by Jennifer Powers

Created on: May 27, 2009   Last Updated: June 15, 2009

As a baby gets older, a sleep pattern begins to take place. Establishing a healthy sleep pattern begins from getting your baby to sleep through the night to taking two regularly scheduled naps. Some parents are strict with a sleep and wake schedule while others will leave it up to the baby to determine their schedule. It is always good to go with the golden rule of "Never wake a sleeping baby" because their needs can change from day to day. A baby might need extra sleep due to a growth spurt, teething, or learning new milestones such as crawling or standing on his own.

Getting your baby to take a nap is a necessity for your baby as well as for the parent. Some parents use a baby's naptime to get household chores done, shower, eat, check email, or grab some extra sleep themselves. It is crucial for both baby and parent to establish a sleep pattern. Babies strive on routine so work with him to get him on a schedule. This means establishing a sleep routine for night as well as the day so babies take parental cues that it is time to take a nap. Have a "bag of tricks" ready to help get a baby to take a nap.

A typical morning ritual can be established by incorporating a morning nap routine. Remember a baby needs to have wake time and be active in order to be tired and ready to nap. Have a morning cue that will help the baby recognize it is almost time for a nap, such as giving your baby an extra feeding or giving him a pacifier or security blanket. An afternoon nap, however, is sometimes harder to incorporate because a baby might want to go down sooner than usual, which will result in a shorter naptime. Others might make the mistake of letting the baby get over tired to where it becomes too late to try to get the baby down for an afternoon nap so parents must tune into a baby's cues that they might need an earlier afternoon nap.

Soothe your baby: Never let your baby cry it out. He is trusting you to be there for him and comfort him. By removing yourself from the room or letting him cry it out, you teach him that he can not count on you or trust you to protect him. A baby cries to signal that he needs something so you do not want to teach your baby that you listen to his needs at night but not during the day. If you give your baby a pacifier at night to go to bed, offer it to him to take a nap during the day as well. A general rule is to teach your baby to soothe himself, whether it is by sucking on a pacifier or "talking" himself to sleep. You don't have

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