by Dr. Melissa Nelson

Most new parents find themselves completely exhausted after a seemingly endless string of sleepless nights. Although newborns sleep approximately 16 hours each day, they only sleep in stretches of a few hours at a time. This is just plain exhausting for parents. Hang in there, by the time your baby is 3 months old, she will be sleeping for five hours at a time. By the time she is 6 months old she will be sleeping from 9 to 12 hours at night. Six months can seem like forever when you haven't slept more than two hours at a time in weeks. Here are six tips to get your baby's sleeping on track:

1. Follow a consistent bedtime routine. This can be difficult, especially with two working parents, but it is also the most effective way to get your baby to fall asleep quickly and with little fuss. A bath, feeding, and cuddle time in a quiet, dim environment calm your child and signal to her that it's time to sleep.

2. Put your baby to bed awake. However your child falls asleep at night is how she will expect to go back to sleep if she awakens at night. If you put your child in her bed awake but drowsy, she is much more likely to fall back asleep herself if she wakes up during the night. If you spend 15 minutes rocking and singing your child to sleep, expect to do that in the wee hours of the morning as well.

3. Give your child a few minutes to fall back to sleep herself. Babies frequently stir and even fuss during the night. Give your child the opportunity to put herself back to sleep before you rush in to check on her.

4. Don't bed share. Your child will stir during the night, disturbing your precious sleep and you will do the same to her. Having your child in the same room with you when they are small is convenient, but use a bassinet next to your bed or move baby's crib into your bedroom.

5. Try to reassure your child without picking her up. If your child awakens crying during the night, try rubbing her gently or singing softly. Just knowing you are next to her may soothe her enough to fall back to sleep.

6. Send in daddy. This can be effective especially if you are breast feeding. Your child may view you as an all-night buffet, and seeing you may signal her to want to eat, even if it is between feedings or she isn't hungry. Dad's are often excellent at this if given a chance- probably because they are even more motivated than you to get back to sleep themselves.

Don't get frustrated by other mothers telling you their newborns slept through the night the first night they came home from the hospital. Each child is born with their own personality- some are good sleepers, some need less sleep and have difficulty falling asleep; some are excellent at soothing themselves and some can cry for hours. You will most likely try these hints (and many more) before figuring out what works for you and your child.

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