Welcome to Ask Dr. Harvey Karp, our new fatherhood advice column at Esquire, where the author of The Happiest Baby on the Block and creator of the SNOO answers your burning questions about parenting. Got a query? Drop us a line in the comments!

It’s 3:00 a.m., the house is hushed, and you’re sinking into a deep sleep. Suddenly, your slumber is shattered by a scream. Yup, your baby is up. Again. Every parent has been here, wondering when their tiny bub will reach that magical milestone of uninterrupted, all-night sleep.

The good news is that by three or four months, most babies can handle a five-hour session of straight snoozing. But if your dream is for dusk-to-dawn serenity, hold on to your nightcap. About 30 percent of babies don’t get there until their first birthday!

Even as they achieve longer stretches of shut-eye, there are two situations that can still interrupt sleep (theirs and yours):

  • Every one to three hours, babies get into very light cycles of sleep, making them more susceptible to wakeups. In fact, all of us, grown-ups included, actually wake a tiny bit two to three times a night during a light sleep cycle. You’ll know your baby is in light sleep when you hear normal squeaks and fussing.
  • Many three- to four-month-olds bump into sleep disruptions caused by teething, growth spurts, nasal stuffiness, and dreaded sleep regressions. That can be super frustrating, because they may not yet be skilled in self-soothing and putting themselves back to sleep.

The goal is actually not to get our little friends to sleep through the night but to help them learn how to dive back into sleep after the inevitable wakings. That said, here are some proven ways to boost your baby’s zzz’s.

Get Outside!

Outdoor light during the day helps regulate melatonin, your natural sleep hormone, to help your baby develop solid day and night sleep preferences.

Dream Feed

Before you hit the hay, rouse your baby without fully waking them and feed them a little bit more before you go to sleep. This is called a dream feed, and sneaking in one more meal before midnight helps delay hunger until the morning.

Use the 5 S’s

For babies and older kids, you can bring on the zzz’s by re-creating some of the soothing sensations of the womb using a few of the 5 S’s:

  1. Swaddle: Wrap your infant with their arms snug and their hips and legs loose. Swaddling should be stopped when your baby starts showing signs of rolling over. Fortunately, swaddled babies are safely secured in a SNOO.
  2. Side or stomach: Hold your baby positioned on their side or stomach or even over your shoulder. This one is really helpful for soothing a baby in your arms, but it’s not safe to place babies in this position for sleeping. The back is the safest position for sleep.
  3. Swinging: A rocking motion boosts sleep, but make sure the baby is flat, not seated. Sleeping in inclined devices like car seats and swings can lead to death, as a baby’s heavy head rolls forward, cutting off their breathing,
  4. Shushing: This mimics the sound of the womb’s blood flow.
  5. Suck: Sucking at the breast, bottle, or pacifier helps babies slip into deep relaxation. It’s the icing on the cake for soothing them.

Play White Noise All Night

This can help babies sleep through an array of disturbances, from teething pain to passing planes or noise from older siblings. Even older kids and adults often sleep better with low, rumbly sounds. Think of it as a safe and soothing pillow of sound. You’ll want to keep the all-night sound below 70dB.

Consistent Bedtime Routines

Regular, nightly routines like baths, womb sound, and lullabies become cues that help babies recognize that it’s time for sleep.

Try the Wake-and-Sleep Technique

This gentle sleep training helps teach self-soothing. Lull your baby to sleep with a feed, cozy swaddling, gentle rocking, and white noise. Then place your sleeping bub in the bassinet or crib with the lights turned off and white noise turned on. Once they’re down, gently rouse them until their eyes lightly flutter open. Finally, let them nod off again by themselves. If they fuss, give them a paci and/or rock the bed a little.

Use a SNOO

How could I not? Babies have slept safer in a SNOO for more than 600 million hours, and we’ve learned lots by studying their nightly patterns. With the SNOO’s continuous soothing womb sensations and automatic responses to fussing, babies learn to self-soothe. Most two- to three-month-olds enjoy continuous, unbroken stretches of slumber of six-and-a-half to seven hours or more.

Of course, each baby is different, but these tips will help everyone in your house sleep more soundly. Soon you’ll be easing your baby into those sweet slumbers you’ve been dreaming about.

Keep the parenting questions coming! I’ve already received so many good ones, on everything from “Can I let my kid drink non-alcoholic cocktails?” to “Should my newborn sleep in total darkness?” Drop yours in the comments below, or reach out to Esquire on social media—and stay tuned for answers.