Hi everyone,
At our mommy and baby group yesterdy we had a talk on sleep problems. We were given a sheet with some tips so i thought I would share them with everyone.
Prevention of sleep problems:
4-6 months
Try to start a simple short pre-bedtime routine that is relaxing and calming
Make sure that during the 15 mins prior to your baby going to sleep, he does the same things in the same order every night.
if this includes looking at a book, having a drink beside the cot and saying goodnight to a few toys i every order, this routine can be done on holiday or wherever you are. Make sure the toys you use are small.
Try to work towards encouraging your baby to fall asleep independantly of you.
Avoid letting your baby fall asleep anywhere that he is not going to spend the whole night.
Avoid rocking, feeding to sleep, musical mobiles or light shows.
Try to discourage waking by making a clear difference between day and night, keep lights low, don't play, don't change nappies or move baby out of bedrom unless it is necessary.
Over 6 months
Try to avoid your baby napping during the day before 9am and after 4pm.
A baby who had previously had a good nights sleep regularly may dvelop a wakeful pattern after his routine has been broken by a holiday or illness. If this happens and you are sure your baby is well you can use the controlled crying techniques. The age that a bby will respond to this technique varies but it is usually around 6-9 months. (This last point did create a discussion...there are other techniques if you do not want to use the controlled crying, I think the baby whisperer has a good technique- pick up/putdown??)
The reason it started from 4 months was before this age babies aren't really expected to sleep through (though some do) as their bodies aren't mature enough. However you can start putting together a bedtime routine for babies under 4 months. I do a bath, pj's and grobag then boobie then bed. Seren also goes to bed awake so she will put herself to sleep, I have found this invaluable.
So I thought if anyone else has any sleep tips we could share them. Mine is putting a few frops of lavender essential oil on a tissue by the window sill. Even if this does not help baby to sleep more it makes them more relaxed and makes mum sleep too
At our mommy and baby group yesterdy we had a talk on sleep problems. We were given a sheet with some tips so i thought I would share them with everyone.
Prevention of sleep problems:
4-6 months
Try to start a simple short pre-bedtime routine that is relaxing and calming
Make sure that during the 15 mins prior to your baby going to sleep, he does the same things in the same order every night.
if this includes looking at a book, having a drink beside the cot and saying goodnight to a few toys i every order, this routine can be done on holiday or wherever you are. Make sure the toys you use are small.
Try to work towards encouraging your baby to fall asleep independantly of you.
Avoid letting your baby fall asleep anywhere that he is not going to spend the whole night.
Avoid rocking, feeding to sleep, musical mobiles or light shows.
Try to discourage waking by making a clear difference between day and night, keep lights low, don't play, don't change nappies or move baby out of bedrom unless it is necessary.
Over 6 months
Try to avoid your baby napping during the day before 9am and after 4pm.
A baby who had previously had a good nights sleep regularly may dvelop a wakeful pattern after his routine has been broken by a holiday or illness. If this happens and you are sure your baby is well you can use the controlled crying techniques. The age that a bby will respond to this technique varies but it is usually around 6-9 months. (This last point did create a discussion...there are other techniques if you do not want to use the controlled crying, I think the baby whisperer has a good technique- pick up/putdown??)
The reason it started from 4 months was before this age babies aren't really expected to sleep through (though some do) as their bodies aren't mature enough. However you can start putting together a bedtime routine for babies under 4 months. I do a bath, pj's and grobag then boobie then bed. Seren also goes to bed awake so she will put herself to sleep, I have found this invaluable.
So I thought if anyone else has any sleep tips we could share them. Mine is putting a few frops of lavender essential oil on a tissue by the window sill. Even if this does not help baby to sleep more it makes them more relaxed and makes mum sleep too
