The Baby Sleep Book: How to help your baby to sleep and have a restful night. Martha Sears

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СКАЧАТЬ predictable schedule, so that baby can take predictable naps and go to bed at the same time every night, or continue to “go with the flow” during the day and give up the idea of baby having a set, early bedtime. You may not be able to have it both ways.

step 3: create a safe and comfortable environment conducive to sleep

If baby’s bedroom (or your bedroom) is too light, too dark, too noisy, too quiet, too scary, or too stimulating, your baby may have difficulty going to sleep or staying asleep. Some babies are more sensitive to their sleeping environment than others. What kind of environment is best for your sleeping baby depends on her sleep temperament. For example, some are “subway sleepers”, meaning they can sleep through loud noises as long as the noise is always there. Others need a relatively noiseless environment. Here are some ideas to help you set the stage for your baby to sleep.

      Quiet the bedroom. Most babies can block out disturbing noise, so you don’t have to create a noiseless sleeping environment for your baby. Yet, some babies do startle and awaken easily with sudden noises. For noise-sensitive babies, oil the joints and springs of a squeaky cot or the door hinges, put the dog outside before he barks, and shut the windows.

      Quiet the house. Quieting the house down at tired time will give your baby the message that it’s time to transition into sleep and also programme her to associate this quiet routine with sleepy time. Lower your voice, close the doors, turn off the phone ringer, slow down your movements, and minimize any other distractions. Turn off the TV and put on some calming music. Let your baby sense that the general mood is changing from one of activity to one of quiet. Don’t bounce or jiggle baby. Remember, he’s already over stimulated.

       I made sure he knew the difference between day and night. During the day I did not try to keep a very quiet house. The phone rang, the dog barked. I kept it dark and quiet at night. I would feed him by nightlight, change him by nightlight, and everything would be calm. During the day we would sing at the changing table, at night we wouldn’t sing. Now he understands that when the lights go out it’s time for bed and not playtime.

      Darken the bedroom. Help your baby learn to associate darkness with sleep. Don’t turn on any bright lights during the night, as this can trick baby’s internal sleep clock into thinking it’s daytime (and wake time!). You can use a nightlight, or install a dimmer switch on the bedroom lights, so that you can keep the light level low during nighttime nappy changes. If necessary, close the curtains to keep out the morning (or evening) light. Use opaque shades to block out the light. This may get you an extra hour of sleep if you have one of those little early birds who wakes with the first ray of sunlight entering the bedroom.

      We used a room-darkening temporary shade, a heavy black-pleated fibre paper shade which quickly sticks to the top of the window as a temporary solution.

      Warm the bed. Always make sure baby’s bed (or yours) is warm. Laying baby down onto cold sheets is a sure way to shock baby awake. One creative dad told us he used to lie in bed with baby snuggled on his chest for five minutes before scooting over and laying baby down in the warm spot. Before laying baby into a cold cot or cradle, warm the sheets with a warm towel from the tumble dryer, a hot water bottle, a heating pad, or an electric blanket (any of which you remove before laying baby down, of course, for safety reasons). Use flannel sheets in cold weather.

Lessen physical discomforts. A baby who itches, hurts, or has difficulty breathing is going to wake up. Here are some tonsil-to-toe tips on helping your baby sleep more comfortably:

       Clear the nose. Babies need clear nasal passages to breathe. Bedroom inhalant allergies are a common cause of stuffy noses and consequent night waking.

       Remove airborne irritants. Environmental irritants can cause congested breathing passages and awaken baby. Common household examples are cigarette smoke, baby powder, paint fumes, hair spray, animal dander (keep animals out of an allergic child’s bedroom), plants, clothing (especially wool), stuffed animals, dust from a bed canopy, feather pillows, blankets, and fuzzy toys that collect lint and dust. If your baby consistently awakens with a stuffy nose, suspect irritants or allergens in the bedroom.

       Make your baby’s bedroom as dust-free as possible. Besides dusting regularly, remove fuzzy blankets, down comforters, dust-collecting fuzzy toys, etc. If your baby is particularly allergy-prone, a HEPA-type air filter will help. As an added nighttime perk, the “white noise” from the hum of the air filter may help baby stay asleep longer.

       Relieve teething pain. Teething discomfort may start as early as three months and continue off and on all the way through the two-year molars. A wet bed sheet under baby’s head, a drool rash on the cheeks and chin, swollen and tender gums, and a slight fever are telltale clues that teething is what’s disturbing your baby’s slumber. If the teething pain seems really bad, with your doctor’s advice, give appropriate doses of paracetemol just before parenting your baby to sleep and again in four hours if baby awakens. (See “Teething”).

       Change wet or soiled nappies. Wet nappies bother some babies at night. Most are not. If your baby sleeps through wet nappies, there is no need to awaken her for a change – unless you’re trying to get rid of a persistent nappy rash. Nighttime bowel movements necessitate a change. Here’s a nighttime changing tip: if possible, change the nappy just before a feed, as baby is likely to fall asleep during or after feeding. Some breastfed babies, however, have a bowel movement during or immediately after a feeding and will need changing again. If you are using cloth nappies, putting two or three nappies on your baby before bedtime will decrease the sensation of wetness. Also, if baby is prone to nappy rash, slather on a hefty layer of barrier cream to protect baby’s sensitive skin from the sensation and irritation of wetness. Cold nappy wipes are sure to startle baby awake. Run wipes under warm water (a great job for Dad!).

       Remove irritating sleepwear. Many infants cannot settle in synthetic sleepwear (some adults, too!). A mother in our practice went through our whole checklist of night waking causes until she discovered her baby was sensitive to polyester sleep suits. Once she changed to 100 per cent cotton clothing, her baby slept better. Besides being restless, some babies show skin allergies to new clothing, detergents and fabric softeners by breaking out in a rash. (See “Sleepwear – How to Dress Your Baby Safely and Comfortably for Sleep”.)

Create a comfortable bedroom temperature. Try these temperature tips. A consistent bedroom temperature of around 21°C is preferable. Also, a relative humidity of around 50 per cent is most conducive to sleep. Dry air may leave baby with a stuffy nose that awakens him. Yet humidity that’s too high fosters allergy-producing moulds. A warm-mist vaporizer can act as a heater in your baby’s sleeping area, and it helps maintain an adequate level of humidity in homes with central heating (and the “white noise” of the consistent hum can help baby sleep longer.)

      Fill tiny tummies. The tinier the tummy, the more frequently babies need to be fed – both day and night. Babies have tiny tummies – about the size of their fist – which is why babies under six months of age need one or two night feedings. Some babies (especially breastfed) continue to need night feedings even in the second six months of life. You can maximize the amount of time baby will sleep after a feeding by being sure that baby fills his tummy as he feeds off to sleep and again when you feed him in the middle of the night. (See “Night Feedings”, pages for how to comfortably fill tiny tummies for longer sleep.)

      Swaddle your baby. Swaddling recreates the womb environment. СКАЧАТЬ