When your baby is about three months start to keep a day to day diary, note down when he feeds and sleeps.
Keep the diary going for about ten days. You will then be able to see when you baby tends to nap. Now you need to tighten up on those times.
For instance if most days your baby falls asleep between 9.00am and 10.00am work at getting your baby to have a sleep at 9.30 am. In the first few weeks do not worry where your baby sleeps. If you find it easier to get your baby to drop of by walking in the buggy, do it, but make sure you try to do it at the same time every day. Once you are confident about the times your baby will sleep, start to introduce him to his cot for his day time naps.
For your baby to sleep better at night you need to establish a good bedtime routine. If your baby goes down to sleep at the start of the night pleasantly tired and not exhausted he will sleep more peacefully.
Have the same bed time routine every night, bath, and feed then bed. Always try to put your baby down in his cot awake.
As parents we are at our most vulnerable in the middle of the night, we are tired and just want to get baby back to sleep as quickly as possible, normally resorting to feeding baby back to sleep.
I suggest waking your baby and giving him a dream feed before you go to bed around 10.30. Bench mark the rest of your night from that feed. There is no point over stretching your self or your baby as you will just give in, set your self small goals.
To begin with make him wait two hours between feeds, gradually nudging forward to three then four hours between feeds.
Apart from his dream feed never wake him to feed unless he is ill or you have been advised to by your health visitor or GP.
That way you will happily start to stretch your baby a little longer at a pace he can deal with.
If your baby has slept well for a period of time and suddenly starts to wake and appears hungry pop down to chat to your health visitor as your baby may having a growth spurt and you may need to think about weaning your baby .
