A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Arizona

Until your baby is sleeping through the night, you'll need to devise strategies for making sure you get the sleep you need.

Local Companies

Baby Boutique Crismons
480-969-0462
1455 E University Dr
Mesa, AZ
Patty Cakes Mesa
480-756-1075
2943 S Wycliff Cir
Mesa, AZ
Pueblo Pediatrics
480-732-0044
2152 S Vineyard Ave Ste 129
Mesa, AZ
Arizona Pediatric Eye Specialist PLC
(480) 615-2020
1501 N Gilbert Rd
Gilbert, AZ
Aldrich Baby News Inc
520-795-2400
5665 E Speedway Blvd
Tucson, AZ
Adam Rodney D Infections Disease
520-694-8888
1501 N Campbell Ave
Tucson, AZ
Casas Adobe Physicians
520-751-3675
7600 N La Cholla Blvd
Tucson, AZ
Meyer Robyn Pediatrics
520-624-0140
1501 N Campbell Ave
Tucson, AZ
Rice Sydeney A
520-694-9988
1501 N Campbell Ave
Tucson, AZ
Protect A Child Pool Fence Co
480-951-0622
12636 N 68th St
Scottsdale, AZ



A new baby brings immeasurable joy to a couple, but there's no question an infant takes some things away, too: namely, time and sleep. While there are some newborns who begin to sleep through the night in a matter of weeks, others will take months... or even longer. Until your baby is sleeping through the night, you'll need to devise strategies for making sure you get the sleep you need.

"The standard advice is that the mother should sleep when the baby sleeps, even when that means daytime naps," says Jodi A. Mindell, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia and author of Sleeping Through the Night: How Infants, Toddlers, and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night's Sleep (Collins). But Dr. Mindell acknowledges that in reality mothers can't just shut their brains off and sleep any time, nor can they always resist the urge to get things done when the baby is sleeping. But there are other ways for parents to be sure they're getting enough shut-eye:

  • Make sleep a priority "That means making other things less of a priority," says Dr. Mindell. "As a society we never perceive sleep as being at the top of the list, but as a parent you have to." Either let housework slide, for example, or hire someone else to do it. Ditto with gourmet dinners. "It's better to order a pizza and go to bed early than kill yourself cooking."


  • Share the nighttime duties with your partner, even if you're a nursing mother Couples often assume that because a woman is nursing she has to be the one to get up with the baby each time he cries, but that's not the case. A mother can express milk and let her partner give the baby a bottle during the night, for example. "That worked for me," says Dr. Mindell. "We used to split the night. I would pump at 9 p.m. and then go to bed, and my husband would take the next feeding. That would give me five hours of straight sleep, and then another three hours or so of interrupted sleep until 7 a.m., when we all got up."


  • Work with your family's schedule Sometimes it doesn't make sense for partners to alternate getting up with the baby. For example, if one parent is at home with the infant all day while the other must get to work early each morning, it may make sense for the at-home parent to wake up with the baby on weekday nights, and get a break on weekends. Or if one parent has the primary responsibility for nighttime care, the other can take over every third or fourth night. Figure out what works for you.


  • Don't be afraid to wake up your baby before you go to bed "There's nothing worse for parents than going to sleep every night at ten-thirty.. and having the baby wake up at eleven fifteen," says Dr. Mindell. "I recommend that before parents go to bed for the night they wake their baby up for a feeding. The babies will be groggy, but they'll feed and go right back to sleep."


  • Get help if you can Babysitters aren't only for workdays or nights out. Ask a friend or neighbor -- or hire a babysitter -- to come over to your house for a few hours in the afternoon so you can take a nap. One mother teamed up with a neighbor who had a baby the same age. The two women would take turns helping each other in the afternoon, giving the other a chance to catch up on sleep.


  • Be creative Sleep deprivation can make people pretty desperate, and mothers of newborns have devised some clever ways of dealing with their new situation. You may find that you have to go to bed much earlier in the evening than you were accustomed to, so you can wake up much earlier in the morning. Or you may find that it works to try and keep your baby up later at night, so that he sleeps a bit later the next day.


  • Be patient While lack of sleep can be daunting, new parents can take comfort in the fact that it's a temporary problem. Most children will begin sleeping through the night on their own by the time they're six months old or so. And pediatric sleep experts say that if a baby isn't sleeping through the night by age six to nine months, parents can begin "sleep training" -- steps to encourage better sleep habits -- at that time.


  • About The Author

    Beth Weinhouse is a frequent contributor to Your Baby Today. She specializes in women's and children's health issues and lives in Oxford, Mississippi with her husband and 6-year-old son.

    Featured Local Company

    Baby Boutique Crismons

    480-969-0462
    1455 E University Dr
    Mesa, AZ
    http://www.crismonsbaby.com

    Related Articles
    - Child Sleep Behavior Arizona
    As a parent of a young child, one of the hardest things to do is get your child to sleep soundly through the night. Many parents spend the first few years of their child's life waking periodically during the night to their child crying and unable to sleep. This can cause stress on the parents and create bad sleeping habits for the child. There are multiple steps that parents can take to help their child sleep through the night.
    - Outings with Dad Arizona
    - Baby Sleep Patterns Arizona
    - New mom's guide to baby laundry Arizona
    - Baby Sleep Patterns Arizona
    - Extraordinary Easter Egg Hunts Arizona
    - Soothing Baby Music Arizona
    - Dealing with the baby blues Arizona
    - Solving Baby Sleep Problems Arizona
    - The new mom's guide to handling houseguests Arizona
    Regional Articles
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Apache Junction AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Avondale AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Buckeye AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Bullhead City AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Casa Grande AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Cave Creek AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Chandler AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Cottonwood AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Flagstaff AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Fountain Hills AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Gilbert AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Glendale AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Goodyear AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Green Valley AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Kingman AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Lake Havasu City AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Mesa AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Paradise Valley AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Peoria AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Phoenix AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Prescott AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Prescott Valley AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Safford AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Scottsdale AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Sedona AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Sierra Vista AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Somerton AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Sun City AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Sun City West AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Surprise AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Tempe AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Tucson AZ
    - A new mom's guide to getting the sleep she needs Yuma AZ
    Related Articles
    - Child Sleep Behavior Arizona
    As a parent of a young child, one of the hardest things to do is get your child to sleep soundly through the night. Many parents spend the first few years of their child's life waking periodically during the night to their child crying and unable to sleep. This can cause stress on the parents and create bad sleeping habits for the child. There are multiple steps that parents can take to help their child sleep through the night.
    - Outings with Dad Arizona
    - Baby Sleep Patterns Arizona
    - New mom's guide to baby laundry Arizona
    - Baby Sleep Patterns Arizona
    - Extraordinary Easter Egg Hunts Arizona
    - Soothing Baby Music Arizona
    - Dealing with the baby blues Arizona
    - Solving Baby Sleep Problems Arizona
    - The new mom's guide to handling houseguests Arizona
    Related Local Events
    Diabetes Health Expo
    Dates: 11/17/2009 - 11/17/2009
    Location: KRMC Wellness Ctr
    Kingman, AZ
    View Details

    Cancer Awareness Expo
    Dates: 6/20/2009 - 6/20/2009
    Location: KRMC Wellness Ctr
    Kingman, AZ
    View Details

    National Conference on Tobacco or Health
    Dates: 6/10/2009 - 6/12/2009
    Location: Phoenix Convention Center
    Phoenix, AZ
    View Details

    Major American Cancer Society Study Looks to Kingman & Mohave County for Participants
    Dates: 6/6/2009 - 6/6/2009
    Location: White Cliffs Middle School
    Kingman, AZ
    View Details

    The Giant Snake Show at Out of Africa Wildlife Park
    Dates: 6/4/2009 - 6/4/2009
    Location: Out of Africa Wildlife Park
    Camp Verde, AZ
    View Details

    Rss   Delicious   Digg   Add To My Yahoo   Add To My Google   Bookmark   Search Plugin

    Topics:
    Advertising Family Home Services Real Estate Resources
    Business Services Fashion Industrial Goods & Services Retail & Consumer Services
    Career Financial Services Insurance Software
    Cars Food & Beverage Internet Technology
    Computer Hardware Franchise Legal Telecommunications
    Construction Health Miscellaneous Trade Shows
    Education Holidays Nightlife Travel
    Entertainment Home Appliances Online Database Weddings
    Environmental Home Electronics Pets World History