Top bedtime tips
Each day I am asked about how to get a baby to sleep through the night. So I have decided to become a disciplined blogger and each day I will sit down and just drop one tip for the day on how to get your baby to sleep.
Tip 1: If your newborn is waking after 15-20 minutes swaddle her. We know that the little hypnogagnic startle wakes little ones. This startle occurs 15 min into a sleep cycle. So if you want to inhibit this startle and help your newborn sleep - swaddle her!
Hi Megan
I am really battling at the moment. My 8 month old beautiful baby girl is hardly sleeping at night. She has a morning nap for about 2 hours, then a mid nap for about 45 minutes and an afternoon nap also for about 2 hrs. I do go to work and i get home about 5:30pm. From that time she clings to me. She falls asleep about 7pm and sleep well until 11pm. From then on she awakes every hr crying, fussing. She is teething so I can understand that but every night!! I am exhausted. she cant self calm so I either have to carry her or give her a bottle.
I need some help please
Jane
Hi Jane
You must be exhausted. Instead of answering your question, I will use it as a platform for my tip for the day. Thanks for being in touch..
Hi Megan.
I need to see someone to help my 10month old sleep. She is so tired during the day. Only sleeps 2-3 a day. Short naps. She wakes up 10-20 times a night. Help help help. Who can I go see to help me.
Hi Lilani
I sent you an email earlier today. Please Respond and let me know where you live so I can put you in touch with someone in your area.
Hi Megan,
My son is almost 8 months old and has had shocking excema since 2 months of age. He has been hospitalised for it, but we are slowly getting it under control. Doctors have prescribed an anti-hestamine sedative at night which i am hesistant to use anymore. He wakes at night scratching himself and struggles to go back to sleep. So i was wondering if you had any soothing techniques that i can use?
Many thanks,
Sarah
Hi Sarah
I am so sorry to hear your baby has such severe excema. It must be distressing for you and your baby.
Ann Richardson wrote and article on baby skin conditions and how they affect sleep for our website. It has some good tips on how to ease your baby’s discomfort. I hope it helps.
Thank you for getting in touch.
Antoinette
Dear Megan
My little girl is 7 months old. She goes to bed at 19hoo, but would wake after an hour. And will not go back to sleep without her milk bottle. And then wakes at 23h00, 24h00, 03h00 and 5h00 0r 06h00. She refuses to go back to sleep without her milk bottle. When she tastes its water in the bottle, she will scream and kick and she will also not take a dummy. Please, I need some advise, because I know that she will develop tooth caries if she continues to go to sleep with her bottle.
Thank you.
Mandy
Hi Mandy
The only way to stop milk bottles at night is to go cold turkey. See the advice given in the following articles:
http://www.babysense.co.za/peaceful-nights
http://www.babysense.co.za/peaceful-nights/articles-of-interest/feeding-sense-for-healthy-sleep
http://www.babysense.co.za/peaceful-nights/articles-of-interest/gentle-sleep-training
http://www.babysense.co.za/peaceful-nights/articles-of-interest/the-mystery-of-frequent-night-wakings
Megan,
I need to see some one to help my 5 month old sleep. She is so tired during the day. Only naps 2-3 times a day for 45 minutes to an hour maximum. . She wakes up 10-20 times a night. Help help help! She has reflux too which adds to the sleeping issues. Who can I go see to help me? We currently see an Occupational Therapist but she is at a loss to!
Thank you,
Heather
Hi Heather.
Try this article by Ann Richardson on dealing with reflux. If you are still battling email me antoinette@babysense.com and I can put you in touch with someone.
http://www.babysense.com/articles/when-reflux-affects-your-babys-sleep/
hi there
Little Farah is 4,5 months old and does not want to sleep. She does arond 2-3 30 min sleeps in the day time , and will not sleep longer than that. On the rare occasion she will get a 2 hr sleep in the day but this does not happen often. At nights we put her to bed at around 6:30-7 pm and she sleeps well till around 10-11 pm and thereafter wakes up crying , eyes still closed and fussing every 30 min to an hour. We can settle her again with the dummy but she continues to wake up many times a night. For the last month she wakes up at least 6 times between midnight and 6am.She is not really hungry, we do one feed at around 2-3 am. At around the 12 week mark we seemed to be settling where she would wake up once , at that stage it was difficult to get her to sleep , however she would only wake up once , that only lasted for around 1-2 weeks and now it seems that we have regressed.
Prior to that we had 10 weeks of crying 20 hours out of 24 with maybe 4 hrs or less of sleep / 24 hrs.
I am working again and dont know what to do…i cant imagine that this is normal. We have her on reflux meds and allergy meds , but nothing seems to make a difference. I really dont know what to do anymore…ive thought of getting a sleep trainer in etc , but i dont know what more they could do. I have bought both the sleep sense and baby sense books , and doing everything according to the book , but she is still not sleeping.
i desperately need some help!!!!
Hi Megan
Thanks a ton for all the baby info. What a brilliant service to all us parents you are providing. Thank you kindly.
Do you suggest tissue salts 4,6, and 8 and or Chamomile (tissue salts)for chronic pain, to assist teething and problematic sleeping.
Bestest regards (DAD)
Glyn Redgrave
Hi Glyn.
It is best to follow the advice of your clinic sister or pharmacist to find what will help your baby.