You’re exhausted, moody and can’t even think straight! Sound familiar? Most parents suffer from sleep deprivation at some point. Even those who are lucky enough to have babies who are good sleepers eventually have to deal with getting their toddlers to stay in bed.

To make matters worst there is so much conflicting information as to how and when we should get our babies to sleep through the night. It’s enough to leave a new parent wondering what’s the right thing to do?

Here are a few tips:

Listen to your instincts. Remember you know your baby best. Take all the advice you can get (including this one) as what it is, “advice”. Never let it replace your own personal judgment. You know your baby best and only YOU know what’s really right for him. If it feels right to rock your baby to sleep, then do it. If it feels right to bring your baby into bed with you then do it.

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Getting Your Baby To Sleep Through The Night

Many babies will start teething at about 6 months. The process of their baby teeth working their way out of baby’s gums can be a very painful process for your little one. Here are a few ideas to easy baby’s pain.Use your clean, wet finger to massage baby’s gums. You can also use a cool teaspoon to do the same.

Get some teething rings for baby to chew on. Store them in the refrigerator to keep them cold. This will temporarily numb the pain for your child as she chews on the ring. The chewing will also speed up the process of the teeth working their way though the gums.

You can also give your baby a cold, wet washcloth to chew on.

Talk to your pediatrician about any numbing gels or pain medication if the methods above are not enough to make her comfortable.

As a new mom, you may be wondering when you should start transitioning your baby from breast milk or formula to solid foods.

Most babies are ready somewhere between 4 to 6 months. Watch your baby for signs that she is ready to try her first solid food. Is she paying close attention to you when you are eating? Is she making chewing motions when she sees you eat? Then She may be ready for her first taste of solid food.

You want to introduce her to rice cereal first. Prepare a thin cereal with breast milk or formula. Mix it in a small bowl and feed it to baby with a small baby spoon. Be prepared for a mess as baby tries to figure out if she likes the cereal and gets used to the texture.

If your baby refuses to eat, just give her a few days and try again. Eventually she will get the hang of it and enjoy her cereal. Start increasing the thickness of the cereal with each meal.

Many new moms wonder how often they should change their baby’s diaper. Young babies seem to pee almost constantly and of course you don’t want to change a diaper every 5 minutes.

A good rule of thumb is to change your babies diaper after each feeding and of course each time you smell number 2. For the first few weeks you will change diapers quite frequently since your baby needs to eat every 2 to 3 hours. As the baby grows, so does her stomach and bladder, and feedings and diaper changes will become less frequent.

Most baby books, nurses and physicians suggest you change your baby after each feeding. This worked out well for me during the day, but at night, when I wanted my baby to go right back to sleep, changing her diaper would get her wound up. If that happens to you, try changing the diaper before you feed her. Mine would fall back asleep during the feeding, giving me a chance to catch up on some much needed sleep as well.

Your newborn will need a safe place to sleep. Even if you are planning on having her in your bed at night (also known as co-sleeping), you should get a bed just for her to nap in during the day.

For the first few weeks a bassinette will work well. It is much smaller than a regular crib, making your baby feel more comfortable and secure. Remember: she just spent the last 9 months in your womb, a very small, tight space.

Once your baby starts to roll on her own, pulls herself up or sits up, the bassinette is no longer safe for her. It’s time to move on to a regular crib.

Keep the mattress on the highest setting that’s safe for your baby (i.e. that she can’t get out of, on her own). You will be putting her down and picking her up many times a day. Having the mattress high, and thus closer to you, will make this easier on your back and shoulders and more comfortable.

You can also look for a crib with adjustable sides:
you can then lower the sides when you need to pick your little one up, and raise it when you want them safely tucked in.