Have you ever sat down to pinpoint particulars regarding Sleep Consultants just to find yourself staring aghast at your computer screen? I know that I have.
The
dreaded 4-month sleep regression is often the hardest for parents
simply because it's the first. There are several culprits behind baby
sleep problems at this age: the pain caused by teething, hunger linked
to growth spurts and the excitement of rolling over for the first time.
If you’re desperate for a longer stretch of sleep at night, you could
try ‘dream feeding’. So instead of waiting for your baby to wake you
when they’re hungry, you feed them before you go to sleep. Even if
they’re half asleep, you’ll find that they should wake enough to feed,
and then settle back to sleep. Cars and buggy’s are fine for your baby
to nap sometimes but like the swing chair/bouncer, if this is the only
place your baby will nap, your little one has probably become reliant on
the motion of the car or buggy in order to go to sleep. Perhaps the
most tricky expectation is for babies to sleep through the night
—something almost all new parents crave. Researchers say it is
biologically inappropriate: until their first birthday babies wake for
food and “socio-emotional” reasons. They are hardwired for sensory
communication - tactile, visual, auditory, olfactory—even at night. If
you don’t normally co-sleep this is often the parental equivalent of
pressing the nuclear button! Sleep experts will never advise it as your
baby may come to expect to get into your bed every time they wake up –
but don’t beat yourself up if you do it occasionally. Sometimes it’s a
case of needs must if everyone in the house is going to get some rest on
a really bad night. Always put your baby on their back for every sleep,
day and night, as the chance of SIDS is particularly high for babies
who are sometimes placed on their front or side.
Newborn
babies spend most of their time asleep. They haven't yet developed a
set sleep pattern. My mum says I was slept on my front and that was the
advice then, why has it changed? All babies need different amounts of
sleep, and one baby’s pattern of waking and sleeping is likely to be
completely different from another’s. One of the biggest concerns of many
parents is that by getting help with a baby’s sleep, it means closing
the door on them until the morning and leaving them to cry. There are
multiple approaches to
gentle sleep training and a sleep expert will help you choose one that is right for you and your family.
Create The Right Bedroom Temperature And Humidity
Keeping
your baby awake during the day will not help them sleep better at
night. If your baby is overtired it is much harder for them to get to
sleep. SIDS is more likely if parents co-sleep after drinking or taking
drugs; having an open conversation can help them to understand why they
should be very careful not to fall asleep with their baby after drinking
or taking drugs. Drink and drugs also affect normal functioning and
decision-making. My approach to naps is similar to that for sleeping at
night. Babies up to 18-24 months of age need to sleep every morning and
afternoon. For some of their naptime, they might chew on a soft book,
look at a toy, or just have quiet time, but they need to stay in their
cribs for the duration of their naps. Basically, babies need to slow
down to catch up. If bed-time still varies for your newborn, that’s
okay, just stay consistent with the routine whenever you put your baby
down. Parenting is a really personal thing, and what works for one
family might not suit another. There’s lots of advice out there, and
sleep is perhaps one of the most debated areas in all of childcare –
perhaps because sleep (or lack of it) becomes so central to your life
once you have little ones. If you're looking for a compassionate,
effective and evidence-based approach to sleep or just advice on one
thing like
sleep regression then a baby sleep specialist will be able to help you.
People
always worry their baby will become addicted to or dependent on
darkness and white noise, and then won’t be able to sleep without it.
Newsflash: adults have sleep preferences too! I don’t like to sleep on
planes, trains, or automobiles. I prefer sleeping in my bed, with my
pillow, etc. Put your baby to sleep on his back every time until he’s 1
year old. It’s not safe for a baby to sleep on his side or tummy. If
your baby can roll from his back to his side or tummy and back again,
it’s OK if he changes positions while sleeping. If your child is napping
'on the go' (for example in the car) try to ensure that this is
balanced by daytime sleep in their own bed at home so that they get good
quality daytime sleep over the course of a week. You can’t take the
sleepless nights anymore. You’re so delirious from lack of sleep you
could cry. By now, you’re starting to wonder if it’s officially time to
sleep train your baby. As young as they are, babies can develop habits
really quickly, and parents often find they have unknowingly got their
baby used to being rocked to sleep for example, and your little one
appears to never fall asleep unless they are being rocked. For
4 month sleep regression guidance it may be useful to enlist the services of a sleep consultant.
Baby Sleeping Safety Tips
Baby's
first tooth might be a momentous milestone, but it can also wake him up
at night. And teething symptoms, like crying, ear pulling and night
waking, may crop up two to three months before the actual pearly whites
appear. The average three-month-old’s bedtime is around 9:30 P.M. Yet,
as infants get older their bedtime gets earlier, dropping to 8:30 P.M.
and earlier. Researchers in Pittsburgh found that infants who went to
bed before 9 P.M. slept significantly longer overall (13 hours) than
infants who went down after 9 P.M. (11.8 hours). But if you push for a
bedtime that’s too early, your little buddy may not be tired. It doesn't
take much to turn a baby's sleep routine on its head. A cold or an ear
infection can wreak havoc on sleeping patterns, as can emotional
challenges such as Mom returning to work or getting used to a new
babysitter. You have to do what’s right for you. In the first month you
need to follow the baby’s cues for when they want to feed and sleep. The
time is called the fourth trimester and your baby will want to be close
to you all of the time and you will still be establishing your milk
supply if breastfeeding. Newborns need to feed around the clock and then
gradually start to eat the bulk of their meals during the daytime.
Still, for some babies, waking for a nighttime feeding can be a tough
habit to break. Babies as young as 4 months old can go all night without
feeding. 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.
It’s
important that you put your baby to sleep on their back, unless your
doctor has said otherwise based on medical reasons. Lying your baby down
in that position is one of the best ways of making sure they drift off
as safely as possible. Give baby a warm bath followed by a soothing
massage to relax tense muscles and busy minds. Be careful, though,
because this will stimulate some babies. It may take a few weeks for
your baby's brain to know the difference between night and day.
Unfortunately, there are no tricks to speed this up, but it helps to
keep things quiet and calm during middle-of-the-night feedings and
diaper changes. Many modern parents like to be independent of their
children at night, believing it promotes independence, and that by
coddling babies they will become clingy and unable to manage alone. A
calming bedtime ritual that follows a predictable pattern every night
gives your baby a heads-up that it's time to wind down and prepare for
sleep, which in turn helps him to nod off. A sleep expert will be with
you every step of the way, guiding you on how best to find a solution to
your sleep concerns, whether its
ferber method or one of an untold number of other things.
Babies Are Early Risers
If
your child is ill, stressed, or really hungry, it’s fine to give him
some warm milk in the middle of the night (just a few ounces—or nurse on
one breast so he doesn’t fill up so much that he has less appetite in
the morning). Try breaking the motion sleep cycle by gradually
eliminating motion at nap time. For example, try putting baby in the
buggy when they show signs of being tired but not pushing it to see if
he will fall asleep. Your infant’s brain needs to mature to allow for
longer sleep cycles. When your infant has less sleep cycles there is
less potential to wake during the night. Typically, this happens around
9-12 months. You can discover further details on the topic of Sleep
Consultants at this
NHS page.
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