All4Baby » WEEK_40

How much should your baby be sleeping?

Tue, 13 May 2014 08:41:12 +0000

When should my baby go to sleep?

Discover what time works best for your baby or toddler. Play around with the bedtime in 10 to 15 minute increments to discover his or her “window of opportunity”. That is when your child is not overly tired, but tired enough.

Remember to compensate with an earlier bedtime if it was a bad nap day.

Keep in mind that your child has a natural awake and sleep rhythm, so be consistent with your bedtime – even on weekends!

How does lack of sleep affect mood and behaviour?

Irritability
Depression
Exaggerated emotions
Increased aggressive behaviour
Behavioral problems
Hyperactivity

What about the effect of lack of sleep on my baby’s health?

Reduced physical performance of small and large motor skills
Delayed recovery from illness
Disruption in natural growth and development

How will lack of sleep affect learning?

Impaired hand-eye coordination
Memory lapses
Lack of concentration
Impaired memory
Compromised decision-making processes

Be on the lookout for the following signs

Losing focus or having poor concentration
Becoming easily agitated or frustrated
Decreasing the pace of his activities
Fussing, whining, and getting cranky
Lacking energy or losing interest in usual playtime activities
Having tantrums
Becoming hyperactive, wired, or wound up
Quieting down, talking less
Rubbing eyes or pulling at ears
Looking glazed or acting distracted
Becoming clingy, wanting to be held or carried
Complaining of a headache or stomach-ache
Yawning
Lying down on the floor or a chair, or closing the eyes for long blinks
Caressing a love (such as a blanker or stuffed animal)
Asking to nurse or asking for a pacifier or bottle

How much sleep is needed?

Age	Number of Naps	Total length of nap time hours	Night time sleep hours	Total of night time and nap time sleep
0 – 3 months	4 – 5	6 – 9	11 – 12	16 – 18
3 – 6 months	3	3 – 5	11 – 12	15
6 – 12 months	2	2 – 4.5	11 – 12	14
12 months	1 – 2	2 – 3	11.5 – 12	13.5 – 14
18 months	1 – 2 (usually 1)	2 – 3 (usually 2)	11.5 – 12	13 – 14
2years – 5 years	0 – 1	0 – 2.5	11 – 11.5	11 – 13

*Credit to No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley

Sleep tips

No TV or stimulating activities at least two hours before bedtime,
Make sure your little one falls asleep on his own, without you rocking him, sucking on a dummy or being fed to sleep.

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

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 – See more at: https://all4baby.co.za/1-2-years/toddler-issues/605/sleep-can-struggle-weekends/#sthash.jMAd0Knz.dpuf

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Is your baby a cry baby?

Wed, 30 Apr 2014 09:48:33 +0000

Most, if not all parents are cry sensitive

When I was a first time mom, I believed that babies only cried when they were close to dying. Hence the reason I was in a complete panic when I first took my baby home and he did not stop crying!

I soon learned that babies cry. Period. Studies suggest a newborn cries for an average of two to three hours each day!

All babies cry. They cry because they are wet, uncomfortable, unhappy or hungry and sometimes just because they are babies.

Crying baby equals a crying mom

If we know this, then why does our baby’s crying bothers us so much?

According to Dr. Aletha Solter in her book, Tears and Tantrums: “Children’s tears and tantrums elicit strong feelings in adults”. A survey in the US asked new mothers to describe their feelings when they were unable to quiet their crying infants.

The mothers explained feelings of exasperation, being afraid, anxiety, being unloving as well as feeling resentful and confused.

Biologically our heart rates and blood pressure increase when we hear our children cry. We have been designed to react when our children cry. It is intrinsic to the beautiful way in which we’ve been created.

Why does a baby’s crying bother us so much?

Because it is loud! Very loud! The Decibel (dB) is the unit used to measure the loudness of a sound. A baby’s cry is measured at around 110 dB.

To put this into perspective, an alarm clock is around 80dB and an ambulance siren is just slightly louder at 120dB! So when your baby cries it is like putting an alarm clock next to your ear.

Crying is a safety mechanism

The point is that babies cry. They cry loudly and they cry often. It is unnatural to “like” it when your baby cries, nobody does. However, there is such a thing as “good crying”.When your child is sad, he or she should be allowed to cry. Scientists believe that crying can be considered to be a safety mechanism because it aids the body in releasing stress-related toxins.

Furthermore, if your toddler plays with a dangerous object it is in the best interested of your child to remove that item from him. If you’ve ever dealt with a two year old, then you’d likely know that he will cry loudly when you do this. But should we then rather give him back this dangerous item because he becomes emotional about it? Of course not! You are the parent; you know how to protect your child.

The same can be said about sleep. Sometimes your child will protest because you do not allow him to drink a bottle or breastfeed five times during the night, or because you force him to go to bed at seven pm.

We are parents for a reason, and we cannot always allow our children to have what they want, even though they might cry about it.

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Sleep training: What you need to know before you start!

Wed, 30 Apr 2014 08:10:39 +0000

Most sleep deprived parents will be ready to try anything to get a good night’s sleep. Most likely you are holding onto the hope that you can change your little ones unhealthy sleep habits without resorting to letting him cry.

The good news is that sleep training does not have to mean leaving your baby to cry for hours on end on his own.

All methods of sleep training entail some fussing and crying. You are teaching your baby a new skill and breaking old expectations.

While some crying is unavoidable the ‘Crying it out’ method is not advisable, as it can make your baby feel abandoned and emotionally insecure.

The goal of sleep training is not only to teach your baby to sleep through the night but, to teach your baby to fall asleep independently and to put himself back to sleep should he wake during the night.

Because babies pass through light sleep states every 45 minutes at night (up to an hour in toddlers), it is not possible to prevent your baby stirring at night (due to sleep cycles) but it is possible for you to teach your baby to go back to sleep without your assistance.

This means that you will give him a chance to see if he can put himself to sleep (or back to sleep). By not leaving your baby on his own for long periods of time and by portraying a message of consistency and confidence your baby will feel secure not abandoned.

When controlled crying for sleep training is done in the correct manner to meet your child’s needs on all levels, especially his emotional needs, there should be no negative effects whatsoever – in fact a well-rested child with well-rested parents plays an important part of creating a loving and secure home.

Have the courage to be firm, without guilt or fear that your baby will resent or love you less.

Before you start:

Decide on an appropriate time to begin
Rule out medical causes of night waking
Ensure your baby’s diet is adequate for his age, with sufficient milk and age appropriate solid food
Your baby’s sleep zone must support sleep and be a consistent and calming environment.
Encourage a comfort object (dummy, soft toy)
A consistent bedtime routine is an excellent way of preparing your baby for sleep.
If you are both working, arrange for a days leave on either end of your weekend, to allow consistent time to change the unhealthy sleep habits.
Try to rest during the day as it essential that you are rested for the night ahead. If you are not prepared, you will be more likely to give up or be inconsistent out of sheer exhaustion.
If possible, take shifts with your partner to allow you to have some undisturbed sleep somewhere along the line to recharge!
If you have other children or demands, try to elicit help and support from other care-givers for the first few days, so that you can invest sufficient time and energy into the programme. Reassure your other children that you will make it up to them later – don’t forget to do this!
Earmark a reward for yourself at the end of it all

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