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Figuring out how to get your baby to go to sleep – and to stay asleep – can be a challenge for any parent.
Maybe your baby is up several times at night, or maybe they wake up at the crack of dawn each morning. Checking in with your pediatrician during your next well visit is always helpful, but you can also get helpful advice right now from a pediatric sleep doctor, courtesy of the virtual course, Baby Sleep 101 from BabyCenter CoursesOpens a new window.
The on-demand class is led by Olufunke Afolabi-Brown, M.D., a board certified pediatric pulmonary and sleep medicine physician and the founder of Restful Sleep MDOpens a new window.
One of the helpful tips she shares: Babies can be extremely sensitive to light – even in small amounts. So if your baby is waking up during the night or crying out for you at the crack of dawn, it might be because of light exposure. That can be from things you wouldn’t even think of, like a tiny light from your baby’s white noise machine and other devices in the room. There could also be light peeking into the room from around your window shades.
Total darkness mimics what babies experience in the womb, and ideally you want to recreate that environment as best as possible to set your baby up for sleep success.
With that in mind, you can try these tricks to minimize the light exposure in your baby’s room:
Invest in well-fitting blackout shades. These drapes and shades are specially designed to block out excess light. Ideally, you’ll want blackout shades that fit flush against your windows to keep out as much light as possible.
Go in your baby’s room with the lights off at night, and look for devices that give off light. Your baby’s white noise machine and your baby monitor are good examples. Even a glowing power button could be a sleep disruptor. Cover any items that give off light with painter’s tape.
Be generous with the painter’s tape. Brighter lights may need multiple layers to create total darkness, so be prepared to put on several pieces of tape.
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The idea of minimizing light in your baby’s sleep space is just one great suggestion Dr. Brown gives in her courseOpens a new window, which includes 21 video-led lessons and two bonus PDF lessons.
For more tips and tricks to help your baby sleep better at night, check out Baby Sleep 101 from BabyCenter CoursesOpens a new window.
@babycenterOpens a new window Here’s another great parenting tip we love from BabyCenter Courses! Check the link in our bio to learn about our Courses#parentingtipsOpens a new window #parentinghacksOpens a new window #motherhoodhackOpens a new window #babysleeptipsOpens a new window original sound – babycenterOpens a new window