New parents often find that one of the greatest challenges they face is when their baby won't sleep. Teaching a baby to fall asleep and stay asleep should be a top priority for new parents as sleep deprivation can lead to childhood obesity, depression, behavioral problems, illness and learning difficulties.

There are proven baby sleep techniques that can really help babies and parents find a better night's sleep.  Here are 5 tips to help your baby go to sleep easier:

1. Develop a Baby Sleep Routine – Children thrive on routine and predictability. With proper nap and bedtime routines, a child will know what to expect and begin to welcome sleep as part of the daily schedule. A typical bedtime routine might last 20-30 minutes (possibly longer for spirited children) and include diaper and pajamas, a quiet game, breastfeeding/bottle/cup (for babies under 2), teeth brushing, potty (if applicable), reading, cuddling, and then lights out. A nap routine is similar to the bedtime routine, but usually shorter, about 10 minutes.

Your baby's sleep routine does not necessarily need to include bath time. Parents simply may not have time or energy to bathe their child every day, and, until they are older and getting very dirty, there is no need. Second, if a child is spirited, a bath may actually do more to energize the child than calm him.

2. Schedule an Early Bedtime – An early bedtime is crucial to a good night's sleep for baby. When babies and young children are overtired, they may have more difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep and will often wake too early in the morning. While many parents think that keeping a child up later at night will help with baby sleep problems, it is actually the early bedtime that will lead to a more restful sleep for a baby and lead to later waking in the morning.

3. Ensure Baby Takes Naps – The better a baby naps during the day, the better she will sleep at night because she is less likely to be overtired at bedtime. A good nap lasts at least one hour and is in a quiet, sedentary location, versus in a stroller, swing or car, which is not nearly as restorative. Shorter, more frequent naps are common during baby's first 6 months. If your baby is in daycare, parents may need to work with their daycare providers to establish a baby sleep routine  and techniques to enable the baby or toddler to nap longer.

4. Avoid Sleep Associations – Babies, like all humans, have natural sleep cycles, which are periodic awakenings throughout the night. Often baby sleep techniques for new parents will involve a soothing device or action, like a pacifier, bottle, nursing, or rocking, which baby cannot replicate on his own when he awakens between sleep cycles. When baby cannot go back to sleep, he will likely cry out for Mom or Dad to help him. Baby sleep associations are often at the root of so many baby sleep problems. This is why it's important for parents to put the baby into his bed awake, so that he falls asleep on his own and will be able to put himself back to sleep during the night.

5. Manage Baby Night Feedings – Through the first nine months, it is considered normal for babies to eat one or two times overnight. Some stop much sooner on their own accord or with just a little nudge from mom. If a baby is eating more frequently than that or she is older than nine months, Mom may want to consider cutting back (or cutting out) night feedings. All babies are different and experts disagree as to when feeding baby at night should stop. A mom knows her baby best and will be best able to determine whether she still needs to eat at night, but any more than two feedings after three months old and she probably has a sleep association with nursing or the bottle.

Everyone's situation is unique and that what works for one family may not work for another. It takes courage and dedication to work through your baby's sleep issues, but the time spent on teaching your baby healthy sleep habits will be worth it.