Create a sleep zone and stick to it. This may be in her own room, or in your room. It doesn’t matter where it is, as long as it is a ‘zone’ where sleep happens – she will learn to recognize it as such. At sleep time, put your baby to bed. Try to avoid […]
If you have ever been delayed in transit due to inclement weather and had to sleep in the airport, you will agree that it was not the best night sleep you have ever had! The hard floor, bright lights, sterile smells and jarring sounds of the environment are not conducive to peaceful sleep. You may […]
“People who say they sleep like a baby usually don’t have one” Leo J Burke Ask any sleep deprived mother and she will attest to the fact that her ability to function and parent well is hindered by lack of sleep. We crave the energising and renewing feeling sleep gives us and yet for many, sleep […]
Remember back to the days of waking when, well – whenever you woke? These days long gone, as parents we face early morning wakings as a matter of routine. When your baby wakes at 6am, you reluctantly get out of bed and greet the day. But when your baby thinks the day starts at 4 […]
Sleep is most parents’ first separation from their baby. And for many this elicits anxiety. I am sure the scene of a mother crouching over her sleeping baby to hear if he is breathing is familiar to most parents. We do this because of the terrible scare of cot death. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) […]
Guidelines for different sleep routines at different ages. 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 […]
When your baby isn’t sleeping through the night or is resisting falling asleep, you will find yourself grasping at any clue as to why your little one doesn’t sleep ‘like a baby’. The first and possibly greatest myth is found in that little phrase: ‘sleeps like a baby’. The reality is that babies aren’t naturally […]
Herewith, an easy to use table outlining your little one’s sleep for the first 4 years covering hours of sleep required, number of day sleeps, and common problems to rule out. “When will my baby sleep through the night?” “Why is he waking at night?” “When should she sleep during the day?” These are just […]
Ever wondered why sleep deprivation is so devastating and why it is that you battle to make decisions, cope with a crying toddler or recall vital information when exhausted. It has something to do with the roles the different sleep states have with regards to our brains. The roles of each sleep state Cycling in […]
Illness can affect your child’s sleep, so Ann Richardson gives ideas on getting your baby through the night. It is a fact of parenting that somewhere along the line your little one will come down with a cough and a cold (commonly called “the flu”). Most of the time it will simply be a viral […]