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The first sleep problem many new parents face is a baby who has mixed up day and
night. He seems to like to sleep more during the day; his wakeful hours tend to
be at night. This shouldn’t be surprising. After all, he couldn’t care less whether
it’s night or day, so long as he’s fed, cuddled
and kept warm and dry. In the womb, it was pretty dark anyway and he never had the
chance to accmmodate to the day-night cycle.
For this reason, I give all parents the same advice. Play with your baby a lot during
the daytime. Wake him up to feed him if the usual amount of time has elapsed since
the last feeding. If you’re going to play with him, do it when it’s light outside.
Night-time is a different story. When you feed him after dark, do if efficiently
and with less fanfare. Don’t wake him to feed him when it’s dark out unless there
is a medical reason to do so. Let him learn very early on that daytime is fun time
and night-time is kind of low-key and boring. By two four months, most babies have
learned to be more awake during the day and to sleep for longer periods at night.
How much should a baby sleep? How much
should a baby sleep? Parents often ask this question. Of course the baby is the
only one who can answer it. One baby seems to need a lot, another surprisingly little.
As long as babies are satisfied with their feedings, are comfortable, get plenty
of fresh air and sleep in a cool place, you can leave it to them to get the amount
of sleep they need.
Most babies in the early months sleep from feeding to feeding if they are getting
enough to eat and not having indigestion. There are a few babies, though, who are
unusually wakeful right from the beginning and not because anything is wrong. If
you have this kind of baby, there’s nothing you need to do about it.
As babies get older gradually stay awake for longer periods and take fewer naps
during the day. You’re apt to notice it first in the late afternoon. In time they
become wakeful at other periods of the day. Each baby develops a personal pattern
of wakefulness, tending to be awake at the same times every day.
Sleeping with your baby. Experts often
have strong opinions about this, pro and con. I think it is a matter of personal
choice. Parents and babies sleep together in many cultures around the world. A parent
who is a n unusually deep sleeper or is under the influence of medications, drugs
or alcohol, might roll over and smother her baby. But for most parents, I think
the risk this happening is extremely small. A much bigger risk is that the parent
might not get a good night’s sleep because of always being aware of the baby next
to her. There is no evidence that sleeping together - or not sleeping together -
affects baby’s physical or emotional health. So it makes sense to do what feels
right and comfortable for you.
Sleep Safety Tips:
1. Always put babies to sleep on their backs (faceup), unless advised otherwise
by a doctor.
2. Remove soft, fluffy blankets pillows, cot bumpers and other cloth itemsthey increase
the risk of suffocation.
3. Use a safety-approved cradle, cosleeper or cot
4. Avoid overdressing or overbundpng hour baby; oveheating increases the risk of
SIDS.
5. Protect your baby from second-hand cigarette smoke, which increases the risk
of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and has other harmful effects as well.
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