Baby can’t sleep – This article goes over 6 reasons why your baby can’t sleep and what you can do about it.

Baby sleeping can be a big issue for parents and babies. We want them to have restful nights sleep and enough sleep so that we can catch up on it ourselves. However in those first few weeks it is almost impossible to get the sleep you want because you are learning about your new bundle of joy and trying to pick up cues of what your baby needs from you. Below are the top 6 reasons why babies can’t or find it difficult to sleep.

1. Baby needs to be changed - Newborn babies really want to be clean and dry and hate being wet and uncomfortable. It is only when time and time again they don’t get changed quickly enough or that they have to wait in a soiled diaper, that they get used to it. This is why many parents try to practise elimination communication and be in tune with their baby’s habits. So with this in mind, it is no wonder why a baby can’t sleep. You wouldn’t like it either if you were stuck in a dirty diaper! This is probably the first thing anyone would check for too.

2. Baby is hungry – Of course it can be very difficult to sleep if you are hungry, this is no different for a baby. Newborns will eat every 2 hours or more if they need it, it takes time for them to develop a good sucking motion to be able to draw out more milk from the breast in less time and it also takes time for their tummies to expand and be able to hold more. Making sure your baby is well fed before sleeping is a good idea and for nights feeds you may want to keep the environment dark still and as quite as possible. Having baby in bed with your or right next to your bed in a baby cot bed will help prevent your baby fully waken up if they need something for you as you will wake to their little muffles. This will ensure that they get back to sleep straight away and also will make sure your sleep is disturbed less too.

3. Baby is too hot – Babies aren’t very good at regulating their temperature and rely on you to do that for them. It can also be very easy for them to overheat. Make sure they don’t have too many layers. It may also be worth getting a thermometer for the room they sleep in to make sure it isn’t overheated.

4. Baby is too cold – Babies need more layers than us to make sure they don’t get cold and maintain a good temperature. If it’s fairly cold you may even want to swaddle them for extra comfort and security.

5. Baby is over stimulated – All babies are different. Some babies can get to sleep well by looking up at moving mobiles while others need a quiet dark place. I got my son used to noises by letting him sleep on me around family and people during the day. This seemed to help him sleep in any situation. Toddlers can be worse than babies in that they keep themselves awake by distraction and exploring things. The best thing you can do is to create a calming environment an hour before bedtime to get them settle and ready.

6. Baby is teething – Teething isn’t something we automatically think of at first because we don’t really expect our newborn to being having issues! I remember one time when my son (he was 2 months old) was experiencing teething problems but I didn’t work it out until he was pretty much over it! I tried everything to soothe him and then as he started to settle I for some reason decided to rub his gums – it soothed him and his last muffles ended. Parenting is definitely a learning curve.

These are 6 things that could be preventing your baby from sleeping but sometimes there really isn’t a reason. All you can do is accept the situation and be at peace with it – this is best for your baby and you. Sometimes babies just like to cry.

Breastfeeding is something that is very rare in the Western world. Of those who do choose to breastfeed only a small percentage will continue after 6 weeks and an even smaller percentage go on after 6 months. Despite this there does seem to be encouragement of breastfeeding and an increase in those who opt to do so.

For me personally, I am considered an extended breast feeder. I still nurse my 2 and a half year old. Some people consider this to be disgusting, while others consider this admirable. I just do what is right for me and my son. I find it naturally and haven’t overcomplicated it by over thinking it. I also haven’t fallen into the trap of caring what others think either.

It has been fairly challenging at times to continue feeding my son as when he goes through growth spurts he can have restless nights that send him into a feeding frenzy. However despite this, nursing has been an enjoyable experience and something I don’t see as being a hassle at all. I enjoy sitting with my son and know that each time is a time for us to bond that little bit more. I also find these days, nursing is more about comfort for my son than nutrition, although he does tend to have an extended feed in the morning. Besides this he rarely nurses during the day and when he does it is for comfort or because he is thirsty. It is at these moments that I tend to offer him water first and most of the time he opts for that choice.

Breastfeeding isn’t the same for a toddler as a newborn. I think this might be the reason many people think its weird because they maybe seeing in their mind’s eye a woman nursing a toddler the same way they do a newborn. A newborn feeds very often, a toddler doesn’t.

I have really enjoyed the natural progression my son has taken with nursing. I chose to let him do his own weaning onto solid foods and he did that pretty well, although his interest only really became apparent at around 14 months. I also intend to let him wean himself nursing as he is doing a good job so far. I just think that it’s a lot easier to do than to try and force him away when he isn’t ready. I also think breastfeeding isn’t just a nutritional component, it truly is a bonding experience that I don’t think anyone can understand until they do it. It can be very subtle at times and you can still continue the bonding process without even really realizing, but every feed offers something to both you and your child.

Overall my experience with breastfeeding has been great, however it hasn’t always been easy. My first few weeks were a nightmare and I really struggled. I was lucky to have superb support from a midwife who helped me get where I wanted to get. It can be difficult at first but once its established its one of the best things you can do for your child and yourself.

baby cot beds

There are many different parenting styles out there and many parents strive to find the best style for them, while others go with the flow and naturally fall into different types. This article is about Authoritative parenting, an approach to parenting that seeks to set rules and guidelines that are in the best interests of their baby.

Authoritative parenting is a style that provides rules and structure to a child’s life. The rules give structure without being overly strict thus allowing your child to explore, test and begin to learn acceptable behavior. This type of style also allows parents to express love as it isn’t a style that believes showing love and affection will undermine their control in the household.

Authoritative parenting makes it clear that the parent is in charge of the household but it does so without creating a rigid environment, as it believes in flexibility. This is because this style believes in creating structure but not so much that a child is scared of trying new things or scared of doing anything on their own. Instead of seeing bad behavior as a challenge to authority, parents see bad behavior as an opportunity to teach, encouraging children to see why their behavior is bad and what behaviors are more appropriate in different situations.

Those who use this approach believe that children benefit from this approach in several ways. These include having the confidence to try new things, having a desire to learn new things, having mental and emotional balance, having freedom to express and develop their character and also developing a loving respect for family and people in general.

This parenting style is considered to take all the attractive qualities of other approaches and tends to eliminate approaches that are based on fear or negative factors.

Authoritative parenting has some pros and cons to it. This style can be difficult to maintain if a child is particularly difficult or wilful. It requires a great deal of patience to be ale to maintain and adds an additional responsibility on to parents. This approach also requires periodic reviews, as one needs to factor in the growth, development and change in needs of a child.

Despite these, authoritative parenting can give children the power and freedom to ask questions and voice opinions. Children also know exactly what is expected of them and responsibilities are catered to their age and development.

baby cot beds

This articles goes over common teething symptoms and what you can do to help your baby with the pain and stress of teething.

Teething is something that can be very distressing for a parent but is also one of those milestones that a baby comes to. Teething can start earlier than most people think and even before any teeth decide to pop through. Some babies may have teething symptoms in the first few months. Some babies also may not have teething issues at all and may have teeth appear without hassle, but unfortunately the likely outcome is that there will be some discomfort.

Of course though like us all, babies deal with pain differently. Some many seem to not be able to cope at all, while others can deal with the pain without making much too fuss about it.

The best way to know if your baby is experiencing teething issues is to understand and recognize the symptoms. Teething signs usually start a few months before the first tooth comes through so knowing symptoms is your only indication of whether it is a teething issue. It is important to know because teething gets blamed for many different things for example fever, diarrhoea and runny noses to name a gew. However, according to many health professionals, teething shouldn’t make your baby ill at all.

So what are teething symptoms? Below are a few to look out for:

Irritability – this was a big one for my son. He always showed his frustration with anything including teething. I remember how frustrated he would act trying to crawl! Irritability and restless are signs that teething could be an issues.

Disturbed sleep.

Flushed/red cheeks

Lose of appetite

Slight rise in temperature

Dribbling – This can seem fairly excessive as well and may cause your baby to get a sore chin from it all.

Chewing everything.

An urge to bite.

Sore red gums.

There are many things that you can do to help teething. Sometimes letting your baby chew on a cold cloth or bite on a carrot can really help. Sometimes just using a finger to rub your baby’s gums can help. A pacifier is also a good option and can help a child focus on something else. I didn’t want to use teething gels or medication and my son used a pacifier until he was ten months old for teething issues and this worked wonders for him. At 10 months old he experienced teething issues but when I tried to give him the pacifier, he threw it at me and decided from then on he wanted to deal with the pain alone. You can really pick up cues from your child, so see what they want as well. My son seemed to deal with teething really well after this point, so I am glad I chose to let him feel the pain so to speak.

Baby Cot Beds

Co-sleeping is a wonderful thing that many parents decide never to do.

It provides a much calmer environment and home life, better security for your baby and a feeling of closeness between parents and child. Below are 4 reasons why co-sleeping can be something wonderful to do. Of course there are many more reasons then the ones stated below but they are a start!

1. Co-sleeping makes breastfeeding easy. There is no need to get up and go to another room and to hear your baby crying. Instead you can easily feed your baby without having to be fully woken up by crying. Your baby will be a little restless and this will nudge you enough to know your baby wants to feed. No crying baby or fully woken baby and no fully woken mother. Instead both of you can get the rest you both need.

2. When baby and mother sleep together they tend to have coordinated sleep and dream cycles. This makes mother very sensitive to baby and baby’s movements etc. By being close to baby not only will a mother’s breathing giving your baby cues and help with reminding your child to breathe properly, it can also help prevent SIDS as you will be able to wake your baby if you sense something wrong. This isn’t something you can do if your baby is in a different room.

3. Babies and children who find themselves separated from their parents during the day get any opportunity to partially make up for this during the night. This can help with re-establishing emotional bonds.

4. Less disturbance for everyone. When a baby is put into a different room in a baby cot bed, they have to cry for attention. This can disturb the entire household. When a baby is close to their mother, they only have to make a small noise and their mother will be aware and be able to give them what they need. This makes everyone including mother and baby have a much better nights sleep and there will be less tension in the family.

A baby or child who is cared for during the day and night will receive constant reassurance, support and love instead of having to cope with fear, anger and abandonment night after night. While this may seem dramatic, it isn’t. Babies do not know they are in a safe environment/house. Babies only know they are safe when they are close to their mother, and cosleeping is perfect for this.

Co-sleeping is a wonderful thing to do for yourself and your baby. This article addresses some of the pros and cons of co sleeping.

Co-sleeping is a wonderful experience for both baby and mother and has many pros to it, with very little cons. The La Leche League even recommend cosleeping from birth and many other professional lactation consultants agree with these sentiments.

While many people worry about safety issues, there are several benefits to consider with co-sleeping. First of all cosleeping make breastfeeding easier giving less disturbed sleep for both mother and child. When your baby is close to you they don’t need to cry to get your attention and thus wake you both up. Instead you will be right there and will only need to guide baby to breast while half asleep. You are very sensitive to your baby being next to you and thus will have no problem being intune with their movements. You may not even realize you have breastfed as well, as many studies have shown that co-sleeping mothers tend to nurse their infants much more than non co-sleepers but they don’t recall it the next day.

As well as making breastfeeding easier, your sleep may very well be more fulfilling. So will your babies. Studies have shown that despite being aroused more often to nurse your child, co-sleepers get much more sleep and more quality sleep and so does baby.

Non co-sleepers tend to have to get up, out of bed and go attend to a crying baby, as a co-sleeper it will be a very rare occasion when your child cries as your child can feel and hear you next to them. This means your baby will be more content, more rested and more reassured.

Despite the benefits of co-sleeping to both mother and child, many Paediatricians and Doctors believe there are some serious negative consequences to it. They believe that co-sleeping can create negative habits or sleep disorders in children as well as making children more dependent on their parents. However studies have failed to show a link between sleep disorders and co-sleeping.

Other cons that people cite for co-sleeping are usually around inconvenience. Many parents want their marital bed to be theirs at the expense of their child’s well being. However this isn’t necessarily true. Many co-sleepers find that sharing a bed with their child does not interfere with their marital relationship and isn’t an inconvenience. In fact life is much easier this way then having a child in a baby cot bed.

One con that is cited most frequently is the danger of suffocation or rolling on to your child. If you are not taking any drugs (prescription or illegal), alcohol or anything that can affect you, then co-sleeping is a safe practise. Mothers are very intune with their baby and know where they are while sleeping, however this may not be the case for the father. Always be careful when co-sleeping but remember that the benefits to the practise far out way the cons of co-sleeping.