About Baby Care

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Parents should know that sleep for a baby is too important, so organize a good sleeping for your baby. As a new parent it’s probably one of your biggest tasks and you have to control the time your toddler sleeps to avoid future problems. If you want to control your baby sleeping first of all you should understand how much he needs to sleep and what are the main steps to make him sleep if he still wants to play with his favorite toys.

At three months most babies sleep a total of 15 hours a day and by the age of four months or so they start developing a more regular sleep pattern. You have to remember that every baby is unique and original, so each of them needs an individual developmental schedule. Try to organize training to know how your baby reacts to sleep and if he doesn’t seem ready, try again after some time.

The most important part of sleeping is night — from 8 to 12 hours. This will be useful not only for your baby’s growth but also for you to feel lively in the morning and rested enough to play with him.

Remember that 4 to 6 months babies can wake up at nights for feedings. But from 6 months, if not before, your baby’s likely to be ready for night weaning.

If you are lucky enough and your baby sleeps all night, enjoy it. But if he doesn’t, do your best not to get nervous, as every waking up has its reasons. Babies sometimes just need you to be around — to laugh with them or talk to them. Other than that, they may just need to master their new skills, like sitting up. So be most patient and kind; he will surely appreciate your behavior.

Try to establish a set bedtime and regular nap times and stick to them. Babies in general show some signs of sleeping, like eye-rubbing or ear-pulling. As they become older they will not sleep as much as before. So you have to establish regular bedtime to regulate his sleep patterns. Choose a comfortable time for your family and try to make him sleep exactly at that time of the day and follow this every day to teach him that every day he must sleep at a certain hour.

Encourage your child to sleep independently. You can even lie in his bed and let him think you follow are also sleeping, he will be very happy to sleep in his mommy’s embraces. And never forget to give a warm kiss before sleeping.

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Babies are all individuals and all have individual needs as far as their sleeping requirements are concerned. However, all babies need lots of sleep and if they are not napping during the day, this would generally indicate there is a problem somewhere else.

It might be that your baby is overtired. If she is not sleeping well at night, this could affect daytime sleeps. Ask yourself these questions:

• Is she overtired because she is very hungry at night and wakes often to feed? If so, perhaps you could try to increase the feed prior to bedtime. If she is still under three months old, it will be difficult to dictate the terms of feeding, as she is too young still and her stomach is very small. Try to wait till you get past three months before you worry about routines and sleeping. Once she hits the six month mark, she will physically need less milk and therefore it is easier to reduce night feeds.

• Is she overtired because she is waking up too early? Maybe the room she is sleeping in is too light or the temperature is not adequate. Try using blackout blinds to keep the morning at bay and ensure that your baby has appropriate covers to keep her warm or cool enough. Also, she may be the sort of baby that intensely dislikes having a dirty nappy. Maybe try changing her during the night or using more absorbent nappies. Some parents also swear by ‘white noise’ machines that you can purchase, which claim to aid babies toward more restful sleep.

Another problem could be that your baby is overstimulated. Is there too much going on in your baby’s immediate environment, prior to her nap time?

• Lots of visitors, noisy TV or radio shows or anything exciting and interesting to your baby to watch will inhibit her ability to fall asleep.
• Ensure she has a quiet wind down period before she is put down for a nap. Just like at bedtime, establishing a bit of a routine is helpful for giving your baby sleep cues.
• Also, make sure she has a quiet, comfortable place to sleep.

You may be trying to dictate a routine to your baby that is not fitting in with your baby’s natural sleep rhythms and confusing his sleep cycle. Do not try to impose strict nap times on a young baby. It is best that you respond to the signals that your baby gives you to tell you that she is tired and allow her to sleep. If you are still unable to fathom why your baby won’t nap, you should consult your health visitor.

Some babies sleep for longer than others at the same age, while some are more wakeful and don’t seem able to sleep for such long chunks of time. There is no right or wrong way for your baby to sleep. They are all different, physically and temperamentally, and it often seems the luck of the draw that you are one of those parents who spends most of the night hours awake and pacing the corridors of your house with a discontented and wide awake baby.

One of the things you can do to help yourself, in the mission to acquire more sleep, is to establish a good bedtime routine from early on. Babies learn quickly from cues that they are given and, if you bathe and feed your infant at a similar time every evening, you will be improving your chances of establishing that all important difference between night and day for the amateur human in your family.

Young babies will become very tired after being awake for a length of about two hours and for this reason, you should ensure you look out for the signals that your baby is tired during the day. Yawning, grumbling and rubbing their eyes are usually good indicators.It is important that she is allowed to nap and preventing her from doing so will not make your life any easier at this stage, she does need lots of sleep as she develops. Do not over-stimulate your baby, especially if she seems tired, as this may hinder her getting to sleep when she should. If she is tired, she may need some assistance to get to sleep. Placing her in a moses basket or cot (on her back) in a quiet room after being changed, fed and winded is good practice and helps to encourage positive sleeping habits. Eventually, your baby will start to fall into more adult sleep patterns.

Hot tip: Ensure that your baby does not have her last nap before bedtime too late in the day as this can hinder her settling at an appropriate time. If she is awake by three or four pm, it will be easier to put her to bed at seven pm.