Putting Baby to Sleep: Grave Mistakes Made by Parents

As first-time moms and dads, it's really hard to put on a firm grip of a good night sleep especially with your bundle of joy around. Doctors would say that babies sleep most of the day, but the thing is it's actually a broken sleep. Several parents believe that teaching babies to sleep early are for toddlers not for babies. But I beg to disagree.

Newborns, even during the early weeks of life can be trained on how to go to bed early by setting a sleep routine at a regular pace like cleaning the baby's face, arms and legs with soft, damp cloth, breast feeding and helping him burp afterwards or chanting nursery rhymes until he goes to slumber land. Putting up these bedtime rituals signal the little ones that it's just about time for them to rest.

Conversely, western cultures roughly advocate the need for the baby to sleep alone inside the crib in his own room during night for it boosts self discipline and independence as the little tot grows. Caregivers, more often than not, adhere to the practice of allowing the child to lie on their tummies rather than on his back for it was believed to facilitate eternal rest. But did you know that putting baby to sleep on his stomach particularly in the crib may actually cause him to die?

SIDS, or the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the main cause of mortality in infants who were left alone sleeping prone, since their entire face are being blocked making it hard for them to breathe. Also, the lungs cannot fully expand because it bears most of the infant's weight when lying down.

Cosleeping, on the other hand, has been highly acclaimed by La Leche league International, the foremost breast feeding organization in the world. Studies revealed that cosleeping has been proven to strengthen the bond not only to mothers, but also to the fathers as well. Consequently, it provides a strong emotional security to your little angel when he is around with mommy and daddy. It also favors constant nursing especially at night, thus, decreases the urgency for the baby to cry for his personal needs.

During sleep, the body restores lost cells, elicits growth of hair follicles, toenails, fingernails and skin, and most importantly, recharges the brain. Sleep is indeed crucial in nurturing the youngling's developmental progress. Ergo, with parents' proper guidance and moral support, children will grow with autonomy and self - reliance later in life.