"Sleep when your baby sleeps" The best advice any new mother should heed. Forget about the dishes, the sweeping, dirty nappies or any other chore that may need doing. They are no longer important.

As a new parent the most important thing for you and your baby is ensuring that you are all getting the required amount of sleep. If your baby is asleep and you are tired, go to bed. Simple as that.

Regardless of the time of day or what you think may need to be done, if you are feeling in need of a little rest and you have the chance to do so, go for it! There is not a person on earth who would begrudge you for it. After all how many times did you get up to the baby last night? Broken sleep is hard on anyone.

While it is rewarding and enjoyable, being a new parent is not all fun and games. Multiple nightly wake ups, high increase in washing and sterilization are only a sample new tasks. For those with a high demand baby it can be especially tiring as you struggle with the efforts of maintaining a happy baby.

Therefore it only makes sense that when a new parent is in need of sleep, that they sleep when baby does. While to some it may seem that their new baby never sleeps, it is not true. No baby is awake 24 hours a day, eventually every baby falls asleep for a short time.

Even if your bundle of joy is only sleeping for a short time at each nap still take the opportunity to grab five or ten minutes for yourself. Learning the art of sleeping on cue should be taught in all baby classes.

Through developing simple meditation and relaxation skills you can send your body and brain off for a quality deep sleep on cue. It is only a matter of learning how to relax, breathe and free the mind from the worries that may surround you. There are plenty of quality articles in libraries and on the Internet to show you how to get started.

Much like some adults, not all babies know how to deep sleep. Deep sleep, the optimum sleep level for the body's recovery, needs a relaxed mind and body. Babies, as with adults need to be taught skills in both relaxation and sleeping.

Infant Massage, is a great way to develop these skills in your new baby. Through regular daily massage child learn how to handle stress and relax their body. This in turn can lead to deeper sleeping levels and extended sleep duration. Infant Massage also has a range of other benefits for your baby as well as being an enjoyable bonding experience for parent and child.

Once you and your baby have successfully developed the ability to sleep at will, ensure that every opportunity to sleep is fully utilized. There is nothing worse than just drifting off to sleep and being disturbed. Take the phone of the hook, silence the door bell and any other distractions that may disturb yours or the baby's precious slumber. As you prepare your baby for sleeping, prepare yourself as well.
Then snuggle up tight and enjoy the rest.

Learn more about this author, Rhianna Suttie-Gunson.
Click here to send author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Survival tips for new parents: How to get extra sleep while caring for babies?
We want to hear your view. Write now!