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…)
If you’re anything like me, bedtime doesn’t always go smoothly. Some days all is great and those last few minutes with the little ones snuggled up in bed listening to you finish the bedtime story are just perfect.
But there are many nights when the baby won’t go to sleep or your toddler asks for a drink for the 5th time, you’re frazzled from a long day and you just want the kids to GO TO SLEEP! On evenings like this, I can say for certain that I’m not exactly “emotionally available”.
Yet new infant sleep research suggests that parents who are “emotionally available” to their babies and toddlers at bedtime help their children to sleep better at night. Researchers videotaped mothers in 39 families as they put their babies to bed, and also had them fill out questionnaires and sleep diaries. Dads were recruited to participate in the research but not enough of them interacted with their little ones long enough and so the study focused on mothers. (more…)
I’m not a big believer in strict routines to help a baby nap well in the day and at night. Babies and children do need us to help structure their sleep by setting bed times and making sure they get good quality naps in the day. But I haven’t found one, perfect routine that works for all babies. Every baby is different. Getting sleep right for our little ones comes down to paying close attention to what they’re doing, what they need, and then guiding them into the ideal routine.
But recently, lots of you have been asking me to outline some sleep routines from birth to pre-school age. I understand why it makes life easier and less confusing if there is a rough guide to follow. So I’m going to tell you what I do and what works for me. (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…)
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…)
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…)
Using behavioural techniques including ‘controlled crying’ to help infants to sleep does not lead to later emotional and behavioural problems, according to new research by the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.
The world-first study followed up 225 six-year-old children who had received behavioural sleep intervention as babies to assess their health including emotional wellbeing, behaviour and child-parent relationship. (more…)
If you’re finding it hard to teach your baby to sleep in her cot or crib, this video won’t help. But it will make you smile! For a little more help with your baby’s sleep, visit our community area.
