What is a new parent’s number one frustration? Their baby doesn’t sleep through the night. Some parents are lucky and baby will sleep for eight or twelve hours at a stretch from the beginning. On the other hand, most parents are not that lucky.

As adults, we need more than two or three hours of sleep a night. Unbroken rest can leave us cranky and unable to focus. This is the life in a household with a baby.

Parents would pay a fortune for ways to help their baby sleep throughout the night. In fact, getting your baby to do that may not be as hard as you think. It just takes some determination and a lot of love.

What you are looking to do here is to create a routine. Even babies can learn to follow a schedule. Babies sleep around eighteen hours a day, just not the right hours for parents. Most can’t wait six or so months until baby decides to sleep longer at night by themselves. You can shift that sleeping pattern.

Babies, like other people, sleep when they are tired. When we are tired, we often try to get baby to sleep so that we can too. Instead, try to keep baby up during the day.

How do you do that? Engage baby in play when they are awake. After a bottle, if they are not going to sleep, sing to them or talk to stimulate them. Tiring baby out can lead to longer periods of sleep.

And, when baby does take a nap, keep it to a couple of hours at a stretch. If they sleep a lot during the day, they won’t want to sleep at night when everyone else is trying to catch some Zs. You may not think you have it in yourself but alternating play time with another family member or friend can help you keep up with the schedule you are trying to develop.

Try to observe a regular bedtime each night. A warm bath before bed can also foster the sleep response. Follow that with a baby massage. It cements the bond between parent and child while relaxing baby for a good night of sleep.

When you put baby to bed they may not immediately go to sleep. Try to avoid putting baby down once they are already sleep because the movement could startle them awake. If they go to sleep after then are in bed, they get a chance to get comfortable in their bed and then fall asleep.

If all else fails and baby starts to cry but they are not hungry or wet, one option is to give them a pacifier. It helps baby to self-soothe so they can lull themselves back to sleep.

Are you pulling your hair out because baby won’t sleep through the night? Try the above tips to develop a schedule for a longer night’s sleep.