3 Month Old Sleep Schedule (Tried & Tested!)
In the early days of babyhood, parents find themselves overstimulated and exhausted as their little one sleeps in short spurts, especially during the night. This can be tiresome because as much as you want to enjoy a solid eight hours of sleep, your baby will be awake after two or three (if you’re lucky!). But as your newborn gets older, they have the capacity to sleep for longer stretches of time.
If this is your first baby, or even second or third (because let’s be honest, I forgot plenty of things, and my kids are less than two years apart), it can be stressful trying to create a routine to stick to. Each baby is different and may require more sleep or less sleep and prefer it at certain parts of the day. Because of this, creating a schedule for your baby will require some trial and error to tailor it to them specifically! Keep reading for helpful tips and tricks to get your three-month-old into a sleep schedule.
How to Put My 3-Month-Old On a Sleep Schedule
Before getting into tips and tricks to get your 3-month-old on a sleep schedule, it is first important to note that this should not be forced upon your baby. Some babies at three months old are more than happy to find a routine and stick to it, while others are still finding their land legs! With that being said, here are some helpful techniques to encourage your baby to catch some much-needed shut-eye:
Feed Them Before Bed
Making sure your baby is full and content before nap and bedtime is important for them to get restful sleep. Think of yourself after a hearty Thanksgiving dinner. You‘re usually glued to the couch, fighting to keep your eyes open, right? The same goes for your baby!
If you put your baby down without having just been fed, you run the risk of them waking up shortly after falling asleep in search of food. This can completely throw off the attempt to set a routine and disrupt their sleep schedule.
Bath Before Bed
Many parents have noticed that giving their babies a bath before bed helps relax them and get them ready to sleep. A bonus of doing this is that you can use lavender in the bath as this is a natural relaxer. Along with the lavender and warm water, playing in the bath will also tire them out!
Enjoy Snuggles and a Book
There’s nothing like cuddling up to your parents and enjoying a nice book. Before bed, pulling your baby in close and reading to them is not only a great way for you to bond but also for your baby to unwind after a long day of fun. Try choosing books that are designed for bedtime to keep your baby from becoming overstimulated.
Create the Perfect Sleep Environment
Before putting your baby down for a nap or sleep, you should create a comfortable sleep environment for them. This should be a cool and dark room with no distractions, such as mobiles or intricate wall designs. Some babies also enjoy the comforting noise of a sound machine to help them drift off to sleep.
Wait Before Intervening
When your baby is small, they go through sleep cycles and can wake up frequently. This can result in them waking up distressed and wondering where you are. Before immediately rushing into their room, try waiting a few minutes to see if they drift back off to sleep. Many times, they will roll around for a little bit and then doze back off!
If they continue to cry after a few minutes, you will need to find the solution to their problem, which is more than likely a diaper change and a feeding. When this happens in the middle of the night, try to keep your interaction as bland as possible and avoid eye contact. Eye contact overstimulates them and gets them excited. Once you are finished tending to their needs, you can cuddle them or rock them back to sleep and place them back in bed.
Be Ready for Sleep Regressions
You finally get your baby on a solid sleep schedule just for them to revert right back to where you started. You may find yourself panicking, but you shouldn’t! Most babies go through sleep regressions around the four-month mark, and it can last two to six weeks. This sleep regression can be frustrating both for your baby and you, but all you can do is remain calm and work with your baby throughout this time.
The most important thing to do is try to keep your baby on schedule to the best of your ability. Your baby may find themselves unable to fall asleep as easily as they used to, and they might require a little more help from you. Just remember that as tiresome as this sleep regression can be, it will not last forever!
Sample Sleep Schedule for a 3 Month Old Baby
Monitor Your Baby’s Sleep Schedule with Baby Connect
When your baby is first born, it is impossible to get them on a schedule. They are new to the world and require 16-17 hours of sleep a day. As much as we wish half of that would be at night, this is not the case! As newborns, they will only be awake for one to three hours at a time.
Thankfully, as your baby gets older and hits the three month-old-mark, they have matured enough to be put on a routine. This means more sleep for them- and you! With Baby Connect, you can track your baby’s sleep schedule and see what tips and tricks help at bedtime. Monitoring what bedtime techniques you use will help you create the perfect sleep time schedule for you and your baby! Try it for free now!
