Tried These Sleep Specialists Before Now? You Should!
Understanding the variability between Sleep Specialists can assist individuals make the right selection when it comes to decision time.
Newborn bedtime routines don’t have to be elaborate or formalized, after all, baby is still adjusting to life outside the womb! Rather, parents should focus on a series of simple steps they can take to help baby learn it’s time to sleep. Throughout human history, in cultures throughout the world, mothers have lain alongside their infants. But people in these cultures were sleeping on very firm surfaces — like mats on a hard floor — and they didn’t expose their infants to soft bedding, which can cause terrible suffocation accidents, and increase the risk of SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome. A newborn baby’s sleep routine does depend on your baby’s needs. Though, you can try to adjust it to your preferred schedule. For example, feeding your newborn before you go to sleep can sometimes allow you a longer sleep as they may not wake for feeding as quickly. However, it’s important to be prepared for routines to suddenly change as your baby grows and develops into different stages. The good news is that as babies get older, they need fewer night feeds and usually sleep for longer periods. All babies have different sleep patterns and parents and babies are usually happiest if you follow your baby’s sleep cues to form a gentle routine rather than imposing a routine on them. Sometimes high-need babies associate a parent’s body with play and stimulation and will not drift off to sleep in a human swing. For them, the mechanical one is less stimulating, if not downright boring, and therefore can be a useful part of a sleep-ritual repertoire. If your baby hates being put down to sleep, you don't have to force her to do it. But you should try to transition to cot sleep - even if it's slowly. 
It is fine to swaddle your baby. However, make sure that the baby is always on his or her back when swaddled. The swaddle should not be too tight or make it hard for the baby to breathe or move his or her hips. When your baby looks like he or she is trying to roll over, you should stop swaddling. Consistency can help your baby sleep, so aim to put them in the same place for both daytime and nighttime sleeps, where practical. Keeping them in the same room as you while they sleep is advised for the first six months. Never place your baby on their side or stomach for sleep or naps. If your baby is awake, give your child time on their tummy as long as you are watching. This can reduce the chance that your child will develop a flat head. The car seat is not a safe place for your baby to snooze in, except for little naps while you’re taking a short car trip. During the first six months of life, a baby’s heavy head can fall forward when she is seated, causing difficulty breathing and asphyxiation. There are multiple approaches to ferber method and a sleep expert will help you choose one that is right for you and your family.
Improving Bonding Between You And Baby
If baby starts to cry overnight, hold off for a few minutes before entering her room — she may fall back to sleep by herself. When you do go in, offer some quick comfort with a pat on the head or a tummy rub, but don’t linger or pick her up, as she may come to expect it every time. If your baby is particularly allergy-prone, a HEPA-type air filter will help. As an added nighttime perk, the “white noise” from the hum of the air filter may help baby stay asleep. Babies who have regular baby massage sessions are said to fall asleep more easily and stay asleep for longer which may mean more sleep for you. Around week six is typically when babies become much more alert, and reflux issues often emerge. Your formerly peaceful and calm baby may now become fussy, even inconsolable, especially around dinnertime—the newborn witching hour. Sleeping, like eating, is not a state you can force a baby into. The best you can do is to create a secure environment that allows sleep to overtake your baby. A realistic long- term goal is to help your baby develop a healthy attitude about sleep. Baby should feel that sleep is a pleasant state to enter and a secure state to remain in. A sleep expert will be with you every step of the way, guiding you on how best to find a solution to your sleep concerns, whether its sleep regression or one of an untold number of other things.
Often times, sleep training techniques overlap and parents combine methods, which is perfectly fine. It’s all about finding what works best for you as a parent and how your infant responds. Like the price of a home is determined by Location, Location, Location, the likelihood your baby sleeps well is determined by your Routine, Routine, Routine. To support longer consolidated periods of sleep overnight, your infant’s sleep wake homeostasis needs to reduce. taking away the need for daytime naps. It can be that your child is closer to 3-5 years that daytime wakefulness is sustained without a nap, leading to an increased sleep drive by bedtime. Balancing how to respond to night wakings and the need for night feedings is something to discuss with your baby’s health care provider when you are working on sleep training. Many babies will fall asleep in a car seat; however travel systems and car seats should not be used as a routine sleep environment or for long periods of time. Once the parent/carer has arrived at their destination, the baby should be removed from the car seat and placed in their cot/Moses basket/travel cot. Whether its something specific like gentle sleep training or really anything baby sleep related, a baby sleep consultant can guide you to find a sleep solution as individual as your baby is.
Signs That Show Your Baby Is Ready For A Sleep
Your baby is unique and may sleep differently to other babies. Some babies sleep for long periods, others for short bursts. They will sleep during the day and night. They might sleep for anything between a few minutes to a few hours at a time. Bedside sleeping is when your baby sleeps in a bedside cot. This allows you to be close to them without sharing the same bed. The idea is that the bedside cot attaches securely to your bed, at the same level as your mattress with the side next to you open. Then you can reach out to your baby without the bother of getting out of bed. Learning how to calm a baby’s crying and boost sleep can actually boost nursing success, not undermine it. That’s why hundreds of breast-feeding clinics help nursing moms succeed by teaching them swaddling. For newborns, sleep during the early months occurs around the clock and the sleep-wake cycle is driven by the need to be fed, changed and given attention. As your child gets older, it can be helpful to keep to a similar bedtime routine. Too much excitement and stimulation just before bedtime can wake your child up again. Spend some time winding down and doing some calmer activities, like reading. If you need guidance on sleep training then let a sleep consultant support you in unlocking your child's potential, with their gentle, empathetic approach to sleep.
Sunlight triggers cortisol which keeps us alert. Therefore we recommend blackout blinds as they are useful for spring/summer months with their light evenings and early mornings. They are also useful for naps during the day. All babies change their sleep patterns. Just when you think you have it sorted and you've all had a good night's sleep, the next night you might be up every 2 hours. Be prepared to change routines as your baby grows and enters different stages. And remember, growth spurts, teething and illnesses can all affect how your baby sleeps. If you live with your partner or another adult, make a plan together of how you will both fit in rest, as well as time with the baby. Some parents choose to bed share with their babies. This means that their baby shares the same bed with an adult for most of the night, and not just to be comforted or fed. Some parents also choose to sleep with their baby in other places. Designate the nursery as a room for sleep, not play. Keep the area around the crib free of toys and other fun knick knacks The gentle approach and caring manner of a baby sleep expert allows them to assist you in the most preferable way to deal with 4 month sleep regression and to assist you and your family in any way possible.
Effective Sleep Strategies
Use opaque shades to block out the light, which may get you an extra hour of sleep if you have one of those little roosters who awakens to the first ray of sunlight entering the bedroom. It can take several weeks, even months before your baby is sleeping through the night and being more awake during the day. In the meantime, there are a number of strategies you can employ to help your baby get into the habit of sleeping at night and being awake during the day. Over the years of putting our own children to sleep, keeping them asleep, and counseling thousands of other moms and dads on various styles of nighttime parenting, here are some time-tested, proven attitudes and techniques for getting baby to sleep. Uncover additional facts on the topic of Sleep Specialists at this NHS page.
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