Peaceful Nights

  QUESTION My son is 1 year old and just after he was 6 months we did sleep training with him and it worked wonders!! He has been sleeping from 7-5:30 every night, but since a few weeks ago he started waking up upto 4-5 times a night. One of us then goes into his bedroom, lays him back down, gives him his dummy and then we have to sit there till he falls asleep again, if we walk out before he is asleep he screams again! I do not want to start a bad habit again of him always needing us there in order for him to fall asleep again, but he cries endlessly if we just...

  “When will my baby sleep through the night?” “Why is he waking at night?” “When should she sleep during the day?” These are just a few of the very common questions I am asked each month. I have come to realize that possibly the one thing every parent wants is a guideline for what they can expect when it comes to sleep. Although every baby and mum is different, there are simple guidelines that can be generalized to most babies. Herewith, an easy to use table outlining your little one’s sleep for the first 4 years.    

QUESTION: My 9 month old baby recently got quite sick (gastro and tonsilitis) and ever since he’s been a nightmare to put to sleep. Now when I try to put him down (day or night), he starts arching his back (nearly folding himself double) and screaming.  It started while he was sick, but the doctor has checked him out and he’s fine now.  When I hold him upright he calms down, but the moment I lay him down in my arms he arches and screams. When I put him down in his cot from an upright position, he’s happy and starts playing. But the moment I hold him in a lying position in my...

  QUESTION: I would just like to find out and get some advice regarding my baby boy. He is now 6 weeks old, has been a dream child wakes 3-4 hourly for feeds winds easily and sleeps easily. Until the beginning of the week.... He suddenly takes forever at nights to settle. I am bottle-feeding and have been using the same bottles and milk from the beginning. He lands up screaming for at least 2 hours before he eventually passes out. I have tried to feed him but refuses the bottle, I have tries to swaddle him, changed his nappy, rocked he but it seems as if nothing helps. He stares around and arches...

  “Help my baby is a cat napper!” is the common cry from mums and dads. If your baby only sleeps for 20 minutes or less at a stretch during the day and wakes frequently at night, you are justified in feeling exhausted and frustrated. Many babies wake naturally after a sleep cycle – approximately 45 minutes. This is not unusual and it takes time for babies to link sleep cycles. But if your baby consistently wakes only 20 minutes into a sleep cycle or never links sleep cycles at night, you need to urgently get to the bottom of the sleep disruptions. Here are two common causes for...