(care.com)
If you’re a parent or caregiver, you know the phrase “sleep like a baby” is often used too loosely. A baby’s sleep can be fickle at best and sleeping patterns can vary from child to child. This is why there’s so much advice on sleep training, routines and ways to help your baby (and you!) get a good night’s sleep. What works for one family may not work for another. Even if you’re fortunate to have babies who sleep well, they too will go through a common and challenging phase: a baby’s sleep regression.
“From babies to toddlerhood, the growth changes that occur are amazing,” says Dr. Gigi Chawla, pediatrician, chief of general pediatrics at Children’s Minnesota, and Medical Director for Reach Out and Read Minnesota. “They may quadruple their weight, become fully verbal, mobile, and seemingly independent. To think that sleep will be unaffected is an unrealistic expectation.”
Whether you’re a first timer or seasoned parent, it’s good to know what baby sleep regression is and how to cope when uninterrupted sleep feels like a fantasy. Here is advice and reassurance from experts and parents to get you through a rough, but temporary, part of your baby’s first couple of years.
(Image credit: care.com)