Life
All parents are chomping at the bit for the best ways to maximize their baby's sleep. But in this pursuit of a good night of shut eye, parents should know about the pieces of outdated baby sleep advise to ignore, because not all tips are created equal. In fact, some of the sleep rules have changed rather recently, meaning that the beliefs your parents had about putting you to sleep as a baby are already antiquated pieces of history, rewritten by new research and methods proven to keep little ones safe while snoozing.
It's important to remember that when people are giving you advise for your baby, it's usually coming from a good place. They want to help and offer any wisdom they believe could save you or the baby any strife. However, not everyone has brushed up on the latest in baby sleep recommendations and can end up passing on the exact opposite of what you should be doing at bedtime. That's why it's crucial to always do your due diligence and fact check all word of mouth ideas. Use these seven outdated pieces of baby sleep advice as your guidepost when fielding suggestions from others about how best to keep your baby snoozing.
1
Baby Will SleepThrough The Night At 6 Months
It's nice to have goals, but not every baby is sleeping through the night at 6 months old. When this doesn't happen, well-meaning people will tell you that something must be wrong and you should have your child see the pediatrician. But as Psychology Today pointed out, although sleeping through the night at 6 months is normal, not sleeping through the night at this age is not a disorder.
2
Newborns Need A Sleep Schedule
Sleep schedules can be beneficial to setting a rhythm for sleep and waking, but this type of structure shouldn't start to early. According to the National Sleep Foundation, new babies meet their own sleep needs. Babies are more tuned in to their body and its needs than we give them credit for, so don't worry about how long and when they're sleeping. In this case, baby knows best.
3
You Should Never Co-Sleep
It's true that if co-sleeping is not done with certain precautions in place it can be dangerous, but that doesn't take the idea completely off the table. As long as you follow safety guidelines for best practices for co-sleeping, it is a wonderful way to bond with baby (and even get more snooze time), as Parenting magazine explained.
4
Put Baby To Sleep On Her Side
Although both side and stomach sleeping were once recommended, experts now agree that these positions are not the safest for baby sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that babies always be put to sleep on their backs to best protect against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
5
Give Baby A Stuffed Animal To Sleep With
Those soft little stuffed animals sure are cute and cuddly, but when put in a crib they become a danger to babies. As Kids Health from Nemours pointed out, it's dangerous for babies to sleep with stuffed animals, pillows, or loose blankets because it increases the risk of suffocation.
6
Get Things Done While The Baby Sleeps
Your little nugget isn't the only one who needs to nap during the day, you need to catch some daytime Zs too. According to Pregnancy and Baby, new mother exhaustion is real and dangerous, so if you can nap when your baby naps, you should.
7
Keep Quiet While Baby Sleeps
You may want the house nice and quiet while your little one snoozes, but it's definitely not necessary for your baby to get quality sleep. As registered nurse Nancy Birkenmeier told Parents magazine, "an infant can sleep through a fair amount of noise, especially in the first third of the night, when he's in deep sleep."
