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The theme of Baby Sleep Specialists can be puzzling. Lets try to simplify it. Good sleep hygiene (getting the environment right) is always of benefit and babies will feel comforted by routine; this can be nothing more than being put down in the same space to sleep, making sure the room is dark and quiet and doing night feeds in a quiet way rather than singing and playing! Having a bedtime is useful once baby starts to sleep for longer periods and doing all feeds after that as night feeds will encourage baby to go back to sleep calmly. Agree with your partner about what you’ll do when baby wakes in the middle of the night and who will do it. The number one way to fail is not to have plan. Set a date on calendar to start, and be consistent. That’ll make it so much easier for baby to learn. Be sure that there are no blankets, pillows, stuffed toys, or bumper pads around your baby, so that your baby does not roll into any of those items, which could block airflow. If you haven’t already started a bedtime routine now is a good time to begin. This routine should include a bath as this helps to prepare the body for sleep. Keep bath-time short and don’t be tempted to indulge in noisy splashing games as this will only help to stimulate your baby. Allow time for frequent naps throughout the day to support their night-time sleep, and consider implementing a regular bedtime routine to help them wind down beforehand. This can include a bath, baby massage, and gently changing them into their sleepwear as lullabies or white noise play gently in the background for added ambience. While stuffing baby with a glob of cereal before bedtime seldom works, it may be worth a try. A tablespoon or two given to a baby over six months of age may get you an extra hour or two. Tiny babies have tiny tummies, a bit bigger than the size of their fist. So, your baby’s digestive system was designed for small, frequent feedings, which is why, in the early months, babies feed at least every 3 to 4 hours at night and more often during the day. Be prepared to change routines as your baby grows and enters different stages of development. And remember, growth spurts, teething and illnesses can all affect how your baby sleeps. Young infants understand the world in a very sensory fashion, which is why they find the warmth and softness of your arms so soothing. In fact, research shows that a baby can tell if she's being held by one of her parents or someone else. She knows what Mommy feels and smells like. If your baby is three months or older, start a regular 15- to 30-minute (max!) routine that you can do every night and replicate from anywhere for months and years to come—even as your baby grows into a toddler. A sample routine might be brushing teeth, changing into pyjamas, dimming the lights, reading a few books, putting on the sleep sack, placing your child in the crib and then singing a soothing lullaby. If your well-meaning neighbor says to keep your tired baby awake during the day to boost her sleep at night, don’t do it! This strategy may work for adults, but it usually backfires with babies, leading to bigger struggles falling into sleep … and staying there. Sleep consultants support hundreds of families every year, assisting with things such as sleep training using gentle, tailored methods. # Solving Problems With Loving Consistency Regular naps are an important part of a newborn sleep schedule. Use a guide of 45min awake time before putting your little one down to sleep again. This will help prevent baby getting overtired and over-stimulated. Take the reins on those nighttime feedings. While it can be normal for babies to feed one or two times a night up to 9 months or even a year, that doesn’t mean you should be open for business all night long. You will need to wake up your baby to feed him if he is sleeping past the three-hour mark. In addition, you do not want your baby to get into the habit of sleeping for long stretches of five to six hours during the day. You want these stretches to occur at night. At around eight weeks, you may want to start to develop a calm, soothing bedtime routine. A bath, quiet cuddle, story or lullaby at the same time every night can help your baby to understand that it's time to go to bed. Eye contact seems to send a message to babies. Let’s have a conversation now. It’s party time. So in addition to keeping things as dark as possible, try to avoid conversation and eye contact in the middle of the night. It will make it easier for everyone to fall back to sleep, and it may help your baby develop more mature sleep patterns. If you're looking for a compassionate, effective and evidence-based approach to sleep or just advice on one thing like sleep regression then a baby sleep specialist will be able to help you. It’s possible for babies to sleep too much — and it’s definitely not recommended early in infancy. Remember, at 1 month of age your baby should feed at least eight to 12 times in the span of 24 hours, so letting a newborn sleep "all day" or more than the upper limit of 17 hours can mean she’ll miss out on the nutrition she needs. The motion of a swing chair or the rocking of a bouncer can be perfect for calming a baby to the point of napping, but again, if this seems the only place your baby will get off to sleep, it could be that your little one has got into depending on the swinging motion in order to nap. It’s a good idea to change this habit and encourage falling to sleep independently by going for a walk instead. Or try moving baby to their crib when the start showing signs of being sleepy tired. No single approach will work with all babies all the time or even all the time with the same baby. Don’t persist with a failing experiment. If the “sleep program” isn’t working for your family, drop it. Develop a nighttime parenting style that works for you. Babies have different nighttime temperaments and families have varied lifestyles. According to safe sleep experts, the best sleeping position for your baby is on their back in the 'feet-to-foot' position. The feet-to-foot position is where your baby's feet are at the end of the Moses basket, crib, or cot. When putting your little one down to rest, always lay them down on their back. Never put your baby to sleep on their front or side. Colds and ear infections can keep anyone awake at night — and your baby is no exception. Rest assured, once he starts feeling better, your baby should start sleeping better too. There are multiple approaches to ferber method and a sleep expert will help you choose one that is right for you and your family. # Stay Asleep Techniques There is nothing wrong with the bonding process of cuddling your baby. However, if you find you cuddle your baby to sleep and they can’t get to sleep on their own then you might need to implement a bedtime routine to separate the cuddles and the baby going off to sleep. Your baby will likely set (at least part) of his own sleep schedule: He might be an early riser and like to eat as soon as he wakes up, or he may like to sleep in and eat later in the morning. Either one is perfectly fine — babies vary as to how much sleep they need, and when they need it. Premature babies often have lighter and more active sleep than babies born at full-term, and this means that they can have more frequent sleep difficulties. This can include restlessness and breathing problems at night, like pauses in breathing during sleep (sleep apnoea). If your baby seems unsettled, you can try stroking them to reassure them that you are there. Newborns sleep a total of 14 to 17 hours across a 24 hour period, on an irregular schedule with periods of one to three hours spent awake. The sleep period may last a few minutes to several hours. During sleep, they are often active, twitching their arms and legs, smiling, sucking and generally appearing restless. It is rarely necessary to keep your heating on all night for baby, and adding an extra layer will usually help. Remember not to add a hat to your baby when they are indoors, as their head is important for maintaining their body temperature by releasing heat. The gentle approach and caring manner of a baby sleep expert allows them to assist you in the most preferable way to deal with gentle sleep training and to assist you and your family in any way possible. Caring for a baby can be very stressful and exhausting, especially when you are sleep-deprived, coping with opens in a new windowchildbirth trauma, or struggling with a baby that cries excessively. Sleep, and getting enough of it, is a common concern for every new parent, and navigating the challenges of getting your baby to sleep whilst ensuring they also sleep safely can be exhausting and overwhelming! Place your baby back in his or her own sleep space when you are ready to go to sleep. If there is any possibility that you might fall asleep, make sure there are no pillows, sheets, blankets, or any other items that could cover your baby's face, head, and neck, or overheat your baby. As soon as you wake up, be sure to move the baby to his or her own bed. It may be difficult when you first start introducing your baby to their own room to sleep in. To prepare for the move, have quiet play in their room during the day, avoid using clean bedsheets so they have a familiar smell and introduce naps in their own room, with the first nap of the day often the easiest to try new things. People always worry their baby will become addicted to or dependent on darkness and white noise, and then won’t be able to sleep without it. Newsflash: adults have sleep preferences too! I don’t like to sleep on planes, trains, or automobiles. I prefer sleeping in my bed, with my pillow, etc. A sleep consultant will take a holistic approach to create a sleeping system that you can manage and one which takes into account 4 month sleep regression as well as the needs of the baby and considerations of each family member. # Baby Sleep Problems With older babies feeding to sleep can continue to be effective at getting your baby to fall asleep. However feeding to sleep quickly becomes a firm habit, as baby learns to fall asleep by feeding. Over time this means they will want to be fed back to sleep every time they wake in the night, which is on average 4-6 times for babies over 5 months. Your baby's sleep pattern is probably not going to fit in with your sleep pattern. Try to sleep when your baby sleeps. If you feel your eyelids getting heavy and your baby is asleep, turn off your mobile and shut your eyes and just see what happens. The washing and ironing can wait. You and your baby are your top priority and if you can’t function then it isn’t good for anyone. Uncover extra particulars on the topic of Baby Sleep Specialists in this NHS web page. 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