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 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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