Tips for keeping your baby alert to feed
These tips will help you keep your baby awake for your feeding to avoid that your baby starts to associate feeding with falling asleep. For newborns a period of 45-90 minutes of awake time is tolerated. It can be stretched for infants and toddlers to 2-5 hours before needing to nap or sleep. It is important to get to know your baby’s sleep and eating pattern. You can take notes when they sleep, how long they sleep and when they eat to find your baby’s pattern.
How to keep your baby awake
- Turn on the lights: Feed your baby in a well light room, as this will stimulate a more awake baby.
- Feed your baby: When he or she is the most alert. Either right after waking up or well before falling asleep again.
- Undress baby: Undress your baby before feeding. Your baby associates being warm with sleep time, so keep him/her cool and awake by exposing their chest and feet to the air.
- Be on the move: Move your baby around and burp him/her to keep them alert. If the baby seems drowsy, remove the bottle or gently unlatch them and change position.
- Diaper change: You can change baby’s diaper and stroke his or her bare feet. Let them enjoy some naked time.
- Make some noise: Playing music or singing and speaking with your baby while they eat is a nice way to bond while keeping them engaged and awake.
These tips will also help you before coming in for a newborn photo session to get the most out of it. Another tip to keep your baby awake before your session is to give him or her a bath or wipe them with warm water.
Here is a great article about getting your baby to sleep better by Adela from Sleepy Baby Coach.