Peaceful Nights

Every mom and baby is different and a routine that proposes to be a one fits all is not realistic. Here are guidelines for different routines at different ages: Routines for newborns Your newborn is too little to have a fixed routine and routines at this age generally do more harm than good. Here are the principles: Don’t aim for routine at this stage Feed on demand Expect your baby to wake as frequently day and night Aim to settle your baby to sleep after an hour of awake time during the day Routines for 2 – 4 months Patterns begin to emerge, with your baby guiding the way; a routine may...

Of the 7 senses, proprioception is one of the most important when it comes to sleep.  What is proprioception? It is the sense stimulated by deep pressure and joint contraction, which we get from our joints and muscles, telling us where we are in space.  Going for a jog or having a massage is a good way to access the proprioceptive system, which explains why we sleep so well after exercise or a relaxing massage. How does this work? In terms of sleep, proprioception is associated with the release of Serotonin, which is a vital regulator chemical in the brain.  Serotonin is not only a...

    Every week I have moms sitting in my consulting rooms to get help for their baby’s sleep. Today was no different, an 11 month old little chap, lets call him Nicholas who was not sleeping longer than 30 minutes at each sleep during the day and at night was waking hourly before 11pm and after 1am woke every 45 minutes. His poor mom is beyond tired and was justifiably desperate. She had heard that she had two options open to her, and was desperately hoping I would have another solution: Get in a sleep trainer who she had heard about, to sleep train her baby Live with the sleep...

  You are tired, too tired to read a tome on how to get more sleep and all you want is a quick fix for your baby’s sleep. If things are going awry, here are 15 quick fixes to try that really will make a difference.  Swaddle your newborn until 12 weeks of age for every sleep. This inhibits the startle reflex and prevents cat napping. If your 7 month old is waking more than once at night, increase the protein in his diet to 2-3T per meal. Protein is found in meat, dairy, chicken, beans, lentils, nuts, eggs and fish. If your baby under three months of age wakes twice at night, feed him...

The routine debate rages on in most parents’ minds. Do babies need a routine? Can it be gentle and baby-centric?  Is a flexible routine is better than a regimented one? Ask these questions to any baby expert and you will get a myriad of answers. Ask a parent and the responses will be even more diverse.   Like adults, babies have their in-built time clocks and physical needs, however these needs differ substantially from their parents. Where adults only need eight hours sleep a night, babies need anywhere from 18 or 20 hours for a newborn to 14 hours for a toddler, per 24-hour cycle...