Recommended age for technique:
From birth up.

Description of technique:
During the first few weeks of your infant's life, he or she will spend the majority of time sleeping between each feeding, and you'll probably wonder if he or she even knows the difference between night and day. However, as the weeks pass, your baby will begin to have longer periods of alert time. When this begins to happen, it's important that you help your child differentiate between day and night. During the morning hours between naps, keep the blinds open so that your baby sees that it is light outside. During his wakeful hours, you should stimulate your child by talking or singing to him, and engaging in other age appropriate activities.

In contrast, during the evening hours, keep the lights dim and stimulation at a minimum so that your baby will begin to recognize this quiet time as a prelude to bedtime. When your baby wakes for those late-night feedings, do not engage in conversation. Be sure to put your baby back to sleep immediately after he is done eating. Never play with your child in the middle of the night even if he seems awake, or you will begin a pattern that may be hard to break later.

Other comments or suggestions:
A pattern usually emerges with most babies by three to four weeks when they will begin to stay awake longer during the day between feedings. If your child seems to want to sleep more during the day and is awake for longer intervals at night, try keeping your baby from napping as often as possible during the day so that he will be ready to sleep for longer stretches at night.