Sleeping problems
There hundreds of ways to put a baby to sleep! That was my first biggest discovery after my little daughter was born. ...And I tried them all. The second discovery - NONE OF THESE WAYS WORK WELL FOR US.
Oh, boy! To say I was exhausted is to say nothing. I was somewhere I don't want to be again. Not speaking of the fact my life was like one of a slave whose duty to protect the fragile baby's sleep with two simple rules: While the baby is sleeping 1) keep away from all the activities, especially loud ones, because it is going to wake up the princess 2) keep everybody else away for the same reason, so forget about friends visits while the baby is sleeping - actually the only time I am available and not busy 100% with the baby job - so forget about any visits ever. Anyway I got nothing to talk about - I am so exhausted, I can't keep myself awake to do something fun for myself.
The thing is they have pros and cons. The cons are - they might not work for sleep-deprived mom, because you cannot stick to them. Some methods might be time consuming, call for creativity if you don't have a ready "recipe", take a lot of discipline, finally you jump to a conclusion they are not designed for your baby!
A few tips on lulling your baby to sleep
Look below, this is by no means a scientific analysis, this is my real life experience. I put it in a numbered list - you could try that too while working on your own education as a parent, it is actually fun, as some of the commonplace things turn out to be important, and some though might be true for some other baby, turn out ridiculous for you - that is what it takes to test it out and design your own technique.
Here is how it worked for us
Make sure your baby has a cozy sleeping area. With subdued lighting. Ha! She was newborn - the sure thing was to bring her to bright light. Newborns have reflexes - to shut the eyes in the brighter light. 5 seconds - and she is asleep. Though works at night time only.
She got older (8-15 months) as soon as you bring her in the dark she starts yelling. No, she is not scared, she is bored! When she's got things to look at + a long story or song works as the best combination. Around 18 months - that was a good time to start putting her to sleep in dim light. Some newborns prefer smaller cradles or bassinets to big cribs. Maybe because they feel more "snuggled" and more like they're in their mothers' wombs.
No way my baby is one of those. It took me some time to figure out, that sometimes she wakes up JUST BECAUSE SHE IS CONSTRICTED. As soon as I gave her more room in a bigger crib - she wakes up, yes, but twice as seldom. Believe me, it is a big difference, if you have to pick her up 3-4 times instead of 7-8 times during one night.
Wrap your baby in a small blanket to make him feel secure. Make sure his mouth and nose are exposed so he can get plenty of fresh air. Fresh air is good, but not draft. And no tight wrap since she was 7 days old. Both of those things make her uncomfortable and lead to sleepless nights.
Set a routine. It may begin with a bath, followed by "jammy" time, and a little quiet. A little quiet time is a very important thing - but if it is not less than 15-20 minutes. Bath was a very happy moment for my little one. A new mommy did not know a 2 weeks old baby gets hyper because of that and was wondering why is it so tough to put the baby to sleep after a bath in the evening. Giving a bath in the morning or earlier in the evening solved the puzzle. Your baby will probably want to be fed before you call it a night.
Your baby is in diaper - don't worry, you can feed the baby right before going to bed, and actually she might fall asleep while you are nursing. Watch out though - it is addictive! Think ahead what you have in store for a substitute when you don't have breastmilk. If your baby is not a diaper baby (you have to change) a good idea to feed a little before the bedtime - she will want to pee. There's no rule that says your baby has to stay in his bed. Put your infant in an infant seat or bassinet, which you can carry around your house as you do laundry or other things. You'd be amazed at what your baby can sleep through.
She sleeps perfect while I am carrying her. But I could not get anything done. My baby needs to turn over, otherwise look the CONSTRICTED section. So I can not latch her in the seat. And if she is not tightly secured there - she turns over and can actually fall off. So forget it, it is unsafe. When you feed your baby at night, keep the feedings as calm and quiet as you can. Don't turn on the lights. Before you feed him, change your baby's diaper with as little fuss as possible. After he's finished, put your baby right back into bed. No playing. Not even one cootchy or one coo. No matter how tempting.
True. But also true it is tempting to make some fuss around it, especially considering the fact you might start worrying there is something wrong with your baby if she wakes up so often - what if she is sick?!
Play some soft music from a CD player or radio. Even background noise, from the TV on low volume, comforts many babies.
No, no, no. My daughter still gets distracted and attracted, but not lulled by radio, TV and music noises, besides she is very picky abouth the genre, singer, melody, etc. the same as she was when newborn. But things go smooth when momy is singing - and mommy is allowed be singing WHATEVER
It took a long time and a lot of research on my part to come up with the third the most important point (actually that was a turning point in my life) that I am not alone in my problem and there are simple ways - or professionally - techniques to get her to sleep.
And finally, oh happy moment! I realized I am not exhausted after putting my baby to sleep for a day nap or for the night (for the full night time sleep!) - because it is so easy and I enjoy it! Now I really enjoy watching my little angel's face while she is sleeping. I wish I had this chance before.
I wish I did not have to try some of the sleeping rituals they recommend in the glossy magazines, but had a full comprehension of what effective methods there are. I could just choose from those and tailor them quite nicely just for my baby - because she is precious and I want her to be happy. This makes the mom happy, too.
(c) 2006, Anna Kern. This article was written to help support you in your parenting experience. To read more or view my profile I invite you to visit my blog at http://ilovemyhappybaby.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anna_Kern
There hundreds of ways to put a baby to sleep! That was my first biggest discovery after my little daughter was born. ...And I tried them all. The second discovery - NONE OF THESE WAYS WORK WELL FOR US.
Oh, boy! To say I was exhausted is to say nothing. I was somewhere I don't want to be again. Not speaking of the fact my life was like one of a slave whose duty to protect the fragile baby's sleep with two simple rules: While the baby is sleeping 1) keep away from all the activities, especially loud ones, because it is going to wake up the princess 2) keep everybody else away for the same reason, so forget about friends visits while the baby is sleeping - actually the only time I am available and not busy 100% with the baby job - so forget about any visits ever. Anyway I got nothing to talk about - I am so exhausted, I can't keep myself awake to do something fun for myself.
The thing is they have pros and cons. The cons are - they might not work for sleep-deprived mom, because you cannot stick to them. Some methods might be time consuming, call for creativity if you don't have a ready "recipe", take a lot of discipline, finally you jump to a conclusion they are not designed for your baby!
A few tips on lulling your baby to sleep
Look below, this is by no means a scientific analysis, this is my real life experience. I put it in a numbered list - you could try that too while working on your own education as a parent, it is actually fun, as some of the commonplace things turn out to be important, and some though might be true for some other baby, turn out ridiculous for you - that is what it takes to test it out and design your own technique.
Here is how it worked for us
Make sure your baby has a cozy sleeping area. With subdued lighting. Ha! She was newborn - the sure thing was to bring her to bright light. Newborns have reflexes - to shut the eyes in the brighter light. 5 seconds - and she is asleep. Though works at night time only.
She got older (8-15 months) as soon as you bring her in the dark she starts yelling. No, she is not scared, she is bored! When she's got things to look at + a long story or song works as the best combination. Around 18 months - that was a good time to start putting her to sleep in dim light. Some newborns prefer smaller cradles or bassinets to big cribs. Maybe because they feel more "snuggled" and more like they're in their mothers' wombs.
No way my baby is one of those. It took me some time to figure out, that sometimes she wakes up JUST BECAUSE SHE IS CONSTRICTED. As soon as I gave her more room in a bigger crib - she wakes up, yes, but twice as seldom. Believe me, it is a big difference, if you have to pick her up 3-4 times instead of 7-8 times during one night.
Wrap your baby in a small blanket to make him feel secure. Make sure his mouth and nose are exposed so he can get plenty of fresh air. Fresh air is good, but not draft. And no tight wrap since she was 7 days old. Both of those things make her uncomfortable and lead to sleepless nights.
Set a routine. It may begin with a bath, followed by "jammy" time, and a little quiet. A little quiet time is a very important thing - but if it is not less than 15-20 minutes. Bath was a very happy moment for my little one. A new mommy did not know a 2 weeks old baby gets hyper because of that and was wondering why is it so tough to put the baby to sleep after a bath in the evening. Giving a bath in the morning or earlier in the evening solved the puzzle. Your baby will probably want to be fed before you call it a night.
Your baby is in diaper - don't worry, you can feed the baby right before going to bed, and actually she might fall asleep while you are nursing. Watch out though - it is addictive! Think ahead what you have in store for a substitute when you don't have breastmilk. If your baby is not a diaper baby (you have to change) a good idea to feed a little before the bedtime - she will want to pee. There's no rule that says your baby has to stay in his bed. Put your infant in an infant seat or bassinet, which you can carry around your house as you do laundry or other things. You'd be amazed at what your baby can sleep through.
She sleeps perfect while I am carrying her. But I could not get anything done. My baby needs to turn over, otherwise look the CONSTRICTED section. So I can not latch her in the seat. And if she is not tightly secured there - she turns over and can actually fall off. So forget it, it is unsafe. When you feed your baby at night, keep the feedings as calm and quiet as you can. Don't turn on the lights. Before you feed him, change your baby's diaper with as little fuss as possible. After he's finished, put your baby right back into bed. No playing. Not even one cootchy or one coo. No matter how tempting.
True. But also true it is tempting to make some fuss around it, especially considering the fact you might start worrying there is something wrong with your baby if she wakes up so often - what if she is sick?!
Play some soft music from a CD player or radio. Even background noise, from the TV on low volume, comforts many babies.
No, no, no. My daughter still gets distracted and attracted, but not lulled by radio, TV and music noises, besides she is very picky abouth the genre, singer, melody, etc. the same as she was when newborn. But things go smooth when momy is singing - and mommy is allowed be singing WHATEVER
It took a long time and a lot of research on my part to come up with the third the most important point (actually that was a turning point in my life) that I am not alone in my problem and there are simple ways - or professionally - techniques to get her to sleep.
And finally, oh happy moment! I realized I am not exhausted after putting my baby to sleep for a day nap or for the night (for the full night time sleep!) - because it is so easy and I enjoy it! Now I really enjoy watching my little angel's face while she is sleeping. I wish I had this chance before.
I wish I did not have to try some of the sleeping rituals they recommend in the glossy magazines, but had a full comprehension of what effective methods there are. I could just choose from those and tailor them quite nicely just for my baby - because she is precious and I want her to be happy. This makes the mom happy, too.
(c) 2006, Anna Kern. This article was written to help support you in your parenting experience. To read more or view my profile I invite you to visit my blog at http://ilovemyhappybaby.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anna_Kern
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