Three things to consider if your baby is not sleeping enough.
Being a parent is one of the greatest learning adventures we will ever experience. Knowledge can be passed on from generations, gained from reading educational books or simple advice that a loved one has shared with you. Each child is different and each parenting technique various.
There are many reasons that will cause a baby to be un-settled and wake constantly during the night. In todays blog I’m going to touch base on three aspects that you may not of considered being a cause of your child waking up constantly throughout the night or not sleeping enough.
Consider the amount of time your baby needs to sleep. Why is sleep important? During the time your little munchkin is sleeping he is growing, developing and healing. The second most important reason that a baby needs to sleep is so that the baby develops the skill to sleep. Just as the baby needs to sit before its stands and stands before it walks, he needs to develop the skills required to sleep.
I hate the word routine when associated with a baby, however babies are creatures of habit having a bedtime and wakeup routine will help the your baby determine that is time for bed or time for play. having a set time for naps and bedtime sleep may encourge sleep and also lets the little ones know that it is now time for resting.
HOW MUCH SLEEP DOES YOUR BABY NEED PER DAY?
AGE TOTAL NAP TIME NIGHT SLEEP
Newborn 17 hrs 8-10hrs 8-9 hrs
2 months 15-16 hrs 5-6hrs 10-11hrs
4 months 15-16 hrs 4-5hrs 11-12 hrs
6-9 months 14-15 hrs 3-4hrs 11-12 hrs
12 months 13-14 hrs 2-3hrs 11-12 hrs
Up to 2 years 12-13 hrs 1-2hrs 11-12 hrs
Consider :
1.If parents have concerns that their newborn is not sleeping enough, please consider having your newborn assessed for nerve dysfunction by a chiropractor. tension and disturbance can have wide range of effects on a baby causing them to be un-settled. Having the baby checked by a chiropractor can assist restoring nerve function. Case studies have shown that babies that are regularly adjusted have marked increased in consecutive sleeping hours.
2. consider the environment that the baby is being put to bed. Does the environment say to the baby its time for quite time and rest, or does it scream out its play time. The sleeping environment should be as consistent as possible ( this is not always reality especially when there are other little ones you need to look after ) but consistency is key. The environment should be nice and quite with as little clutter as possible.Try to have nothing in the babies cot expect the baby’s comforter and the blankets/sheets any other toys can stimulate and arouse the baby. Just like your not likely to sleep if your checking emails and Facebook your little bubba is not likely to sleep if there are stimulating factors that can attract him and stimulate the brain.
3. consider the temperature of the room and dress your baby accordingly. The below table is a guide for the amount of clothing a baby should wear. Remembering every baby is different you will need to adjust accordingly. As a rule or thumb your baby should always wear one extra layer then you and be covered in two extra blankets then what your using.
In the below table the reference to sheets and blankets are folded. ie. 2 blankets can be one blanket folded twice
Room Temperature Short Sleeve Onesies Long Sleeve onesies Sleeping bag NO. of Blankets
(degrees)
22 yes yes 2.5tog 6
24 yes yes 2.5tog 5
26 yes yes 2.5tog 3
28 yes yes 1.0tog 3
30 yes no 1.0tog 2
I would love some feedback on this blog. Very intrested to know if anyone has changed a few things around and f it worked.
Sleep Tight!
Sandy
