GAINESVILLE, Fla -- The American College of Pediatrics has released a series of tips for parents hoping to get their newborns to sleep through the night:
- Starti with a safe sleeping place.
- Lay your baby flat on their back, alone in the crib.
- Do not put stuffed toys, blankets, pillows or bumper pads in the crib.
Doctors admit getting an infant to sleep through the night is not an exact science.
"You nurse them, you rock them until they are drowsy, but you want to put them in the crib or in the bassinet awake and if they learn how to fall asleep on their own initially, they'll have a much better chance of falling back to sleep during the night," pediatrician Dr. Robert Wiskind said.
It's best to establish a sleep routine for babies early, according to experts, although they usually don't settle into a regular cycle for about six months.
