The post Top tips for your baby’s bedtime routine appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>In addition to keeping it simple and predictable, here are some top tips to creating a bedtime routine for your little one.
Remember that children (until they reach a stage of puberty) need to sleep for a solid 11 or 12 hours at night. Therefore, an early bedtime for the whole family is a good idea.
In addition to a well rested child, you and your partner will still have a few hours left in the evening to enjoy quality time with each other.
About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za
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]]>The post Dad’s play a role in your baby’s sleep routine, too appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>When and if a dad is supportive of a mom’s parenting skills and choices it is much easier to make positive changes.
It is important when teaching children how to sleep on their own, for dads to also help out with the bedtime routine and bath. I always encourage my client’s to take turns as it really helps your little one understand that it does not matter who does the bedtime routine, the same rules apply.
Children need both their parents.
If dad works long hours and comes home late, it is normal for children to resist bedtime; they miss their dad! Dads can do their best to arrive home a little earlier, and if needs be they can catch up on work once the children are tucked into bed.
If all else fails, and dads really struggle to spend time with the kids during the week, special quality time can be carved out for the children and their daddy over the weekend.
If divorced or separated, my suggestion is to involve the other spouse in deciding on the way in which you want to handle bedtime. As sleep is very often a discipline (especially when it comes to toddlers) it really helps if both parents follow the same “rules” at their houses.
Dads have such a calm demeanor. Sometimes in situations where moms get all flustered and stressed, dads have a knack to just pick up and calm the baby. Moms must remember to use daddies for their super skills! Always give dads a chance to parent!
And lastly, dads, if you get home just in time for bedtime, this is not the time to start the “rough and tumble” games that overstimulate your children. For calm nights, please try to resist the rough-housing urges.
About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za
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]]>The post 5 interesting facts about your baby appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>It is vital for a newborn baby to be breastfed as much as possible in the first three days, as new studies have proven that this will ensure a constant milk production in the future.
It is suggested that parents leave the pacifier or dummy in the drawer for the first few days and try to enjoy the bond with their newborn.
One of the world’s leading pediatric chiropractors shared amazing testimonies of what chiropractic treatments can achieve for families with newborns.
It has been proven that sufficient amounts of zinc can actually improve and change taste buds. A leading cause for children being picky eaters is insufficient amounts of zinc.
An informative session from an Autism specialist explained the importance of parents being aware of the signs of autism. The earlier it is detected, the better it can be treated with behaviour therapy. Autism does also not need to be the reason for poor sleep in any child.
Boys’ and girls’ brains develop completely differently. In simple terms, girls’ brains develop front-to-back, and boys’ from back-to-front. When the structure of the brain is analysed, it becomes apparent why boys often need a little more help to be taught how to sleep well.
About the Author:Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za
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]]>The post Baby sleep myths busted! appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>This is definitely a myth. Keeping your baby up longer at night or between naps will result in an overtired child. An overtired child will be fussy, cranky, have trouble feeding and take much longer to settle into sleep.
They will also be more likely to wake during the night and earlier in the mornings, and will only have very short naps the following day.
It is possible, but only if you have set the foundations for healthy sleep skills early and your child is developing good self-soothing strategies.
In this instance, you can usually expect babies to start sleeping through the night between three and six months of age (providing they are healthy and developing well).
However children that still rely on “props” to fall asleep, such as feeding/rocking/patting, etc. will more than likely continue to wake through the night. This is because they have never learned the ability to put themselves to sleep so they are unable to consolidate sleep cycles through the night.
They will often rouse after a sleep cycle and instead of using their own skills to return quickly to sleep they will cry out for their “prop” before they are able to go back to sleep.
It is very difficult to always put your baby in their cot/bassinet while awake and allow them to use their own skills to fall asleep when they are newborns, as they need to sleep often.
Parents will sometimes be out and about and need to put their baby to sleep in the pram, car seat or carrier. However it is important to be respectful of your child’s sleep needs and whenever possible give them the opportunity to attempt to fall asleep in their cot or bassinet. This is the place where they are going to get the best quality sleep.
Remember how challenging and disturbed your own sleep is if you have to sleep in the car, or even when staying in a hotel room as opposed to your own bed at home. If you always let your baby fall asleep in your arms they are never going to develop their own self-soothing skills.
Just remember that as your child grows, they get heavier and while you may find it easy to rock a newborn to sleep in your arms, it will not be as easy to do this with your one, two or even three year old.
It is never enjoyable to have to wake a sleeping baby, and the only reason I would suggest doing this would be to preserve a bedtime. As children get older their sleep needs change and sometimes too much daytime sleep (for an older baby or child) can have a negative effect on bedtime and sleeping through the night. However, the opposite is also true and over tiredness will also negatively impact night time sleep so it’s best to err on the side of more sleep as opposed to less.
Most children will usually drop their daytime nap around three or four years of age (providing they are getting their 11-12hrs of night time sleep). However, it is possible that children as young as two and a half years of age to drop their daytime naps. Before this age, a daytime nap or naps are very important to prevent over tiredness and recharge their little bodies for the remainder of the day.
This is a myth. For very young babies, the length of time for which they are able to sleep is largely determined by how quickly their little bellies empty after a feed. However, as your baby reaches the three to six month age, it is healthy sleep habits and good self-soothing skills (that can be introduced gently from birth) that will help your baby sleep for longer periods. It is always very important to ensure your baby is well fed and developing properly, but the addition of good nutrition throughout the entire day is more important than adding infant cereal to their bedtime bottle.
About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za
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]]>The post Can melatonin help your newborn sleep? appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>We have all heard it all before. In fact, any exhausted parent has probably tried most of these aids to try and get their baby to sleep.
While some studies show that Melatonin can be helpful with autistic children or children with ADHD, most babies and children do not need Melatonin; they need to be taught good, independent sleep skills (which, unfortunately does not have a magic formula. It takes hard work).
Here is the scary part; because Melatonin is contained naturally in some foods, the US Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 allows it to be sold as a dietary supplement which does not need to be approved by the Food and Drug administration.
This means that although Melatonin could possibly affect growth, sexual development and puberty as well as cause side effects like headaches, drowsiness and stomach aches it is not tested because it is seen as a “natural” “homeopathic” type medicine.
What is really alarming these days, is the number of clients we work with that are giving their children sedative medication or a Melatonin supplement.
Do we really want to give our newborns, babies and children a supplement, of which side effects cannot be proven? No, Melatonin is definitely not a long term solution for your child’s sleep problems.
About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za
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]]>The post How to stick to your newborn’s routine when you go out! appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>When clients ask me: “What do we do when we want to go out during our baby’s sleep time?” I ask them: “Did you not know your life ends when you have children?” Of course, this is a joke! But, as with all things “baby”, I believe it is very important to have a good balance.
We continuously ask ourselves whether our children must simply adapt to our lifestyles, or whether we should completely adjust our schedules to fit in with our children’s routines.
I am a firm believer that you should adapt to your baby as much as they should adapt to you.
It is important (and equally challenging) to find the balance between this give-and-take relationship. An example of this balanced relationship would be to concede that it is NOT ideal for a baby to be exposed to the noise, germs and stimulation of a shopping mall in the first two weeks of life.
However, is it equally ill-fitting for an extroverted mother who might be struggling with baby blues to be locked up in her house 24/7 in the first two weeks of her baby’s life. So, where do you find balance?
I encourage clients to attempt to keep their diaries open for the first two weeks of implementing the program and making changes to their children’s sleep routines.
Ideally you want your child in the same sleep space and you want them to be able to sleep without interruption. However, here after, please do “have a life”.
But expect that you must also respect your child’s naptime and sleep time, or bear the consequences thereof.
The wonderful thing about getting your child in a healthy sleep routine, is that outings will be easier, as their circadian rhythms (their awake sleep cycles) will be in place and they will fall asleep much more easily in unfamiliar surroundings.
About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za
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]]>The post Is your toddler not sleeping? Try these tips tonight! appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>Okay, this might seem obvious, but I’m going to make sure I say it loud and clear anyways…
Don’t make your child angry at bedtime!
Seems like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many clients I’ve worked with who insist on including baths in a bedtime routine — even though their child HATES taking a bath.
When I ask them why they’re forcing their child to do something that he or she hates right before bedtime, they usually say, “Because that’s what I was told to do.” Their mom or sister or friend told them that ALL children need a bath before bedtime, so they just started doing it. But trying to get your child to do something she hates right before bedtime is a flat-out bad idea.
Tempers flare, tears are shed and your child gets so emotionally wound up that it takes much longer for her to calm down and get back into her happy place.
So make sure your bedtime routine includes only activities that are enjoyable for your child.
Specifically, somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes, from start to finish.
Why? Well, you want it to be long enough to get your child calmed down, relaxed, and ready for sleep.
Plus, bedtime is a wonderful way to spend time bonding with your child. For many parents, it’s the best “quality time” you’ll spend with your child all day.
However, if you let your bedtime routine drag on for too long, you risk letting your child get overtired, which makes falling asleep much more difficult!
Tip Three: No sugar or TV right before bed
Yes, I know this one sounds “preachy,” but if you’re giving your child sweets (or juice) right before bed, it’s going to be harder for him to fall asleep. Same thing goes for letting a child watch TV right before bed.
The juice or sweets will give him a “sugar rush” of jittery energy, which is the last thing we want before bedtime. And, watching TV or playing on the computer can (for lots of children) overstimulate them.
Is letting your child doze off BEFORE you put them into bed. Now, I know it’s tempting for many parents to let their child fall asleep while rocking, bouncing, or feeding. After all, for many toddlers, this is the way they’ve ALWAYS gotten to sleep. Unfortunately, it’s also the reason why they tend to wake frequently in the night.
About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za
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]]>The post Nutrition and sleep: What’s the connection? appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>In hindsight, I am embarrassed to admit, that I was shoving (and I mean, forcefully SHOVING) rice cereal down my 3 month old’s throat because I was convinced that he was hungry. This was supported by the sage advice of the older generation, who insisted that once I started feeding him solids, he’d magically start sleeping through.
I also tried (with little success) “topping up” my baby’s breastmilk with formula because—as the nurse was telling me—he continued to wake at night because he is NOT receiving sufficient nutrition from me. I was also informed by loving friends and strangers alike that I should change the formula that I’d selected for the young one, because my baby might in fact be lactose intolerant, therefore the current formula was causing him discomfort as it was being processed by the digestive system.
Does any of this sound familiar? With the popularity of this type of ill-advice, it is very easy to fall into the “over-nutrition” trap. Moms, just because you are breastfeeding does not mean your child is not able to sleep through.
What If I told you that only 5% of the cases we deal with, is rooted in nutritional challenges!?
It is far more likely that that your baby has not yet developed the skill of soothing him or herself, and therefore nutrition is not the problem.
The fundamental rule to remember is that your baby’s sleep is regulated by his orher brain and not by the stomach.
Nevertheless, a hungry baby will not sleep well either; so here is a checklist to use to rule out whether nutrition is the problem:
About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za
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]]>The post Attachment Parenting: What it means in theory and practice appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>The web defines attachment parenting as an approach to raising infants that aims to promote a close relationship between the baby and its parents by methods such as feeding on demand and letting the baby sleep with its parents.
Attachment parenting is based on the attachment theory which basically focuses on making a child feel safe, secure and protected.
Attachment is where the child uses the primary caregiver as a secure base from which to explore and, when necessary, as a haven of safety and a source of comfort.
It is an approach to bring up your child that promotes a secure attachment bond between parents and their children. It is not a list of rules, but more a philosophy.
Many people mistake attachment with bonding (which is the skin-to-skin contact during early critical period).
Attachment parenting focuses on the nurturing connection that parents can develop with their children. That nurturing connection is viewed as the ideal way to raise secure, independent, and empathetic children. They also say that even though there are ‘methods’ to apply, how it’s applied is ultimately open to interpretation.
People therefore define it as more of a mindset than a method.
Attachment parenting.org describes the following eight principles of attachment parenting:
Advocates:
Non-Supporters:
Whether you will label yourself as an attachment parent or not, we do believe that “extremism” in which ever way is not good when it comes to our children. Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty or bad about how you raise your children. You are the best parent for your child and should do what you feel comfortable with.
About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za
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]]>The post Sleep and your teething baby appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>I hear it so often: “My baby cannot sleep through the night because he is teething really badly!”
Maybe I was just lucky that my son took teething in his stride; the sore gums, the drooling, the runny nose, the horrible nappies – all the usual “teething symptoms” was something I just read in books. But then, I also have to be honest – he was sleeping brilliantly.
You see, the good news is – your child is getting teeth! Fantastic, he won’t be the only baby that looks like a toothless little shark.
The bad news is, it might come with some sleeping problems.
The ugliness of it all may be that you will use your teething baby as an excuse for everything that has ever gone wrong in your life.
Now the question remains whether your little teething bundle of saliva can actually sleep, sleep train, be trained for sleep and sleep better, whilst teething.
The answer is a loud, very definite: YES.
If you are going to wait for your baby to stop teething before you actually train or teach him or her to sleep, you are going to wait more than two and a half years. Since sleep is a skill we need to teach our children, the faster we give them the gift of a good night’s sleep the better.
If you want your baby sleep through the night, take restful naps, be healthy, happy and still have teeth, you can help your baby or toddler by teaching him or her how to sleep unaided.
Think about it, if your little one can put himself to sleep without your help, he won’t wake you up during the night the five times he wakes at night because of sore gums.
In my experience, I have found that babies and tots who have learned the skill of sleeping, handle teething and illness much better.
Lastly, a good way to test whether your child is restless because of teething, is to think about whether he is showing other signs of teething, and whether it is also bothering him during the day.
It is important to remember that if your child is truly teething, it won’t just bother him at night!
About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za
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