Sleeping through the night
This
is the much longed for holy grail of parenthood. Pacing the corridors at 2am
with a crying baby is nobody’s idea of fun and it’s natural that you yearn for
a more mature approach to sleep from your infant!
In
the beginning, sleeping through the night will probably mean about seven hours
of interrupted and not particularly restful sleep for all concerned. It is
important to remember that your newborn has a tiny stomach and part of the
short sleeping cycles are due to the fact that he’s hungry and needs to feed.
This is perfectly normal and as he grows, so will his stomach and his digestive
abilities – allowing you a bit more respite from the seemingly endless demands
for food all day and night. A much-touted approach to this problem of feeding
at night has been to go about your task in the quietest, most business-like way
you can – keeping the lights dim, speaking in a whisper (if at all) and trying
not to engage with your baby. The idea behind this is that he’ll soon cotton on
to the fact that it isn’t playtime. It’ll help him to differentiate between
night and day and make him realize it’s time to go back to sleep.
After
the age of around six months, you may wish to try and wean
your baby off his night feed. This can be tackled by offering a bigger feed
before he hits the hay and by gradually offering him less when he wakes up. It
won’t take him long to establish that the trickle of milk you’re offering isn’t
worth waking up for. If you’re bottlefeeding, it might be worth watering down
the night-time milk feed once you can be sure your baby is getting enough milk
and solids during the day. This means gradually reducing the amount of milk
scoops you put in your baby’s bottle over the course of a week or so. That way,
the withdrawal isn’t such a shock. By one year of age, your baby will probably
be able to sleep for a much longer, uninterrupted chunks of time.
Of
course, the bedtime routine is another important way of
helping your child to differentiate between the daytime and the nighttime. Try
not to stay with your child as he drifts off to sleep or he may begin to
associate you with sleep and will start to need (read: demand!) you there as he
goes to sleep. Some experts recommend you encourage him to focus on a ‘lovey’ –
a blanket or a toy – that he can fall asleep with. This is much better than
relying on you as his sleep prop and in the long run it’ll make your life
easier. You can still go to him and show him you’re around, but make sure you
leave the room after comforting him.
Why
not chat to other moms about this, or other topics, by leaving a message on our
chat
forum. Alternately, if you want to meet other moms in your area
with similar age babies, visit our people section to find out what’s
happening in your area. If you have any unanswered questions, use our questions page to gain wisdom from other
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The information in this feature is intended for
educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the
health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a
doctor or other healthcare professional.
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Last Modified: 19/06/2007
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