The post Breastfeeding tips to help you through the early days appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>If breastfeeding doesn’t come naturally to you, and you are starting to feel rather desperate, remember that it takes up to six weeks to establish a feeding routine and corresponding milk supply.
Have realistic expectations around breastfeeding and realise that you will have both good and bad days. Sometimes the bad days seem to be worse than the good days, but follow these simple tips and hopefully breast feeding will work for you.
However, if your struggle with breastfeeding starts to affect your mood and bonding with your baby or relationship with your partner, stress you out or cause depression, it may be time to reconsider your options.
If you have made the decision to start feeding your baby formula, or have been forced to do so because of medication you are taking or a return to work, rest assured that with today’s wide choice of milk formulas… you can ensure that your baby will be well fed.
Infant formulas today are highly advanced and are available as hypo-allergenic, lactose-free, cow’s milk protein-free, anti-reflux, soya bean protein feeds and pre-acidified – among others! Ask your paediatrician or clinic sister to help you choose.
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]]>The post Thumb versus Pacifier: which is better for sleep? appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>If you want a great sleeper, then don’t choose a pacifier over the thumb. You are simply setting yourself up for failure.
The second the pacifier falls out of the baby’s mouth, they need someone to put it back in again.
By the time they are mentally and physically able to do it, (without calling for mom or dad in the middle of the night), they are three or four years old. That’s a lot of sleepless nights (1370 in total from three months to age four) which could lead to a lot more serious health and behavioral issues for your child.
Even if they can put it back in their mouths, you are still giving your child fragmented sleep. They will end up having a full arousal, put the soother back in their mouth and then go back to sleep. This is similar to you waking up to use the bathroom or looking at the alarm clock, noting the time and then going back to sleep. You remember these wakeful periods. Studies have shown that fragmented sleep is not as beneficial as consolidated sleep. When we get fragmented sleep, our bodies do not go into the deeper stages of sleep, and therefore we do not wake up feeling as refreshed the next morning. The same is true for babies and toddlers.
For babies, sucking on thumbs and fingers is a natural and intuitive process. We have all seen the pictures of babies who suck their thumbs while still in the womb. So, if your newborn or infant gravitates to a thumb or finger as a self soothing strategy – embrace it!
Celebrate that they have the ability to self soothe and will be better sleepers as a result.
When we sleep, we have partial arousals throughout the night. We come gently to the surface, scan our environment and then go back to sleep. These are the times that we adjust our pillows, roll over, pull up the blankets or snuggle up to our partner. In the morning, we do not remember them and therefore we wake up feeling more refreshed as we were able to get into the deeper stages of sleep. This is considered consolidated sleep. The same is true for babies and young children.
Just because you don’t use a pacifier, does not mean that your child will automatically choose a finger or thumb. Many babies and young children find other self soothing strategies such as cuddling with a small stuffed animal or a blanket.
If they do gravitate to fingers or thumbs, then early intervention is best. Some parents have reported that their babies spontaneously stopped sucking on their thumbs or fingers on or around their first birthday. If that does not happen, then you will want to engage in behaviour management techniques around two years old to stop any finger and thumb sucking while awake and then again around three to four years old for the sleep association.
About the Author: For more on baby sleep, visit Good Night on www.goodnightbaby.co.za
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]]>The post Follow these five baby sleep tips! appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>Believe it or not, it is the awake time not the sleep time that drives healthy sleep patterns. An over tired, over stimulated baby will struggle to fall asleep without extensive assistance such being rocked or fed to sleep. A baby who is calm and sleepy will fall asleep with ease, and with little intervention.
A lot of the time, an over stimulated baby will show signs of tiredness and sensory overload. These signals, such as irritability, pulling up of their legs, fisting of their hands, yawning, sneezing and hiccupping are often incorrectly attributed to winds and cramps. The caregiver then spends much time “fiddling’ with the baby, trying to break wind, checking for a dirty nappy and so on – all of which continue to over stimulate baby, resulting in ongoing fussy behaviour.
Having a consistent and calming sleep zone will ensure that your baby is able to fall asleep without resistance. This is especially so for older babies, who need a consistent and un-stimulatory sleep space in order to regulate themselves sufficiently to become calm so that sleep can follow.
Children, especially toddlers, thrive on routine. A flexible routine is important to ensure a healthy balance between sufficient play and stimulation time and quiet and calm time. Day time naps are still important until well into the toddler years.
Children should, ideally, be in bed and asleep by 7pm every night. Depending on your baby’s afternoon sleep pattern, bedtime could be as early as 6pm. Delayed bedtimes cause over tiredness, cranky behaviour and high levels of stress. Don’t be tempted to keep your baby awake just because dad is coming home late from work!
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