cell phone ringer is, babies will be able to hear that. This is why many pediatricians recommend a separate bedroom for babies.
Colic – This is a condition that’s common among babies up to 12 months old. Babies can be irritable, prone to crying, and harder to put to sleep.
Teething – Not only are babies who are teething cranky, but they also experience difficulty sleeping. This is due to the discomfort of an erupting tooth. A cold teether will help ease this discomfort.
Hunger – Babies need to be constantly fed. If you’re breastfeeding, the mere act of nursing your baby lowers your baby’s heart rate and body temperature and puts him tl sleep.
Need for attention — Babies are used to the closed environment of the womb. If you just fed the baby and they still won’t go to sleep when it ‘s time for bed, swaddle or carry them in fetal position to mimic the inside of the womb.
Caffeine – Breastfed babies get caffeine from their mom’s milk. If you’re breastfeeding, stick to a cup of coffee a day if you want to sleep at night.
Dirty diaper – Sleeping with a full diaper is uncomfortable to say the least. Make sure your baby’s bottom is dry to induce him to sleep for longer periods.
Inconsistent bed times — Variable sleeping times makes for erratic sleeping patterns. Try to follow a fixed schedule for nap times in the afternoon and bed times at night.

Get your baby to sleep easily using music

Studies have shown that music can help soothe a baby enough to put them to sleep. Getting Your Baby to Sleep – Made Easy is a 2-disk audiobook and music CD developed by Terry Woodford for newborns and infants up to 6 months old. The audiobook will help parents find out:

why babies cry and what it means.
why you should never let your baby cry to sleep.
what is colic and how you can prevent it.
why jiggling your baby to stop crying can be dangerous.

The music CD contains contains nursery rhymes that uses the heart the actual human heartbeat as the rhythm. This heartbeat music has been used to calm small children and infants in more than 8250 hospitals since 1985. Songs include 1. London Bridge 2. Rock-A-Bye Baby 3. Are You Sleeping? 4. Lullaby and Good Night 5. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star 6. Row, Row, Row Your Boat 7. Mary Had a Little Lamb 8. Hush Little Baby 9. Old McDonald (Had a Farm).

You can purchase this CD at Amazon