Find info on your childrens health » Baby Sleep

Transitioning Your Baby To Sleep

admin — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:28:27 +0000

New parents have many responsibilities. Close to the top of the list is to develop and nurture good sleep patterns and sleeping habits for their new baby. Newborns need to transition from sleeping with the mother to sleeping alone, but getting your baby to learn to sleep on his own takes some time. However, there are many benefits for both the baby and the parents when this takes place. There are a seemingly endless supply of tips and helpful hints to assist parents with this tricky task. Research and try as many as it takes to find out what works best for your baby and you. Trust your intuition and never give up until you have found that magic combination. The reward of your baby and you both getting a good night of sleep on a consistent basis is worth the effort.

Most of the advice you will find to help with your babys sleep deals with establishing schedules, habits and associations for your baby just before and during bedtime. Associating bedtime with sleeping is the goal. The sooner you can achieve that association, the more likely the baby will go to sleep without a struggle. Establishing the differences between daytime and nighttime is something that most advisors seem to ignore. Creating the understanding in your baby the change from being awake during daytime and falling asleep at night is a very valuable step. Here are some methods you can try.

Many times your baby has been very active throughout the day and is too stimulated to relax and fall to sleep. Employ one of those sling-type baby carriers that hold your baby close to your body while allowing you to be free to go about your regular activities around the house. Your baby will love being in close contact with you. This will provide ample time for your baby to calm down slowly from that hyped feeling of stimulation and excitement.

Many times the routine of transitioning between thirty minutes or an hour before bedtime is performed by the mother. This may be working against you. Try this with the father. Just before moving the baby into the bed, have Dad hold and cradle the baby close. His voice is generally much deeper than Moms is and often the baby can be more soothed by it. This change in routine can be learned as a triggering mechanism for the baby Dad is holding me, it must be almost time for sleep.

Whether you find it in a listing of baby tips or discover it on your own, one of the methods of transitioning into bedtime is to simply take the baby for a car ride. While this idea may seem to be a perfect quick fix, I would advise against it. In the beginning, it may seem like a good deal. After all who wouldnt trade a little inconvenience for a night of peace and quite and sleep? However, as your baby becomes accustomed to that nightly driving ritual, dependence may develop and it will not take long to become much more than just an inconvenience.

The idea is to begin slowly with these transition techniques. Once you and your baby have found the magic formula and have built an almost automatic routine, then just as slowly transition away from them and into a much more simple bedtime pattern. The goal here is to teach your baby to sleep on its own.

Good Night and enjoy your baby and your rest!

How To Get Your Baby To Sleep At Naptime

admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:34:48 +0000

If you baby is not napping well during her first few months of life, you may want to try to cut back on the time she is awake by 15 minute increments. If she is getting overstimulated, then she will fight sleep and be difficult to get to nap. The way to prevent this is to watch her sleepy cues to make sure that you put her down when she is beginning to get sleepy.

Some parents believe that letting their child cry will harm him or her. Fifteen or twenty minutes of crying will not harm your child physically or mentally. Babies will learn to self-soothe and fall asleep by themselves, but only if you let her. It is very important that babies learn to fall asleep by themselves so that they can self-soothe if they awake in the middle of the night. Otherwise, you may have a child that will not sleep through the night for years.

Regular sleep patterns are intermeshed with regular eating patterns, so let us look at the stages of a babys life:

Newborn: Your newborn will sleep anywhere from 16 to 20 hours a day, including the naps that he takes between feedings. When your baby has been fed, let him stay awake for a short while and then put him down before he becomes overstimulated.

Two months: At two months and older, your child should be allowed to try to self-soothe during their naptimes and bedtime. Crying is normal when you put your baby down, but it is okay. If he cries for longer than 10-15 minutes, then go in and check on him. Dont get him up, but pat his bottom or lightly rub his back until he calms down.

3-6 months: At around 3-6 months, your baby will stop taking one of his naps. Usually it is the third nap or late afternoon nap that they do not need as much. He may be a little fussy and may want to take a little nap, but you need to try to keep him up if you want him to go to bed at a decent time and sleep soundly through the night.

16+ months: When your child is between 16-20 months, they usually quit taking the morning nap in favor of a longer nap in the afternoons. Babies this age usually sleep between 10-12 hours a night and take a 2-3 hour afternoon nap.

Ground Rules about Naps:

1. You decide when the nap starts and ends, not the baby.

2. When your baby is older than 4 months old, she will wake up crying if she hasnt slept enough. She might have a dirty diaper, be in a position that is not comfortable, or cold/hot. Fix the problem and encourage her to go back to sleep. Babies that have enough rest wake up happy, talking, and in a good mood!

Getting Baby to Sleep at Night

admin — Fri, 14 May 2010 09:52:52 +0000

Does your baby sleep through the day, and keep you up at night? This has been the cry of mothers and fathers heard round the world for centuries.

A newborn baby will sleep from 16 to 20 hours per day. Unfortunately, this sleeping time is usually broken up into 2-4 hour periods. The key is to get your baby into a routine sleeping schedule. This type of consistency will allow you ample time for household chores, a good night’s rest, and time in general just for you…( because we know that all moms need some of that.)

You may just be one tweak away from a good night’s rest. Here are some simple steps to follow to get your baby into a routine sleeping pattern.

The key to getting a baby to sleep consistently is by keeping bedtime rituals. A baby should not be rocked to sleep one night while being left to cry themselves to sleep another. Consistency is the key to forming a healthy sleeping pattern.

A quiet and dark room is one of the most optimal sleeping environments. Something as simple as a dishwasher or dryer can interrupt your baby’s sleeping schedule on any given night. Therefore, you’ll want your baby to be in a room that is away from noises.

Pre-bedtime rituals prepare your baby for sleeping. These should be activities that are not overstimulating. Some possibilities include rocking the baby to sleep or singing lullabies.

Create a comfortable room temperature… not to exceed 75 degrees. A comfortable room temperature will help your child comfortably sleep through the night without waking.

Nevertheless, your baby is sure to cry at some point. Many parents use a method known as controlled crying that has been found to be successful in many cases. If your baby starts crying, leave him for five minutes before soothing him. Remain only long enough to pat his back and say a few kind words. Do not pick him up out of his cot. Always speak reassuringly when you go in. By waiting 5 to 10 minutes, your baby will learn that crying will not help and your reassuring voice will help your baby feel secure.

You’ll find that most babies begin sleeping through the night by 9 months. Like all things, soon this too shall pass.

Colicky Baby: What You Can Do To Help

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:54:06 +0000

Colic is a puzzlement, which has not been worked out as yet. No one in fact is familiar with what generates it, and there is no “single size fits every one” treatment for it also. The meaning of all this is that if your baby is colicky, the absence of belief in relation to what is incorrect and how to rectify it can make you go mad!

The positive information is that the babys wailing does sooner or later come to an end, and also the colic stops in due course. But having a wailing baby is hard to deal with at the finest of times, and whilst you are by now exhausted and perhaps a little stressed out from a demanding day, it is extremely tough without a doubt.

Given below are a few points that several parents have discovered to be of use in either making a colicky baby sleep, or at the most it is of use in lessening the intensity of wailing.

1. Take your baby for a walk. Both clasping your baby either above alongside your shoulder and resting on your chest are proper stances. To a certain extent crying over and over again leads to formation of gas, so if not anything besides you might assist in releasing the gas and as a result decrease a little of your baby’s uneasiness. For especially infantile babies, the thud of your heart thumping is frequently to a certain extent comforting, and can assist in relaxing them.

2. Rocking – It does not amount to what you make use of, whether it is a rocking chair on which you sit jointly, or gently sway your baby’s cradle, or thump your baby’s bouncer seat. The periodic movement is good for comforting a colicky baby. Yet again, clasping baby next to your chest whilst you sway to and fro in a chair assists as baby can listen to your heart beating.

3. Music – Babies are keen on music, so begin singing, or you can also switch on a TV or radio. Music time and again comforts a wailing baby, above all lullabies. A few babies illustrate a noticeable fondness for a certain melodic manner, and although it does not make them go off to sleep, it might aid to divert them sufficiently to discontinue with wailing.

4. Sucking – This technique functioned extremely fine with my daughter – she sought after to suck something. Initially I considered that she was famished, and so attempted to feed her a little extra, but my motherly health nurse believed that it might in fact possibly make things bad. As a result she recommended a pacifier. My daughter on no account would suck on a pacifier on any other time, however in the evenings while she suffered from colic, she in fact looked as if she was feeling well again when she started to suck on the pacifier. As soon as she stopped suffering from colic, she did not want it any more. I suppose by that time she was hooked on to her thumb as well!

Probably out of every one of these tips, you will come across 1 or 2 that will facilitate to either make your baby sleep or comfort your baby. And keep in mind – colic goes away in due course. Be certain that you continue to inform your health care practitioner in relation to the colic, as if it continues to go on for an excessively long time, then it might be essential to make sure of additional causes.

Newborn Sleeping Positions

admin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:27:01 +0000

It can all be very confusing. Put the baby on her tummy, no her side, no her back. Over the years, weve been told many different things about sleeping positions for babies. Heres the scoop, from my perspective, anyway.

Years ago, it was common practice for babies to sleep on their stomachs. And, there was good reason babies sleep more soundly on their tummies than in any other position. Most of us were put to sleep on our stomachs, and we turned out fine, right?

But, now we have a little more information. Putting your baby to sleep on her back or side can reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by as much as 50 percent. Therefore, most pediatricians will recommend that you put the baby to sleep on her back from the beginning. There were a few years there where doctors recommended that babies sleep on their sides, as this not only reduces the risk of SIDS, but also reduces the risk that the child might choke on her vomit if she spits up (which, by the way, is rare). But, today most doctors say the back or side is fine its really hard to keep a newborn on her side.

If your baby fusses a lot when sleeping on her back, try swaddling her, or try putting her on her side with a rolled up blanket for support. For many babies, this is enough to make them comfortable. If your baby is sleeping on her back, do be sure to give her some waking time on her tummy, to help with muscle development, and to give her a new perspective on life!

Now, all that said, if your baby is really having a hard time sleeping on her back, talk to your pediatrician about having the baby sleep on her stomach. If your baby is healthy, your doctor may say its ok to put her to sleep on her stomach, as long as the mattress is firm. In addition, babies with respiratory problems, upper airway malformations, and babies who spit up a lot, may actually be safer on their tummies.

Each baby is different, and you have to treat them as such. Sleeping on the back is the guideline, but with your doctors help, you should evaluate your baby, and her sleeping habits, individually. Keep in mind that in a few months your baby will begin turning over, and will choose her favorite position on her own.

Bringing Up A Baby Balancing Discipline And Love

admin — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:39:25 +0000

I think few would disagree that one of the essentials of baby care comes in the form of love. Apart from the obvious need of sustenance to survive, love comes at the top of a babys needs, and that continues right through childhood into the teenage years. Most teenagers would not admit it; most young children struggle to express it; and babies cannot express it. But, children of any age need love.

Something else that is needed throughout a childs upbringing is discipline; a sensible level of discipline from which the child will benefit throughout their adult lives. The application of discipline can seem to become more difficult as a child gets older, in direct proportion to the childs ability to express themselves assertively. In reality, though, applying discipline to a baby can be every bit as difficult, because it is a much more subtle and less obvious process.

A teenager ignoring your 10pm curfew is a blatant discipline problem. To some, a one year old baby crying because they are being taken from their toys to have a bath and go to bed, is not even about discipline, and they may not think of it as such. They love the baby, want it to be happy and, despite knowing that the baby should sleep, feel pity and put her back with her toys.

Does a Baby Need Discipline?

Discipline with a child is usually about testing boundaries; the boundaries of what they are allowed to do and what they are not allowed to do. If they do not like the answer, they protest and test again; and again. If the boundary they are trying to break gives way easily, it encourages them to go back and do it again.

If the boundary holds firm, with a consistent parent being calmly unbending, then the baby or infant will give up..eventually. Patience and consistency are vital to the discipline, otherwise the baby will become confused; they will not learn what is acceptable and what is not, if one day you give into their protests, and on another day you do not.

In the example above, the baby has successfully used tears to get their way against the parents better judgement. Bath and bed time have been delayed, with a two fold result. Firstly, she will not sleep at the time that is best for her, and she will become crotchety and over tired, and cry even louder with the next attempt to put her to bed. Secondly, her success at preventing the bath will bolster her for next time; she has learnt that yelling will get her own way.

About a decade ago, while I still lived in the UK, there was a study into teenagers, to find out what it was they most needed to make their lives happier and better. More than half said they really wanted more discipline; yes, wanted.

Discipline has been allowed to evaporate across some Western societies, with a result that teenagers have felt that there is an absence of necessary discipline in their lives. However, there is no need to allow your baby to become just one more in the statistics of undisciplined children.

Does a baby need discipline? In my opinion, and based on my own experience, the answer is a resounding yes.

Can Love and Discipline Mix?

From the perspective of a second time around parent, I would say that not only do love and discipline mix, they are mutually essential. Working from home, I have been able to observe our baby daughter for two years. I have also been here all the time to apply discipline and to provide heaps of love, affection and cuddles.

I am of the view that love is not only an essential for a happy baby, it also the parents most powerful weapon when it comes to discipline. How can that be? By threatening to withdraw your love if the baby is naughty?

No, there is no need to make any threats at all. The baby needs love and they adore their parents. You are, in the main, their life. As they recognize you are not happy when they do something wrong, what will discipline them in the end is their deep desire for you to be happy with them, to praise them, and to show your love for them.

If a babys naughtiness threatens their ideal world, by observing the negative effect on you, the baby will learn to steer things back onto a course where you are happy with them, praise them again, and show your love. They will not only say they are sorry, they will mean it, because they truly are. To that extent, discipline becomes self discipline by the baby if there is enough love in the home to make them yearn for that love more than anything else.

I am not saying disciplining any baby is easy, but with sufficient love it can be a relatively smooth process if you see things from the babys point of view, and understand that the baby, deep down, wants to please you more than anything else.

Babycity: Baby clothes and baby gifts online

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:05:50 +0000

Babycity is a leading provider of baby clothing, baby gifts and nursery products on-line. We aim to offer you the best products at the best prices, all combined with a service, which is second to none.

We stock a variety of products to cater for any new babys needs from tiny clothing for those first precious days, to nursery equipment and travel equipment. In fact we promise that if you cant find it on-line at babycity, we will try and find it for you, saving you the time and hassle.

We have brought together a wealth of products from high street brand names including Avent, Tommee Tippee, Baby Bjorn, Tiny Love, Tiny Dee, Baby Dee and Doodle Dee, so you can rest assured they will be of the highest quality and style.

Amongst the products we sell are baby bodysuits, baby sleep suits, baby gifts, fashion ranges, feeding equipment, weaning equipment, baby carriers and baby toys and mobiles. In fact everything you need for your baby’s early years. Click here to visit our store directory where all categories are clearly laid out.

Because we buy in bulk we can keep our prices low and pass the benefit on to you. In addition, customers who join the baby club can gain benefit from an extra discount on any purchase. It’s free to join and members will receive regular information about special offers, promotions and discounts. With a no quibble returns policy and a helpful customer service department; it is an ideal place to shop without the hassle of the high street.

Baby Sleep Tips – Some Tricks For The Transition

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:57:43 +0000

As a new parent, one of your priorities will be to establish good sleeping habits with your newborn. Your baby needs to learn to sleep on his own; the transition from sleeping with his mother to sleeping by himself takes some time. Of course, as add added bonus, if you get your baby to learn to sleep on his own you will also get some much needed rest yourself. To instill good sleeping habits in your baby, research and try to employ different baby sleep tips: try a lot of things and see what works for you, and don’t be afraid to trust your instincts.

Many baby sleep tips center on the idea of establishing routines and associations for your child between nighttime and sleep. The sooner you child begins to associate bedtime with sleep, the more likely he is to be able to go to sleep without a fuss. A period that is often overlooked, however, in establishing day vs. night associations, is the period of “transition” – that is, the one between being awake and falling asleep. Here are some transitioning techniques to try:

Try what is sometimes called “fathering down.” Just before placing the baby into bed, the father should cradle the baby in such a way that the baby’s head rests on the father neck. The father should then talk gently to the child. Because the male’s voice is much deeper than the female’s, babies are often more soothed by it, and will fall asleep more easily after being exposed to it for some time.

You can also try what is sometimes referred to as “wearing down.” This is effective if your baby has been active throughout the day and is too excited to go to bed easily. All you have to do is place your baby in a sling or carrier – “wear him” in other words – for about half an hour before his bedtime. Simply go about your regular household activities: being close to a parent and slowly rocked about before bedtime will provide your child with an easier transition from being awake to being asleep.

Finally, if you’ve exhausted other options, you can go for the tried and true method of “driving down.” Most parents are probably familiar with this as a last resort: place your baby in the car and drive around for awhile until he falls asleep. This one, while inconvenient, usually works every time, and if you desperately need some sleep it can be a godsend.

Obviously, you don’t want to do things like drive around every night to get your child to sleep. Nor do you want to have to carry him around in a sling. The idea, though, is to start with these more drastic techniques and then slowly ease out of them. Keep in mind what a major transition your baby is going through when he is tiny: he’s never slept on his own before. He simply doesn’t know how to transition himself from being awake to being asleep. By employing these transition techniques you will be slowly teaching him how to do so, and as they are gradually removed your baby will learn good sleeping habits, which will ensure that both you and your child get a good night’s rest.

Baby Sleep Tips – Making Your Baby Comfortable

admin — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:37:00 +0000

Often, it seems fairly random whether or not babies sleep well. New parents will often discuss how they were simply “lucky” with one child as opposed to another. While it is true that in many cases how your child sleeps is largely out of your control, there remains many baby sleep tips you can employ to encourage better sleeping habits. One of the most important is to ensure that your baby is comfortable when he goes to sleep.

Bedtime is a transitional period for your child, and your efforts to make him sleep better should revolve around getting him to learn to sleep on his own. One of the most important elements of achieving this is to create an environment where your baby is as comfortable as possible. For this reason, the before-bed routine should always consist of changing and feedings – the worst thing for a baby, in terms of sleeping well, is to be in want of something when he is put to bed.

You should also be trying to make your baby as physically comfortable as possible when putting him to sleep. One of the most commonly overlooked aspects of this is allowing your baby to breathe easily through the nose. Most people, but especially babies, depend on clear nasal passages for a good night’s sleep. It’s important to remove all airborne allergens in the baby’s nursery: everything should be well dusted, and you should keep dust collecting items – like fuzzy blankets and stuffed animals – to a minimum. When your baby is very young it takes time for him to learn to breathe through his mouth, so you must carefully pay attention to his nasal breathing when putting him to sleep. If you notice the problem is persistent, you may benefit from installing an air filter in the room that is designed to remove dust particles and allergens – this also has the added bonus of creating a soothing hum that will help many babies sleep better.

You should also pay particular attention to your baby’s clothing. All babies are different in terms of their preferences, and you have to watch them closely. In many cases, things that look comfortable to you – very snug outfits, for example – may not be comfortable for your particular baby. Try both tight and loose fitting clothes and see which ones your baby seems to prefer.

Finally, consider how well your baby sleeps with wet diapers. Most babies will sleep well through the night with a wet diaper, but some will not. If this is the case, you can often solve your baby’s sleeping difficulties by giving him a change in the night.

The main thing to keep in mind in terms of your babies comfort is to pay close attention, and to trust your instincts. Although it is tempting to follow guides and stick to hard and fast rules, remember that the adage “mother knows best” is generally true. So if your baby seems uncomfortable in his clothes, don’t hesitate to change him into something that doesn’t “look” as comfortable. If you trust your own judgments over those of guides in terms of your baby’s comfort, it’s likely that he will sleep much better.

Baby Sleep Tips – Feeding During The Day

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:55:22 +0000

Every parent of a newborn will inevitably deal with many sleepless nights. Babies, of course, have many needs, and when they awake in the night they will cry for their mothers. One of your most important tasks as a parent is to establish good sleeping habits in your child. Every baby must go through a transition where he adjusts from sleeping with his mother to sleeping on his own. This is a natural transition of course, and takes some time, but there are things you can do to expedite the process. Not only will this help your child develop better sleep habits, it will allow you to get some much needed rest.

Many baby sleep tips exist, and every parent would be well advised to research many different baby sleep tips. It is important to keep in mind, however, that no baby sleep tip should be considered hard and fast rules. As a parent, your instincts know best, and when you are in doubt in regards to baby sleep tips remind yourself of this fact. Many first time parents experience insecurity in terms of whether their decisions and strategies are correct, and while you shouldn’t be uninformed, you should always view baby sleep tips through the lens of your own parental instincts.

Now, one thing you should consider when trying to get your newborn to sleep better at night is what his feeding habits are. Oftentimes the child will be active and otherwise busy during the day, and won’t be doing a lot of feeding. The problem with this, of course, is that he will then wake you repeatedly thought the night for feedings. A good technique, then, for getting your baby to sleep better at night is to “tank up” during the day. Try feeding every three hours during the day. This will not only ensure that you child’s appetite is satisfied for the night, but will create an important association: you want your child to associate feeding with the daytime. If your child does wake up in the night for a feeding, try to get him to do one full feeding the first time he wakes up. If you don’t do this, you encourage him to “snack” throughout the night – i.e. wake you up every couple hours.

Again, it is important to understand these baby feeding tips should not be taken as hard and fast rules, but rather as guidance. In a general way, you want to create both daytime and sleep associations for your child. You want him to associate feeding and play with something that happens during the day, and lullabies and baths as something that happens at night, before bed. By doing this you ease the transition between sleep and wakefulness, which is the ultimate goal in terms of putting your child to bed easily. If, however, your child doesn’t want to feed every three hours, don’t force him. Similarly, don’t force a full feeding when you wake him at night. Rather, think of the bigger picture: by creating general habits and associations for your child, you will ensure a hasty and healthy sleep development.

Find info on your childrens health » Baby Sleep

Transitioning Your Baby To Sleep

Related posts

How To Get Your Baby To Sleep At Naptime

Related posts

Getting Baby to Sleep at Night

Related posts

Colicky Baby: What You Can Do To Help

Related posts

Newborn Sleeping Positions

Related posts

Bringing Up A Baby Balancing Discipline And Love

Related posts

Babycity: Baby clothes and baby gifts online

Related posts

Baby Sleep Tips – Some Tricks For The Transition

Related posts

Baby Sleep Tips – Making Your Baby Comfortable

Related posts

Baby Sleep Tips – Feeding During The Day

Related posts