Just what is interesting about Sleep Trainers this week?
It is important to make sure that your baby’s room is a comfortable temperature – not too hot or too cold. The chance of SIDS is higher in babies who get too hot, so try to keep the room temperature between 16 -20°C Babies can sleep in the same room for as long as the parents want them to. Many parents worry that one baby will wake the other baby with crying or other noise. I have found that as long as the babies have always had to share the same nursery, most will learn to sleep through and filter out noises made by the other baby or babies. If you have twins, you may like to sleep your twins in their own Moses baskets or cots from birth, or you may decide to co-bed them in the early weeks and months. Co-bedding means siblings share the same sleep surface during any sleep period, for example by being in the same cot together. It’s never too early to introduce a bedtime routine – the earlier the better! Babies love routine, as it helps them understand what’s coming and they find comfort in the familiarity of a routine after being exposed to the big new world. Expose baby to natural sunlight when they wake in the morning and during the daytime. Light activates hormones that help us sleep (called melatonin) and develop our internal body clock (called circadian rhythm) and the fresh air and exercise is good for you too. A newborn does not arrive with a pre-programmed body clock; this takes some weeks to fully establish. Your baby may go straight to sleep after a feed. When possible, put your baby down to sleep drowsy but awake. This might help them fall asleep where they will be waking up. Your baby will be awake for 1 to 2 hours between sleeps.
Young babies can’t really stay awake for more than two hours: if you watch closely you’ll see them yawn and their eyes may glaze over. This is the time to take them out of a stimulating environment to a calmer one and let them sleep. If you miss the cues, they can get over-tired and seem hyper-alert when in fact they’re craving sleep. Feeding to sleep becomes a very strong habit, for both mum and baby, and dad can rely on it pretty heavily too. So absolute commitment from both parents to teaching baby a new settling technique is essential if you are going to be successful. When overtiredness does occur, the most important thing you need to do is to calm your baby. Hold, swaddle and feed your baby if it is feed time, sing a lullaby or read a book in a dim lit room. Be prepared for when your baby does go to sleep that they may wake again soon after and need further comfort s the stress hormones created by their overtiredness may still be running high. Never place your baby on their side or stomach for sleep or naps. If your baby is awake, give your child time on their tummy as long as you are watching. This can reduce the chance that your child will develop a flat head. A sleep consultant will take a holistic approach to create a sleeping system that you can manage and one which takes into account 4 month sleep regression as well as the needs of the baby and considerations of each family member.
Sleep When Your Baby Sleeps
Generally, newborns sleep about 8 to 9 hours in the daytime and about 8 hours at night. But they may not sleep more than 1 to 2 hours at a time. Most babies don't start sleeping through the night (6 to 8 hours) without waking until they are about 3 months old, or until they weigh 12 to 13 pounds. About two-thirds of babies are able to sleep through the night on a regular basis by age 6 months. If baby falls asleep in your arms during the day, don’t worry about putting them in a cot. Put them down somewhere safe, which may even be the floor. (Not applicable if you have dogs or toddlers at home with you!) And if you’re feeling very tired, be careful you don’t fall asleep with baby on you If you want baby to learn to sleep independently though it’s best to move feed a little earlier so they don’t have that association to sleep which can mean they will look for it each time they wake. You could reserve your quiet time together as a special time that is just for sleepy cuddles, or you may want to read a calming bedtime story to help them to drift off into dreamland. Whichever activity you choose, make sure that it is calming and soothing rather than active and lively. Some experts think that using a dummy when you settle your baby to sleep may reduce the risk of SIDS. But not all experts agree as the evidence isn’t strong enough. If you decide to use a dummy, experts advise waiting until breastfeeding is established. This is usually by the time your baby is about a month old. The gentle approach and caring manner of a baby sleep expert allows them to assist you in the most preferable way to deal with gentle sleep training and to assist you and your family in any way possible.Eye rubbing, yawning and some fussiness are all classic signs your baby is ready for bed. She might also suck her thumb or pull on her ear. Feeding to sleep is one of the most common ways to get newborn babies to sleep. Tired babies will often fall asleep when feeding, as the combination of breast milk, cuddling with mum and sucking is very powerful. Plus newborns can only cope with being awake for about an hour at a time, so if feeding takes a while, it becomes more and more likely baby will nod off while feeding. Sleep training involves helping your baby learn to fall asleep on their own. Once you have cued your baby that it is time for bed through the bedtime routine, the next step is to put him in his bed while awake. Many babies are easily stimulated. Just meeting your baby's gaze can engage their attention and signal it's playtime. Try not to engage too much with your baby when they wake up – this could inadvertently encourage them to snap out of their sleep zone. The more you interact with your baby during the night, the more they're motivated to wake up. During the first few weeks of their lives, newborns have no set sleep times. It’s tempting to run around the house doing chores and catching up on admin while your baby is asleep during the day, but resist the temptation to tackle housework and instead combat sleep deprivation by taking the opportunity to catch up on sleep while your baby naps. Having a baby is a steep learning curve and aspects such as sleep regression come along and shake things up just when you're not expecting them.
Going To Sleep At Night Is A Skill That Your Baby Has To Learn
Determine what your baby’s nighttime temperament is. Is your baby a born self-soother who awakens, whimpers, squirms, and then resettles by herself? Or is your baby, if not promptly attended to, one whose cries escalate and becomes angry and difficult to resettle? If you can get to your baby quickly before she completely awakens, you may be able to resettle her back to sleep with a firm laying on of hands. Sometimes it can feel like the only thing predictable about newborns and young babies is their unpredictability, particularly when it comes to nap-times. The safest place for a baby to sleep is in a cot or Moses basket. Sharing a bed with an adult is a significant risk for babies born prematurely or at a low birth-weight, which is common in multiples. A bedtime routine is a series of activities that you do each evening to relax your baby and help him settle to sleep. Repeating the same activities at the same time each night has been proven to help children fall asleep quicker and sleep better overnight. Research has shown that around 22% of nine-month-olds have problems going to sleep and 42% regularly wake up more than once during the night. Even babies with previously set sleeping patterns can start waking up. Once this happens, it is important to try to identify the cause before it becomes a habit. Whether its something specific like sleep training or really anything baby sleep related, a baby sleep consultant can guide you to find a sleep solution as individual as your baby is.Mothers can try and sit up rather than lay in bed to breastfeed in order to stop themselves falling asleep. As most babies breastfeed frequently, mothers risk falling asleep in a more dangerous position than if they had been lying down. Many abandon breastfeeding altogether as they are so exhausted, thereby depriving themselves and their baby of all the benefits that breastfeeding brings. If you're wondering (or worrying) about your baby's sleep habits, remind yourself of these facts — then relax, enjoy that adorable child of yours and try to get some well-earned rest yourself. Make bedtime the same time each day to regulate your child’s body clock. A bedtime routine is a powerful cue leading up to sleeptime and should take place in the room in which your baby sleeps. It should be simple, comforting and predictable with calming and quiet activities, such as lullabies and simple rhyming stories, all of which will help your baby to wind down before going to sleep. Infants under 6 months old can usually sleep anywhere from three to eight hours at night, depending on age and stage. And babies between 4 and 6 months old are developmentally able to sleep through the night without a feeding, but whether they do is another story. Babies, like adults, eat for comfort and pleasure, not just nourishment. Sometimes high-need babies associate a parent’s body with play and stimulation and will not drift off to sleep in a human swing. For them, the mechanical one is less stimulating, if not downright boring, and therefore can be a useful part of a sleep-ritual repertoire. If you need guidance on ferber method then let a sleep consultant support you in unlocking your child's potential, with their gentle, empathetic approach to sleep.