7 tips for a restful night! (Your Baby and Sleep in general)

Member Name: Claribella

Product:	Your Baby and Sleep in general
Date:	08/11/08 (71 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sleepless nights are only for a season

Disadvantages: Babys can develop a habit of waking in the night :(

No one can prepare you for the first few months of life with a newborn baby. I was a Nursery Nurse so thought I had a bit of clue. It turns out I didn't realize how much endless sleepless nights would affect me.
My first son was born and it was amazing although I was already deprived of sleep as I had been in hospital being induced for 3 days before actually having him. Anyone who has ever stayed n hospital knows that you aren't ever going to get a peaceful 8hrs in there! He was born at 5am in the morning and he was pretty tired so slept for most of the day whilst Ihad visitor upon visitor. My husand left at 8 oclock that evening and returned 12 o clock the next day and I literally hadn't had an hour of sleep. I was so tired I had been hallucinating.
When we got home my son was constantly on the breast. He was a 'little and often' feeder. So for 2 weeks me and my husband were like zombies, getting up every 2-3hrs to feed and change. I was an emotional wreck, crying at every little thing and our patience with each other was non-excistent. Then we decided that we'd use an amazing little thing called 'a dummy'. It brought some sort of order back into our life and it was up hill from there. We also started a strict bedtime routine of bath, big feed and bed at 7pm. I'd put him down in his crib and let him cry it out which was hard but that's a different review. I'd also go to bed that time too and my husband would wake me at 10pm to give my son a top up feed. He was 11wks when he started sleeping from 10pm til 7pm and 14wks before he did 12hrs.

My second son was a totally different story. He was born at home at 8.37pm. When the midwife left we all went to bed and slept until 7am. He's only woken once in the night for feed from the start and is already showing that he can go 12hrs (he was 9wks when he did 6.30pm til 6am). We have been more relaxed with him and on occasions I have had him in the bed with me which I never did with my first son.

Here are my tips for a restful night for you and your baby:
1) Get a routine as early as possible
2) Don't be afraid to have your baby in bed with you for the odd night here and there.
3) Try to keep your baby awake f0r the two hours prior to their bedtime. It can be done but is sometimes a little stressful.
4) Don't be afraid to use a dummy. Iwas told not to as it would affect breast feeding but with both of mine it hasn't.
5) If they are waking very frequently In the night it could be due to habit especially as they get older. Try giving them water or letting them cry it out. Easier said than done I know.
6) Never let your baby fall to sleep sucking its dummy or you may find that he/she may not beable to get back to sleep when they stir In the night.
7) Sleep when your baby sleeps. This is possible. I still do it now with both my boys. I have just got them both into the routine of going down for there nap at the same time. One is 22months and the other is 10wks today.

I think the main thing that really helped me, especially the first time around is that these sleepless nights are only for a season. Even if it takes your child a year to sleep through then what's a year out of a lifetime?

I hope this helps.

Summary: Get into a routine early and you'll be well on your way to 8 hours a night