Yours in sleep,
Tracie / Rest Well Baby
Developmental milestones can be motor, cognitive, or emotional. Some of the more common milestones include rolling over, sitting up, crawling, standing, walking, separation anxiety, language bursts and potty training. Milestones frequently affect sleep, but can also impact little ones socially, emotionally and in terms of feeding. Parents will often report a sudden regression in sleeping and/or eating right before a new milestone takes place (for example: right before a little one takes her first steps). For children these milestones can be exciting and cause new awareness that was not there before. During these developmental milestones children may be spending more time trying to master a new skill or need more reassurance from mom/dad, which can then impact normal routines, particularly sleep. While it can be challenging to know exactly when your little one is about to reach a developmental milestone, it’s best to stay flexible, but consistent with your child’s schedule. In addition, giving your child some extra support (if needed) and plenty of time to work on her new skill during the day is important. Generally, if you stay the course your child should adjust fairly quickly.
Yours in sleep, Tracie / Rest Well Baby During the first 4 months of life it’s okay to do whatever you need to safely do in order to help your baby sleep. This may include things like feeding, walking, rocking, etc.
Try not to play with or talk to your newborn during middle of the night feedings and diaper changes. Save the playing and talking for the daytime. Engaging your baby in the middle of the night can unintentionally reinforce those wakeups. At about 6-8 weeks weeks of age you can start implementing a simple bedtime routine to help your baby wind down and get ready for bed. Yours in sleep, Tracie / Rest Well Baby Napping on the go in the car, stroller, etc. can sometimes lead to shorter naps due to environmental disruptions (noise, light, etc.) and external stimulation (so much to see). As a result, most toddlers tend to nap better when they nap in a quiet, dark, cool, familiar sleep space.
If your little ones tends to nap best at home then it can be helpful to structure your day so that you can be home for naps whenever possible. If your little ones will nap well on the go and still sleeps well at night, then you can follow a bit more of a flexible nap schedule. However, it is still advisable to have your little one nap at home at least a few times a week so that he/she is still accustomed to napping in his/her crib. If you have a little one who is not napping well, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly at: [email protected] to learn how I can help your family get the gift of sleep. Yours in sleep, Tracie / Rest Well Baby |
Archives
April 2024
|