Baby Sleep

Child care

Sleepless nights filled with the sound of a baby’s cries… sounds like a nightmare, but the reality is that this is the typical scenario awaiting new parents. Luckily having babies and dealing with their needs is not something new, and through the centuries new mothers and fathers have figured out the do’s and don’ts. It is always important for new father’s to accept their role in their new baby’s life, a role that they share with the mother equally, helping out whenever possible. Raising a new born baby is not child’s play and will require hard work, commitment, perseverance and a whole lot of love for the baby and for each other.

The key to getting your newborn to go to sleep without a fuss is for you to build a solid and stable routine, which they will become accustomed to. For instance, talking to your baby, telling the baby it’s time to go to sleep, night after night, will result in the baby starting to understand that this means it’s sleep time.

Remember that the content of your routine is not as important as the consistency thereof. Whatever you choose to do for the baby to achieve an easier sleep time, you will need to make sure you repeat these steps every night in the same order, for the same time periods.

Here are a few suggestions you can try when creating a sleep time routine for you little one:

  • Close the curtains of the nursery
  • Dim the lights of the nursery
  • Give a soothing baby massage
  • Read the baby a bedtime story
  • Sing soothing to the baby
  • Gently rock or bounce the baby

As the baby grows older, this routine does not need to become more complicated, however it does need to become longer as the baby’s attention- and energy span increases.

Once you are done with the routine, you’ll want to soothe the baby to ensure a relaxing sleep. It’s important to remember that different babies respond to different soothing methods. Many/most babies tend to like some type of movement, like when they were in your womb. They may like being bounced, rocked, or walked around the room (in your arms or the stroller). This is often when you’d also feed your baby, but try to stop the feeding before your little one drifts away http://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/. Experiment with what works best for your baby as what worked for one baby may or may not work for yours. Always try to be innovative, but always remain compassionate.

Watch for drowsy, but awake. This is the most important part!

Unfortunately, for some babies this is a magic trick to find the point your baby is sleepy, still awake, and doesn’t scream his head off once you lay him down. Finding the perfect point of drowsy but awake can take some practice, so be patient with yourself if you don’t get it right the first few times you try it. Keep trying. And, if the baby is very young, honestly, it might not work. Only some babies can “self-soothe” from a very young age.

Why does my baby spit up so much?

Many new parents ask the question, “Why does my baby spit up so much…is it normal, what should I do?”. But the truth is, there is no need to be alarmed, your baby is simply getting the hang of feeding. More than half of young newborn babies spit up regularly, with this behaviour peaking at the age of 4 months, this referred to as Reflux.

Reflux simply put is, when your baby swallows air along with the breast milk or formula, that air then gets trapped in amongst the liquid. Unfortunately, that air needs to come out again and when it does, some of the liquid comes through the baby’s mouth or nose.

Babies take in a lot of nourishment in relation to their size and some of them just really enjoy the feeding process, so sometimes they become overfilled and well, overflow. Another reason why a baby will spit-up is because a newborn’s digestive system is not yet fully developed. The muscles at the bottom of your baby’s oesophagus which control whether food is coming or going may still be getting use to the feeding routines (it’s no wonder then that your little one creates such a load of laundry).

Here are some tips to help your bay keep his/her food down:

  • Hold your baby in a fairly upright position during feeding time. Feeding while the baby is slouched (curled up in your arms or sitting in a car seat, for example), does not give the formula or breast milk a straight path to the tummy.
  • Keep feedings calm, minimising the noise and other distractions that could result in your little one getting too hungry before you start feeding. If your baby is distracted or frantic he/she is more likely to swallow air along with the breast milk or formula.

As the baby grows older, this routine does not need to become more complicated, however it does need to become longer as the baby’s attention- and energy span increases.

Once you are done with the routine, you’ll want to soothe the baby to ensure a relaxing sleep. It’s important to remember that different babies respond to different soothing methods. Many/most babies tend to like some type of movement, like when they were in your womb. They may like being bounced, rocked, or walked around the room (in your arms or the stroller). This is often when you’d also feed your baby, but try to stop the feeding before your little one drifts away http://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/sleep-association/. Experiment with what works best for your baby as what worked for one baby may or may not work for yours. Always try to be innovative, but always remain compassionate.

Watch for drowsy, but awake. This is the most important part!
Unfortunately, for some babies this is a magic trick to find the point your baby is sleepy, still awake, and doesn’t scream his head off once you lay him down. Finding the perfect point of drowsy but awake can take some practice, so be patient with yourself if you don’t get it right the first few times you try it. Keep trying. And, if the baby is very young, honestly, it might not work. Only some babies can “self-soothe” from a very young age.