7 Sleep Tips for New Parents
New parents often struggle to get quality sleep, so we asked experts from various fields to share their best tips. From utilizing pillows to trying a preemptive parenting strategy, here are the top seven sleep tips provided by professionals such as owners, medical advisors, and sleep specialists.
- Utilize Pillows for Pregnancy Support
- Align Lifestyle with Newborn’s Sleep
- Establish Healthy Sleep Habits
- Use a Sound Machine
- Practice Relaxation Techniques
- Avoid Electronics Before Bedtime
- Try a Preemptive Parenting Strategy
Utilize Pillows for Pregnancy Support
For a new expecting mom, use pillows for support. At the 20-week mark, doctors recommend pregnant women sleep on their left side in order to maximize blood flow to the uterus. If you’re not already a side sleeper, getting comfortable and staying in the right position can both be difficult.
Try putting a pillow under your knees and stomach or using a body pillow. This position takes the weight off your hips and shoulders while helping to prevent you from rolling onto your back.
Drew Miller
VP of Marketing and Sleep Specialist, Sit ‘n Sleep
Align Lifestyle with Newborn’s Sleep
The best way for parents to get quality sleep is to ensure their newborn gets quality sleep as well. My wife and I learned this the hard way with our firstborn. Our mistake was to believe we could continue living the way we did before having children. We did not align our lifestyle with the critical sleep cycle newborns require.
After an epic meltdown from our poor baby daughter, who desperately needed a consistent sleep cycle, we changed our ways. And soon enough, everyone was getting quality sleep, albeit on our baby’s terms.
Mark Shattuck
Owner/President, Dream Home Studio, Inc.
Establish Healthy Sleep Habits
Sleep is one of the most important aspects of being a new parent, and it can be challenging to get enough rest when caring for a newborn. The best way to ensure you’re getting quality sleep as a new parent is to establish healthy sleep habits and stick with them.
This includes creating regular bedtime routines, avoiding screens in the bedroom, minimizing distractions during naps, and getting as much natural light exposure during daytime hours as possible.
Amy Lee
Medical Advisor, Nucific
Use a Sound Machine
I have a 13-month-old baby girl at the moment. The best tip I can give is to buy a sound machine. This has helped us the most out of everything. The issue we were experiencing was the dog would bark or just make noise and wake up the baby.
Despite our best efforts to keep the dog quiet, instances like deliveries or people passing by would cause the dog to bark, leading to the task of putting the baby back to sleep. The sound machine makes just enough white noise to prevent the dog from waking her up. It was very inexpensive, and I wish we would have ordered a sound machine earlier.
Evan McCarthy
President and CEO, SportingSmiles
Practice Relaxation Techniques
Practicing relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or meditation, before bed can help new parents fall asleep faster and more deeply.
This can ultimately lead to more restful nights and a better ability to handle the challenges of being a parent. It may also indirectly benefit the baby by promoting a calmer and more relaxed environment. For example, taking just 10 minutes each night to practice deep breathing exercises can help calm the mind and prepare the body for sleep.
Roy Lau
Co-founder, 28 Mortgage
Avoid Electronics Before Bedtime
As a new parent once myself, I understand how tough it is to care for your child while trying to get as much quality sleep as possible. One quality sleep tip for new parents would be to avoid the use of electronic gadgets or devices at least an hour or more before bedtime. It may sound like a simple tip, but it can make a big difference in your lifestyle.
I find modern parents have a habit of using electronic gadgets in the bedroom, be it their smartphone, tablet, or laptop, more so before it’s time to sleep at night. The blue light effects from these devices can interrupt sleep patterns or our body’s natural circadian rhythm, and chances are, you may not get the quality sleep you’re after, especially when you have to tend to your newborn.
Limiting the usage of your electronic devices to other periods of the day but not right before bedtime will help improve your sleep quality, which will make for a well-rested parent!
Bhante Thi-O
Founder, Poh Ern Si Penang
Try a Preemptive Parenting Strategy
In my experience, one of the most effective strategies for getting quality sleep as a new parent is Preemptive Parenting. This method involves anticipating your newborn’s needs to reduce the frequency and duration of nighttime awakenings.
One way to implement preemptive parenting is through “dream feeding,” a technique where you wake your baby for a feed just before you go to bed, even if they aren’t showing signs of hunger yet. The idea is to fill their little tummy, encouraging them to sleep for a long stretch while you also get some uninterrupted sleep.
This strategy isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, and it’s crucial to remember to only use this approach once your baby has regained their birth weight. Also, every child is different, so it might take a bit of trial and error to see if this works for your little one. But in my personal experience, preemptive parenting has proven to be a significant game-changer for improving sleep quality for new parents.
Will Gill
Event Entertainer, DJ Will Gill
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