Are you suffering from a lack of sleep? Does your baby wake up crying many times each night? If yes, then these simple baby sleep tips may offer you some much needed help.

A newborn will often sleep more than 15 hours per day. The problem though is that they can awaken 7 or 8 times during that period. And of course when they wake up they often cry and this will prevent you from getting a good night's sleep. The good news is that as your child gets older they should sleep for longer periods at a time. For example by the time your baby reaches 3 months old they may sleep for 5 hours straight before they wake up. And by 6 months of age they could be sleeping 8 to 12 hours at a time.

Here are 5 tips to help your baby sleep better...

1. During the day when your baby is awake, keep him stimulated and engaged by playing with him, talking to him, or singing to him. Also open blinds or curtains and let plenty of light in. Let him hear all the normal sounds and activity going on in your home.

2. Keep a check on your baby's nap times during day and don't let him sleep for long periods. If he sleeps a lot of hours in the day he may not sleep well at night.

3. Try to establish a regular time to put your child to bed at night. Try doing some relaxing activities with him just before bed time such as bathing, playing soothing games, talking or singing.

4. Allow your child some time to fall asleep. Its not unusual for babies to cry or squirm some after being put to bed. Touch him and talk in a reassuring manner to let him feel your presence and relax off to sleep.

5. When your baby needs feeding during the night try to keep the environment as quiet as possible and the lights down very dim. When the feeding is over lull your baby back to sleep.

Each babies sleep patterns can be different and you may have to adjust your schedule a bit to find the best sleep times for your baby.

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