Baby Sleep
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| baby sleep |
I have a problem about my son (Leo 6 months old)don’t sleep in a night time as well. When I take leo to bed he start to cry long time and after leo sleep but him wake up in night time about 4 to 5 time. Lucky I see information about baby sleep on internet and I try to do with leo some tips it work but some tips don’t work with leo. I think the trouble is my baby has he own sleep pattern and this can vary from day to day and night to night. Now I think leo sleep better more before leo wake up for milk in a night 3 time (now leo 8months old) in a day time leo have 3 meal as well plus 6 bottle. Leo he is a hungry boy.
When it comes to getting your baby off to sleep there are no hard and fast rules. You may find your baby slips naturally into good sleep habits. Or she may refuse to sleep, even when she's several months old. Some babies are happy to soothe themselves to sleep, while others want breastfeeding or a few lullabies to help them to drift off. That's fine as long as you're happy...
It's not just babies that vary. Parents do, too. Some can't face being sleep deprived, and need to get their baby into a routine quickly. Others are happy to have their baby in their bed until she is ready for her cot. Whether you want your baby co-sleeping, or whether you are prepared to let her cry it out, we have plenty of strategies. And once she's nodded off, it doesn't end there. Is she sleeping safely? Is she having sweet dreams? Is she warm enough? We have the answers to reassure you. And help you get much-needed sleep too.
By about six to eight months, your baby can probably manage without a night feed and may sleep six to eight hours unbroken without waking.
Your baby gradually learns how to fall asleep and how to get back to sleep when she wakes during the night.
If you want her to learn to settle herself, try to put her down before she nods off.
Tips for difficult settlers
•Decide on a bedtime routine, such as feeding, bathing and settling
•Give your baby a few minutes to settle - don't go back in immediately, but never leave a young baby crying for very long
•Keep things a little quieter at night and make sure you have some 'wind down' time, so your baby isn't suddenly expected to switch from lively play to sleep
•Some babies are happier if they can hear household noises and know you're nearby
•Think about family stresses - if you're worried, or if the family is going through a difficult time, your child may sense this and find it harder to settle
Many parents choose to stay with their child as they fall asleep, perhaps sitting by the cot, maybe even touching their hand or hair. Once she settles with you nearby, the idea is to gradually, over a week, move further away from the cot for the settling to sleep time.
Towards the end of the week, you're sitting by the door and, finally, you need no longer stay in the room.
If your baby wakes or is upset, go to her and simply say "night, night", or your favourite goodnight saying, stroke her hair or back, then go back to your place in the room.
When you're trying to settle your baby, always stay in the bedroom area. Don't bring her into the busy areas of the house and definitely not into a room where the TV and activity will wake her further.
The importance of sleep
Sleep is important to everybody.
When we sleep, we rest and gain energy for a new day. But sleep does more than that. When we dream, we process all the events of our daily life. Sleep is important in laying down long-term memories.
After a night without enough sleep, one feels exhausted and irritable. But after a good night's sleep, one feels rested, refreshed and full of energy.
No wonder that it's so important to parents that their child sleeps through the night. It influences the entire family's life and wellbeing.
How much sleep does my child need?
Sleep is important for the child's wellbeing.
At night, the body produces more of the hormone that stimulates growth. So, sleep is important for your child's development as well.
Newborn babies sleep up to 16 hours per day. At first, they wake up every two or three hours to feed.
From four months old, babies often start to sleep for longer periods of time.
From six months old and up to one year, they often sleep five to six hours continuously.
Children between one year and five years old sleep up to 12 hours each day.
A pre-school child may still need to sleep 10 to 12 hours each day.
A schoolchild sleeps about 10 hours each day.
It's important to remember that each child's sleeping pattern is different. If a child is one year old and sleeps 10 hours each day, it's perfectly OK, as long as the child is happy and healthy.
Before parents start to worry about the amount of time their child sleeps, it's a good idea to look at the sleeping patterns of other family members. There may be a connection.
My child wakes up every two hours – what do I do?
If you have a newborn baby, this is to be expected.
A newborn baby often needs to eat every two or three hours. Normally, your baby's sleeping periods increase little by little.
At the age of five months, there's no need to maintain nightly meals – even though many babies would like to.
If you want to teach an older baby to sleep all night, teach them that nothing exciting happens during the night.
If the child wakes up in the night:
do not turn the lights on
try not to talk to the child or play with them.
If your child needs to be changed, do so with as little fuss as possible.
Teach the child that they don't have to eat or drink to fall asleep and that they shouldn't eat at night. This may sound a little harsh, but it's the first step towards teaching the child that at night, people sleep.
Parents should only do this of course, if they feel it's necessary and that it's the right thing to do for their child. If you're concerned, talk to other parents, your health visitor or GP.
Do not get into bad habits at this age – or you'll pay for it when the child is still not sleeping through the night and is able to get out of their cot or bed.
My baby cries persistently – should I let my baby cry itself to sleep?
As a parent, you will learn what different cries mean.
Often babies will settle themselves and should be given time to do so. If they don't, go in and reassure them that you're there – without providing any more stimulation.
In the older child who wakes, when they usually sleep through the night, something has obviously upset their routine and you can go in and reassure them. Again, try not to do more than the minimum, so they turn over and go back to sleep.
A child who cries persistently may need their carer's attention. As soon as you enter the room your child feels safer. You may stroke their head and back, or tuck your baby up in the bedclothes. Make the baby feel you are there and they can safely go back to sleep.
A persistently crying child needs to be reassured that they are not alone in the world. This doesn't mean that you have to feed or entertain your child.
If your child cries unexpectedly, you should always make sure that he or she isn't sick or running a fever. But this is rarely the case, and usually you'll have noticed that they weren't their normal selves during the day.
How do I get a baby to sleep through the night?
Firstly, the parents have to decide whether they are ready for this next step.
If a child is between four and six months old, it will probably only take three or four nights to teach them to sleep through the night.
If the child is older than six months, it may take one or two weeks.
Prepare yourself
Being prepared for the task makes you less likely to give up after one night. You should also discuss this with your partner, so you both agree on your plan of action in order to support each other.
Decide how you are going to divide the night between you. Go to bed when you have put the child to bed in order to be rested, when the hard work begins.
Agree on how you will define 'morning'. Will it be 6am, 7am or even later?
Start by doing as little as possible
Each time the child wakes up during the night, start off by doing as little as possible.
Some parents are able to leave the child to cry and not go in to the room. Others will go in and stroke the child's head and back and tuck them in.
Give the child their dummy if they use one. If the baby wakes later in the night, try the same thing again.
If the baby doesn't go back to sleep, they may need their nappy changing. Try to do this without turning the lights on or entertaining your child.
After this, the child may sleep for another hour. If that doesn't work, now is the time to offer the child some water.
The water has two functions. It tells the child that we don't eat at night, but that we can have water if we're thirsty.
If simply stroking and tucking in the child do not help, it might be a good idea to keep the pram next to the cot. Put the baby in the pram and push it back and forth for a little while.
Repeat the above activities whenever the child wakes in the night.
Remember that the night is supposed to be boring for the child, so don't do anything that is likely to make them excited.
Is it OK for a baby to sleep in the parents' bed?
Whether the child is allowed to sleep in their parents' bed or not depends entirely on their parent's attitude.
Some people feel that it's inappropriate and that it disturbs a couple's intimate time together.
There's an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) when babies sleep in the parental bed, so it shouldn't be encouraged.
One compromise is to place the cot in the parents' room. That way, the child can be close to its parents without actually sleeping in their bed.
However, babies can be noisy even when they are asleep, so their snuffling around or noisy dreams may disturb the parental sleep. A tired parent is a grumpy parent.
Parents should do what feels right for them and their child. What is acceptable and 'normal' for one family may not be the same for others.
Can all children sleep through the night?
Most children learn to do this fairly quickly. But some children may not be able to sleep throughout the night, no matter what their parents do.
If parents are worried about their child not sleeping, they should ask their doctor or health visitor for advice.
Is my child ill?
If you worry about your baby's sleeping patterns, or have a feeling that something might be wrong with your child, talk to your doctor about it.
Possible reasons for your child not being able to sleep throughout the night include urine infection, toothache, earache, colic, a cold or a cough.
Make sure nothing is wrong with your child before you start trying to change their habits.
Good advice
Bedtime should be enjoyable for everybody.
You can read a story, give the child a cuddle or a warm bath. Develop a routine and stick to it.
Never use the bed as a punishment for your child, when they have done something wrong. Put your child to bed before they get overtired.
The child should feel good, both when it goes to bed and when it wakes up.
It's OK if the child settles down slowly in the cot. It doesn't have to go to sleep immediately.
Stroking the baby or rocking it (in a cradle or in your arms) will help to make them sleepy.
Dim the lighting or turn the lights off, when you put your child to bed.
Turn off the television, reduce the volume of the music and speak quietly.
Letting your child sleep in your bed may start a habit that can be difficult to break. But it's often an effective short-term method to help your child sleep.
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