Happy Days » Self Soothing

There are few sounds that penetrate our ears in quite the way the sound of crying baby does! Just spend a little time on a flight near a bawling newborn or screeching toddler to feel the levels of tension and panic rise for all nearby. As a parent you are preprogrammed to respond physically to your baby’s cry. You may find that your blood pressure rises, as a mom, your milk letdown can be induced and your heart beats a little faster when you hear your baby cry. New parents are often unprepared for the amount babies cry and the feelings it will induce. It may amaze you to know that many young...

Helping your baby to sleep through the night is a goal for most parents. Sleep disruption is so distressing for most mothers that the sooner your baby sleeps through the night, the better. Meg Faure, co-author of Baby Sense summarises the top 10 tips to help your baby sleep through the night. The tips are in no particular order but by implementing them all you should be in for a better nights sleep within a week. Safety Put your baby on his side or back to sleep on a firm mattress without any pillows or duvets to limit the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome/ Cot death). Do not use duvets or...

A dilemma that faces many new parents is whether to allow their baby to have a dummy or not. Prior to having a baby many parents swear their babe will never use a dummy. This line of reason is frequently linked to a dislike of seeing toddlers wondering around with dummies in their mouths. Meg Faure explores reasons to use and not to use a dummy by answering two frequently asked dummy questions that appear on the website: “Before my baby was born, I swore he would never use a dummy. Now he is three weeks old, he is crying and unsettled for a lot of the day. My sister-in-law says he needs to suck on a...

Searching for a good night’s sleep – there are many sleep secrets to help you on your way. Meg Faure, Occupational Therapist and mother of two dummy suckers and a thumb sucker looks at Sucking: the secret to a good night’s sleep. Non nutritive sucking (ie. Sucking without feeding) really helps to calm young babies. Some babies learn to suck on their own hands from a very early age, others prefer to suck a dummy. Both are excellent soothers for young babies. Do not stop your baby from sucking but guide your baby into a method you prefer. Thumb sucking Thumb sucking is an excellent self-calming...

Habits in any area of life have a way of sneaking their way in: one day they were not there and suddenly one day you wake up and a habit has developed over time, without you noticing! Meg Faure, co-author of Baby Sense and Sleep Sense, OT and mum of 3 looks at sleep habits – the good and the bad. Before classifying any habit as good or bad, it is important to know a few things: Habits do not develop in babies before three months old. If your baby is little and demanding a certain method to get to sleep, it is because of the sensory feature of that sleep association, not the fact that your baby...