Bringing your newborn baby home for the first time is both exciting and daunting. For first time parents, leaving the maternity ward and its reassuring team of experts to arrive home with a new baby can feel overwhelming. In addition to the many concerns you may have, during the summer months there is the additional worry that your baby may overheat.
Babies can’t regulate their temperatures during the first month and so it’s essential we don’t put them in a position where they can become too hot. As a general rule of thumb, you should dress your baby in one layer more than you. If you want to check her temperature, you can do so by feeling the back of her neck with the back of your hand. If she feels hot, remove a layer of clothes or bedding. (more…)
A new study by researchers at SRI International in California has found that children who go to bed around the same time every night and sleep at least eleven hours get better results. Getting less than this was linked to lower abilities in language, reading and early math skills.
Many studies before this relating to baby and child sleep have published similar findings. In February, a study by academics in Finland suggested a good night’s sleep could reduce bad behaviour and hyperactivity in children.
Previous studies have found that babies learn and grow better when they nap and sleep well at night. Poor sleep habits in babies and children have been linked to obesity, hyperactivity, poor behaviour, slow growth and learning difficulties.
Despite the frequent studies telling us of the negative results our babies and children are suffering as a result of poor sleep habits, we still find it hard to teach them how to sleep through the night. (more…)
I can’t remember who told me you should never wake a sleeping baby. It might have been my mum, or maybe it’s something I heard a lot of people saying as I was growing up. And it does seem crazy to wake a sleeping child.
And yet, there are times when you should.
Take, for example, a newborn who has day and night mixed up. Your little mite is having beautiful long stretches of sleep in the day and then feeding all night. You need your baby to get most of his calories in the day so he gradually needs less feeds at night. Waking him every so often for a feed, change and cuddle throughout the day, is the beginning of teaching him the difference between day and night. (more…)
The truth is that it’s rare any product will magically transform your hourly waking baby or toddler into a “sleeps through the night” dream child. Things are normally much more complicated than this.
But there are some products which really do help. Here are the basics: (more…)
This method of baby sleep training basically refers to returning and checking on your baby until she learns how to soothe herself to sleep without your help. Before starting any sleep training, you should first be sure that your baby is getting enough day time sleep, is over six months of age and is feeding well in the day. Never sleep train a baby who isn’t well.
After following a familiar and relaxing bedtime routine, put your baby in her cot while she is still awake and give her a few minutes to see if she might settle. If not, then go into her and calmly remind her it’s time to sleep. When sleep training, it’s really important that you don’t become visibly upset as your baby will pick up on it. Stay as calm as possible and remember that the end goal – a baby who sleeps through the night – will make this worth it! (more…)
I often hear people say there is no difference between these two baby sleep training techniques because they both allow a baby to cry. As with all things “parenting”, there are different views and we all must choose our own way (and try not to be too judgemental when people do something that we wouldn’t do!). In my opinion there is a significant difference between allowing a baby to “cry it out” and “controlled crying”. (more…)
There is no one answer to the age old question of how to get baby to sleep through the night. If there was, there wouldn’t be so many books, products and child sleep experts available to help! I wouldn’t be writing this blog post, and there wouldn’t be millions of exhausted parents frantically searching for a solution. However, here are 6 key steps you can follow which will encourage your baby to sleep through the night.
Keep in mind that under 6 months your baby may need feeding in the night and that you are teaching your baby how to sleep. This can take a while but by putting the right elements in place as soon as possible, it will make things easier for you all in the long run. (more…)
The clocks go forward on Sunday 28th March, but our babies will, of course, have no idea. If you have a baby who has a regular sleep routine and you’re worried the clocks going forward might affect this, here’s how you can keep your baby’s sleep on track. (more…)
If your baby is waking throughout the night and all you need to do is pop the dummy in her mouth to help her fall back to sleep, then your baby is probably waking for the dummy and you may have a negative sleep association on your hands.
Your baby has learned to use the dummy to self soothe and fall asleep. All babies wake a few times in the night. Those who can self soothe will normally go straight back to sleep. Those who can’t will call for someone to help them.
If your baby is able to use the dummy independently, pops it back in her mouth when she wakes, and goes straight back to sleep, then I would say the dummy is a positive sleep association. It’s something that helps your baby sleep through the night without your involvement and provides her with comfort. (more…)
People often say to me that they have chosen not to use blackout blinds in the nursery because they don’t want their baby to get so used to only sleeping in the dark, that they can’t then sleep when out and about or on holiday and so on.
I completely understand this and if you have a baby who naps well, sleeps through the night and doesn’t wake at 5am, then please don’t bother investing in blackout blinds or anything else to help your baby sleep!
However, if your baby naps poorly or is an early riser, then blackout blinds can make a significant difference to your baby’s sleeping habits very quickly. (more…)
