Are your baby’s sleep habits keeping you up at night? RELAX. You’re not alone. All moms run into tricky situations with their babies, and as with any other parenting decision, there’s more than one “right” way to address them. Here, we’re addressing five likely scenarios and recommending the possible solutions.
THEY’RE THIRSTY
This reason is often entirely overlooked a lot of the time. Even adults sleep fine most of the time but there are occasions when you wake up thirsty, particularly when its hot. So you could imagine that 12 hours is a long time to go without anything to eat or drink, especially when you’re that tiny! Try and keep your baby hydrated through the day and don’t be afraid to offer a drink of water (check with your health care professional if under 6 months) during the night instead of, or in addition to milk.
THEY’RE OVER-STIMULATED
Babies need a LOT of sleep and can only deal with a certain amount of awake time. They also need a decent amount of sleep at night-time – close to 11 hours. If your baby misses a nap, or has a bad night’s sleep, or is over-stimulated by toys or noise or people, they will probably find it very difficult to fall asleep and will become irritated, fussy, cry-y or hyperactive. Some skin to skin contact, a relaxing bath, a cuddly feed, darkness, being carried in a sling or in your arms, or another way that your little one likes to calm down before attempting a nap or bedtime may help. Your baby will overcome the over-tiredness and settle down to sleep with your help and love.
THEY’RE TEETHING
Teething is simply awful. Some lucky children don’t appear to notice, others really struggle. Teething is also much worse at night when there are no distractions and your baby is lying down, as this causes all the pressure to go to the head and jaw making their discomfort worse. Teething can also cause restlessness, tummy aches, and can affect appetite, so try to help all the possible symptoms. Suckling, teething toys to chew on, movement, distractions, and medicines (as recommended by the doctor) can also help.
THEY’RE ACQUIRING NEW SKILLS
You know how when you’ve taken up a new hobby, you’re so excited that you can’t sleep. Babies go through that too. Is your baby is just learning to sit up, roll over, crawl, chew, grab, wave, talk, stand, walk or something else? When learning new skills, babies wake up in the night to practice or process the development. If your baby is waking up but is not crying and instead wants to play and talk with you, it’s quite possible this is the reason. They might also find it hard to switch off at bedtime, wanting to practice walking, interacting with you or their siblings, etc… There isn’t a lot you can do about it really; a calm bedtime routine can help, and make sure that your baby has lots of opportunity during the day to explore their new world and skills.
THEY JUST WANT TO BE CLOSE TO YOU
ALL babies want to be close to their parents, especially to their mommy. For millions of years humans slept with their babies and children close to them, and it was only with the invention of the bed and cot that this started to change. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH CO-SLEEPING! (safely) – Chill! Your child will not stay in your bed until they’re a teenager, they won’t become clingy, etc., etc., etc., It is only natural for you and your baby to want to be close to each other. And you don’t have to co-sleep, you could just cuddle your baby to sleep and then pop them in their own bed next to yours.
We at Beddy, recommend that parents have their babies cots in their room itself. If you are comfortable having your baby in your bed, do check out our product, Beddy Guard on our website.
Remember whatever sleep struggles you’re going through it wont last forever and this too shall pass…And then again, babies are so little, but for such a short time; enjoy your snuggles while they last!
To make sure your child is getting the perfect, restful sleep, do check out our range of products designed especially for babies children on our website www.centuaryindia.com