Once you have a newborn in your home, your entire world centers around them. This also means sleepless nights you’ll spend trying to put your little one to sleep. Between feedings, changing diapers and household chores, sleep is often put on the back burner for new parents at the end of a busy day. If you are new parents too and right now experiencing this, then let us tell you that you are not alone in this. Every set of new parents goes through the same. However, each of them finds their own, unique way to deal with this situation. Here, real parents share their hacks which helped them get better sleep with their newborn at home.
-
Healthy Snacking At Midnight
“The odd night hours I frequently woke up to feed my daughter often left me hungry too. Even after my daughter went back to sleep, I’d remain awake due to the hunger pangs. And eating a full-fledged meal at that hour did not appeal to me.
So, I started keeping healthy snacks like a bowl of fresh fruits, a bunch of dry fruits, or vegetable salads with flavored bread. This way, I was able to fall asleep after the feeding sessions.” Radhika and Anish
-
Sleep In Shifts
“After the first week, I got a fair idea of my baby’s sleep-wake pattern. That’s when my husband and I worked out a shift time for ourselves. I usually handled my baby for the first half of the night, which would be pretty much after bedtime up to 3 am. Thereafter my husband would take over until the time he’d leave for work, which would be around 9 am.” Sumona and Avinash
-
Use Bottles To Feed Breast Milk
“Right at the onset, I wanted to breastfeed my child. But then it would mean lots of cluster feeding and long sleepless nights. So, after discussing with my husband, we came up with the idea that we’ll go bottle-feeding the pumped breast milk. This way we were able to combine the best of both the worlds. On those days when I’d be very sleepy to feed, my husband would easily take over.” Natasha and Gabriel
-
Cradle Rocking
“The good old rocking cradle proved to be our savior. My son would easily fall asleep when rocked, but would also wake up frequently when it stopped. So, I tied a ribbon to the side of the cradle which was closest to my bed. This way, even if my son woke up and cried, I’d feed him, put him back in the cradle, and then rock it from the comfort of my bed. But I made sure he never got to play with the ribbon.” Shaina and Raghav
-
Go To Bed When Your Baby Does
“You’ll often get the advice to sleep when your baby does. Yet, the moment my baby slept, I’d be up and about completing the pending chores. So, don’t do this. I finally hired domestic help to sort it and slept soon after the baby would sleep. This way I was less edgy.” Zeenat
-
Weekdays For Mama, Weekends For Dada
“With my husband’s demanding job, we worked out a simple routine. While I stayed up for weekdays, my husband took over during weekends. He’d also pitch in during holidays and vacations too. This also helped him bond better with the baby.” Allison and Anish
-
Alternate Wake-Nights
“Odds for him, even for me. Since both of us were working, we chalked out an odd-even formula. Azaan took care of our daughter on odd nights whereas I did on even nights. For the rest of the day, his parents had graciously pitched in to take care of the baby while we headed to our work.” Hajra and Azaan
-
Co-Sleeping Early
“From the moment we brought our daughter home, we made sure she and I slept together. This way, I could attend to her cries immediately and satisfy her hunger. Or else, it would have become rather difficult for me to soothe her if she would have cried beyond a certain time. Sameer slept in another room. Since he slept well, he actively pitched in with household chores and diaper duties to help me out.” Rehana and Sameer
Isn’t it awesome how neatly these couples have sorted things out between themselves? Of course, it may still be difficult for new parents to cope with sleepless nights and baby care. But, we’re sure, their little angel’s smile makes all of it worth it for them!
