Baby Bedtime

By Tony Luck

Sleeping..

A newborn baby spends most of her time on two things: sleeping and feeding - although, as she needs an average of 8 diaper changes a day, maybe that should be three things

Newborn babies sleep for around 17-18 hours a day, but the bad news is she will sleep only for 3 or 4 hours at a time. When she wakes she will probably need feeding and/or a diaper change.

Babies are not born with a conception of day and night, so you have to teach her to take short naps in the day and longer sleeps at night. During the first few weeks you will have to feed on demand and let her decide when she will sleep. Then you should try to encourage her to take the majority of her sleep at night by changing her surroundings: at night she should sleep in a darkened room (either her own bedroom or a corner of yours), in her cot. During the day keep her in bright light (but not direct sunlight, babies get sunburnt very easily), in her buggy.

After about 4 months baby should be sleeping for a total of about 15 hours, but she should now be sleeping for around 8-10 hours at night and without a break. She will benefit from a set routine at bedtime. A bath followed by a feed and a clean diaper, then settle her in her bed while she is still awake and play her some soothing music. Mobiles suspended over the cot work wonders.

Getting baby to establish a routine is a gradual process so don’t worry if it takes a while. There will still be the odd night-time feed required until she reaches about 6 months when she should last all night without refuelling! Aren’t you looking forward to that!

Sleeping Position To minimise the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (also known as cot death):

• place baby on her back,
• tuck in the sheet and blanket (don’t use a duvet until she is at least 12 months),
• make sure the room is neither too hot nor too cold - ideal temperature 65˚F,

Sleeping Problems If baby isn’t sleeping well at night, it may be because:

• she is too hot, too cold, hungry, thirsty, or needs changing,
• she is getting too much sleep in the day. A recent study found that keeping baby in bright light during the daytime naps will teach her the difference between a night-time sleep and a daytime nap,
• she isn’t tired enough. Introduce more energetic playtimes, then wind down an hour before bedtime,
• she is over-tired. Introduce a quiet time before bed to calm her down. You might also try baby massage.
• she has colic. That’s a whole different problem and you will find a separate article about colic.

Finally, remember that, like adults, all babies are not the same and some will need less sleep than others.

Author: Tony Luck who runs a site with advice about babies. You will also find the fascinating chinese pregnancy calendar which is supposed to tell you whether the baby you are expecting will be a girl or boy, and a conception chart to tell you when baby is expected.

 
Has it gotten to the point that you want to cry right along with your baby when it’s time to put her to sleep? We’ve all been there. Parents who have much better little sleepers than my baby all have had "THOSE NIGHTS" from time to time.

There does seem to be light at the end of the tunnel. The problem of getting baby into a sleeping routine that all household members can live with seems to be one that’s solved within a year or so.

A year or so you say?

I know, when you’re dead tired and can hardly hold your head up the last thing you want to hear is that there will be a sure fix in the distant future. It makes a mom ask in desperation why there are sleeping pills for adults and no baby sleep aids! As a mother who believes in the natural approach to parenting, I had to look for a way to help my baby sleep all night without medication and I will share my methods with you.

Lesson number one may be the most simple but the most important: don’t wait till 9pm when the baby’s screaming to start worrying about how to get baby to sleep through the night! I’m convinced that the best strategy for getting baby to sleep at night begins with a well-laid plan that’s pulled into action early that morning.

Take a look at baby’s nursery, is it an ideal environment for sleep? The room should be dark and quiet as possible. Room darkening shades for daytime sleeping are a must.

Learn to read your baby’s signals. The moment you see baby’s eyes droop, her little mouth open in a yawn, stop what you are doing immediately and begin your bedtime routine. If you let baby get past this stage without making your move, you will most likely regret it. They can go from pleasantly drowsy to fussy to downright worked into a lather in record time. Timing is important.

Every mother’s procedure for settling baby down is unique, there is no steadfast rule for what should be involved. Whatever your pre-sleep actions may be, they should vary very little from day to day. In order for baby to get a routine, mommy must have one too.

Be very predictable. You will have a calmer and more confident child if she always knows exactly what to expect. This is not to say you should train baby to be in a rut. Where surprises and treats are the frosting on the cake of life, surprises for baby at bedtime are not advisable.

Try to keep to an approximate timetable. Put baby’s jammies on at a certain time and begin working your way toward the crib. A friend whose child had been keeping her up past midnight told me she went through the same steps every night for a week and almost gave up several times, then at the end of the week the baby drifted into an 8pm to10pm bedtime. She still has a little work to do, but as of this writing mother and baby are much happier.

Along with a routine, there’s some baby gear available to make your task more pleasant. Of course, there is the trusty nursery rocking chair. However, if you’ve exhausted all the standard methods for putting baby to sleep. I have a few suggestions you may not have gotten around to that are definitely worth a try.

Have your sleep aid equipment checked, in place and ready to go before anybody goes into meltdown mode:

CONSIDER THE USE OF A SLING
You carried baby for nine months without a hitch. Maybe she needs a little time to adjust to the world? The motion of your body may be all that it takes to get you through a rough patch and get a few chores done while you’re at it! Experiment with baby in a ring sling, the familiar motion may be all the baby sleep aid that you need. Simply relax the little one so that she will be ready to sleep all night long.

THE NOISE OF A FAN IS YOUR FRIEND
Yes a common fan can produce wonderful baby calming white noise. White noise machines are available that mimic the sounds that baby was used to while still happily enclosed in your womb, but the common fan will work in a pinch.

BABY’S FIRST LOVIE - A WARM WATER BOTTLE
How many times have we rocked baby to sleep in our arms only to have them wake when we put them down on a cold crib sheet? Place a warm water bottle in the crib as part of your routine, and when you slip baby out of your arms safely into her crib the sheets will be warmed and the transition won’t be as much of a shock. Always remove the water bottle before placing baby in the crib.

The list of tried and true baby sleep tips is a long one. What works for you one day, may not work every time but there’s one indisputable fact, calm, loving perseverance will be invaluable in building your child’s healthy sleep habits and help her sleep like a baby.

For suggestions on creating an ideal sleeping environment for your child go to UNIQUE BABY GEAR IDEAS

Disclaimer: The contents of this article and website are for informational purposes only and should not replace medical advice from a doctor or professional. You should always make your own choices on the advice of your chosen professional in matters concerning your baby’s safety.

Never underestimate the power of bedtime rituals. Baby sleep patterns are highly dependent upon routine. In fact, following some of the same routines night after night will help your baby feel a sense of comfort. If your child seems to have an irregular sleep pattern or has lots of trouble falling asleep, try a few of these tips:

1) The Lullaby

Soothing music is a proven way to help your child fall asleep. Some of the most dramatic results I have seen have resulted from incorporating soothing music into the bedtime routine.

Relaxing classical music seems to have the most dramatic effect on babies, but music with vocal melodies can be equally soothing and will help your child remember that they are not alone.

2) The Bedtime Story

While for older children, this is a ‘must’, studies have shown that this even has a profound effect on newborns. They may not understand the words, but the calming sound of mommy or daddy’s voice can be just what the doctor ordered when baby is feeling unsettled.

Of course, children whose parents read to them grow up to be adults who read, so the bedtime story is extremely important, for several reasons.

3) Sunshine & Exercise

It’s important to get baby out of the house and active during the day. Even taking your baby for a morning walk will help trigger the baby’s response mechanisms in the morning, and help to emphasize that daytime is for activity…and night-time is for sleeping.

4) Break Out the "P.J.’s"

Changing baby’s clothes is a nice, subtle way to help train them that they are getting ready for sleep. This will help focus their brains and prepare them for a restful slumber.

Be sure to never put baby to sleep in their ‘daytime’ clothes. This will hold back the development of their bedtime ritual and may confuse them as they grow older.

5) Rub Them the Right Way

It’s amazing the way humans respond to touch. Giving baby a gentle, fingertip massage at bedtime will do wonders.

Alternatively, it has been shown that babies who do not get enough human contact could become quite sick. Babies not only love to be touched, they need it in order to develop properly. Deepen the bond with your child, and help them to relax at the same time, by giving them a gentle rubdown at bedtime.

Remember, all of the things listed above will not only help your child sleep better, but will also strengthen your relationship with your child. Don’t just help them sleep…help them develop into happy, healthy adults.

Recently, we can often hear both from pediatricians and psychologists about benefits of listening to music for babies. Of course, it is not surprising at all, as already our grannies sang songs to babies, to calm them down. Are there any medical researches on this subject?

Excursus to history

THE ANCIENTS were the first who noticed a beneficial effect of music both on soul and body. They treated neural-mental illnesses with music, and tried to use it as anaesthetic in Middle Ages… But all these experiments were carried out with adults.

In the beginning of 20th century scientists already could see that it was curative for babies to listen to classical music and lullabies, that music not only develops children, but also makes them healthier. Scientists decided to find scientific grounds of music therapy. And the first patients, who received treatment with music, were prematurely born babies.

What the researches showed

AS a rule, if a baby suffered from lack of oxygen during his prenatal development, no matter whether he is premature or not, his activity of cell ferments is lowered. After listening to classical music, activity of babies’ cell ferments rose. A cytochemical analysis showed this. They also took babies’ blood pressure, pulse, rhythm of breathing. And they always observed a classical reaction of adaptation: organism adjusted itself to environment and felt better.

Well, may be, children react this way to any sound irritant - alarm-clock ticking, conversation? May be, harmony and melody have nothing to do with it?

Researchers switched on a metronome for babies, which beat out a slow rhythm at a calm music pace. Babies behaved rather well: calmed down and fell asleep. But cytochemical analysis registered objectively: on the background of metronome working, an oppression of ferments took place in cells.

By the way, this is a proof of the fact that rock music with pronounced pulsatile rhythm is harmful for small babies.

When parents were going to take away their babies from hospital, doctors recommended them to continue carrying out music therapy procedures at home, along with massage, special gymnastics and exercises in water. Parents treated such advices in different ways, some of them switched on music for their babies, some of them did not.

But when a year later all these babies passed a checkup, interesting facts were discovered. Babies, who were constantly listening to classical music, coped better with neurologic defects, than the ones, whose parents did not believe in a healing power of music therapy. This way a reliable statistics appeared.

Which music should babies listen to?

EXCITABLE, fidget children should listen to melodies at a slow pace – “adagio”, “andante”. As a rule, second parts of classical sonatas and instrumental concerts have such pace. German scientists worked out main scientific literature on this subject, and German and Viennese classical music prevailed in their programs: Mozart, Schubert, Haydn… Later they added Vivaldi and Tchaikovski…

For example, this can be a second part of a “Short nocturnal serenade” by Mozart, “Winter” from “Seasons” by Vivaldi, a duet of Lisa and Polina from Tchaikovski’s opera “Queen of spades”, lullabies.

A melody with words influences babies stronger, than a melody without words. And live singing is stronger, than instrumental performance recorded on CD. A language of singing does not matter, new-born babies can gladly listen to, for example, a lullaby by Brahms or Christmas motets in German language.

And babies, suffering from syndrome of distress, who nurse badly and sometimes even breathe spasmodically, should listen to musical compositions at “allegro” and “allegro moderato” pace by Mozart, Schubert, Haydn… For example: waltzes from Tchaikovski’s ballets “On troika” from his “Seasons”, “Spring” from Vivaldi’s “Seasons”, and also martial music.

Music therapy procedures are also of benefit for healthy, normally developing children. They also should be calmed down or, on the contrary, emboldened sometimes. This can be done with the help of relaxing or energetic music. On no account, put on ear-phones on your baby. Our ears are adjusted to diffused sound by nature. Immature brain can receive an acoustic trauma because of directed sound.

Music therapy is contra-indicated to:

Babies with predisposition to fits.
Babies in a serious condition, which is accompanied by organism intoxication.
Babies suffering from otitis.
Babies, whose intracranial pressure increases sharply.

Rest on a cellular level

NOW parents have large selection of remedies – they can buy CD-discs with classical music in traditional performance. Or discs with classical music, arranged especially for babies. This music is accompanied by hand bells. Some may like such arrangement, other may not. You should see yourself your baby’s reaction.

You can also buy CD-records of classical music on the background of sounds of nature – rote, sound of rain, murmur of the forest… Listen to music together with your baby and relax, as restless babies’ mothers just need a good rest, on a cellular level.

written by Yana Mikheeva