Baby Care: Sleeping Time By Age

The amount of sleep a child needs varies depending on the individual and certain factors, including the age of the child. Following are some general guidelines:

1-4 Weeks Old: 15 - 16 hours per day

Newborns typically sleep about 15 to 18 hours a day, but only in short periods of two to four hours. Premature babies may sleep longer and colicky ones shorter.

Since newborns do not yet have an internal biological clock, or circadian rhythm, their sleep patterns are not related to the daylight and nighttime cycles. In fact, they tend not to have much of a pattern at all.

1-4 Months Old: 14 - 15 hours per day

By 6 weeks of age your baby is beginning to settle down a bit, and you may notice more regular sleep patterns emerging. The longest periods of sleep run four to six hours and now tends to occur more regularly in the evening. Day-night confusion ends.

4-12 Months Old: 14 - 15 hours per day

While up to 15 hours is ideal, most infants up to 11 months old get only about 12 hours sleep. Establishing healthy sleep habits is a primary goal during this period, as your baby is now much more social, and his sleep patterns are more adult-like.

Babies typically have three naps and drop to two at around 6 months old, at which time (or earlier) they are physically capable of sleeping through the night. Establishing regular naps generally happens at the latter part of this time frame, as his biological rhythms mature. The mid morning nap usually starts at 9 a.m. and lasts about an hour. The early afternoon nap starts between noon and 2 p.m. and lasts an hour or two. And the late afternoon nap may start from 3 to 5 p.m. and is variable in duration.

1-3 Years Old: 12 - 14 hours per day

As your child moves past the first year toward 18-21 months of age he will likely lose his morning nap and nap only once a day. While toddlers need up to 14 hours a day of sleep, they typically get only about 10.

Most children from about 21 to 36 months of age still need one nap a day, which may range from one to three and a half hours long. They typically go to bed between 7 and 9 p.m. and wake up between 6 and 8 a.m.

3-6 Years Old: 10 - 12 hours per day

Children at this age typically go to bed between 7 and 9 p.m. and wake up around 6 and 8 a.m., just as they did when they were younger. At 3, most children are still napping, while at 5, most are not. Naps gradually become shorter as well. New sleep problems do not usually develop after 3 years of age.

7-12 Years Old: 10 - 11 hours per day

At these ages, with social, school, and family activities, bedtimes gradually become later and later, with most 12-years-olds going to bed at about 9 p.m. There is still a wide range of bedtimes, from 7:30 to 10 p.m., as well as total sleep times, from 9 to 12 hours, although the average is only about 9 hours.

12-18 Years Old: 8 - 9 hours per day

Sleep needs remain just as vital to health and well-being for teenagers as when they were younger. It turns out that many teenagers actually may need more sleep than in previous years. Now, however, social pressures conspire against getting the proper amount and quality of sleep.

Environment For Baby To Sleep

One of the most crucial things you can do to ensure that your baby sleeps well - and on his own - is to create a comfortable environment in which for him to sleep. The initial reaction of most people when they think of an environment that is conducive to sleep is one as quiet as possible. In most cases this isn't the best solution for your baby. You have to keep in mind where your baby has been sleeping for the last nine months: in the womb.

During the baby's time in the womb, he slept in all sorts of situations where he was surrounded by noise - while the mother was out in public, or talking to people. It is for this reason that many people believe that the environment most conducive to a baby's sleep is one that involves soothing background noises.

Much like the baby in the womb became used to sleeping to the sounds of a mother's beating heart, a baby will often sleep better when exposed to chatter and other murmuring sounds, as long as they are kept reasonably quiet. What you want to avoid are sudden loud sounds, which will - naturally -- startle your baby.

Some parents choose to invest in products - usually audio cds -- that replicate soothing sounds in the baby's room, but in most cases this is not necessary. It is simply enough to understand that an attempt to create complete silence when your baby is sleeping is often not as effective as leaving the door open a little. The ambient noise of the room, and of other people moving around the house, will in many cases make your baby sleep much better.

Getting Baby Sleep

If at the age of five or six months your baby is still having problems sleeping on his own, you will have to consider a more strict methodology in getting the child to go to sleep unaided. The most common method for achieving this is taught by Dr. Richard Ferber, and is based on the principle of getting your child to learn to fall asleep on his own.

Most children will learn to sleep on their own in a relatively short time using the Ferber method. Nevertheless, it is important that you implement the Ferber method during a time when you can afford to lose some sleep: it does require listing to lots of crying while your child learns to sleep on his own. If you waver and let your child fall asleep in your bed or with you, you may be undoing a lot of hard work.

You start by developing a bedtime routine that ends with your child being left on his own to fall asleep. The first night, place your child to bed - awake - on his own, and when he inevitably cries, wait around 5 minutes. After that time re-enter the room and console him, but not for too long - avoid picking him up or rocking him when you enter the room. After a brief time in the room leave, and this time allow him to cry for 10 minutes before returning. After you console him a second time, leave and wait 15 minutes before returning if he is still crying. Set your wait limit at 15 minutes and repeat the process - the idea is that the child will fall asleep on his own during one of the 15 minute intervals you are out of the room.

The second night, begin with a 10 minute wait time, moving to 15 and then 20 as a maximum. Increase your initial and subsequent wait  times by 5 minutes each day. Your child will soon learn to sleep on his  own using this method.

Baby Development In Create Associations With Sleep

One of the key factors in your baby's development is in creating associations with sleep. It is important, therefore, to instill a bedtime routine with your child that includes sleep associations he or she can replicate for him or herself. The idea is to get your child to a point where if he wakes in the middle of the night, he can go back to sleep on his own.

Establish a bedtime routine with your child that includes things like a final changing and feeding, etc. The best thing you can do is to put your child to sleep at a point during the day when they feel quite drowsy, but are still aware enough to take in their surroundings and develop their own sleep associations.

The worst thing you can do is get your child used to falling asleep with you there. If your child develops sleep associations with a pacifier or by being rocked, when she wakes up in the middle of the night she won't be able to recreate her sleeping situation on her own - because you won't be there to rock or feed her.

Instead, try getting your child to associate with things like a stuffed toy or blanket. The idea is that if your child makes sleep associations with these items, he can recreate the sleep situation on his own when he wakes up in the middle of the night. Instead of waking up and crying for a feeding or to be rocked, the child will be able to grab his stuffed animal or blanket and re-create on his own a situation conducive to sleep.

In this same vein, parents should consider the use of what is called a "transitional object." This is something you allow your child access to only before bedtime, and which he can bring to bed. So as your child gets his final bedtime story, allow him to have his blanket or stuffed animal, and allow him to keep the object with him as he's put to bed.

Newborns Roomlight

Although it seems somewhat counter-intuitive, ensure that when your baby naps, he or she does so in a well lit area. This will likely ensure that your baby naps for shorter periods of time, which will make him more tired in the evening hours, and help him sleep better at night.

The reason letting your baby nap in a brightly lit room is a good idea is that it strikes a delicate balance for the parent: it allows you to influence your baby's sleep habits without too much direct interference. The problem is that nobody likes to rouse their baby while he is sleeping -- in fact you're probably enjoying the peace when he is - and yet at the same time you want to try and prevent him from sleeping throughout the day and bothering you at night. By letting your baby sleep in a well lit room you encourage shorter naps without actually having to go through the unpleasant experience of physically waking your child.

In keeping with this idea, try not to encourage long or extensive napping. Many parents, when they see their baby fall asleep during the day, will do everything they perceive as needed for their child's comfort. This is natural, of course, but often extends to drawing the curtains and turning out the lights in the room. By doing this you are ensuring that your child will nap for a long time, and can count on him or her being awake repeatedly throughout the night.

Baby Sleep Tips

One of the most difficult things for new parents to deal with is a newborn's sleeping habits. Most of us are familiar with the circles around the eyes of new parents and their complaints about lack of sleep. Here are 5 baby sleep tips, which will hopefully help both your newborn - and you- to get a solid night's rest.

Develop and Stick to a Routine

• One of the most important things you can do in terms of getting your newborn to sleep better is to establish a routine, and to stick to it. The more regular your baby's sleeping hours are, the more likely he or she will be able to sleep solidly throughout the night.

• As soon as possible, try and establish a sleeping pattern with your newborn that mimics the one in the rest of the household - in other words, one in which most of the sleeping is done at night. If you find that your newborn is sleeping-in because of being up late at night, rouse him or her at the time when you normally get up. By doing this it's more likely that your newborn will be tired and sleep in the evenings.

• On a general level, there will be no way to avoid the fact that your baby's sleeping habits are going to be irregular, and there are, of course, going to be times when the baby simply wants to be awake when the rest of the family wants to be asleep. Over time, however, your newborn will begin to adjust to your family's regular sleeping habits if you instill in him or her at an early age a sense of routine.

• A baby, particularly when he or she is very young, is heavily influenced by these routines. As much as possible, you should resist the temptation to let the newborn arrange his or her sleeping habits. The baby, of course, will want to sleep a lot -- which is fine -- but don't let the baby sleep too late into the morning. By establishing a routine with your baby from a young age you will ensure that the transition into more regular sleeping habits is both a quicker and smoother one.

Baby Sleep Myths For New Parents

When newborns are brought home from the hospital, they are treated with extra care, love and security. The only reason is because they are small and delicate. In everyone's life when a little being enters a home for the first time, old folks come up with strange myths that often frighten the new parents. These strange myths about babies usually end up in fear for the new mummy and daddy thus leading to being over protective.

 For those new parents who have welcomed their new bundle of joy into their home recently, these baby myths about sleep is untrue and we give you factual reasons for them being so.

Take a look at some of the baby myths about sleep which have been debunked. It is time for you to relax and just be a normal parent to your little baby. Take a look at some of these baby myths about their sleep.

 #Myth: It is okay to let the dog sleep in the newborn's room According to experts, they say that a newborn and pet should not be left alone in the nursery. It is believed that at times pets can get a little wobbly when it comes to their behaviour. The best option is for parents to make their pet sleep away from the newborn. 

#Myth: Newborn should sleep through the night at 12 weeks There are only a few cases where your newborn will sleep through the night at 12 weeks. For those of you who are not that lucky need to set a consistent routine so that the child gets into a regular sleeping habit. Every new parent needs to establish a short, calming bedtime routine which will allow the baby to fall asleep on his own.

 #Myth: Crib bumpers protect the baby It is only normal that every parent thinks that a crib bumper will protect their child in every way. However, crib bumpers like puffy beds, pillows and sleep positioners can be quite harmful for the baby. One of the main dangers is that they can pose a suffocation risk. 

#Myth: The nursery should be always quiet Many a times we have come across posters on the wall, which reads - Shhhhh..... be quite, baby is sleeping, do not disturb! According to experts, newborns actually love background music with a shushing sound which will help them to sleep better. If you have trouble calming down a crying baby or getting her to sleep, place a musical instrument in the nursery.

#Myth: Never wake a sleeping baby You must have heard this a million times from people who are older to you. No matter how much they tell you not to wake a sleeping baby, do not follow it. In the first few weeks your baby needs to eat every two to three hours. So, there will be times when you will be forced to wake your little one for a feeding.

 #Myth: Late bedtime prevents early to rise Most parents blindly follow this myth. They make it a habit to keep their baby up late at night so that the child wakes up later in the morning. Parents who follow this routine will make their babies become lazy as they grow up into toddlers. 

Therefore, these are some of the baby myths about sleep every parent should keep aside and turn a deaf ear to.

Refer: 

Baby Sleep Basics

Baby Sleep Solutions For Parents

Baby Sleep Basics

Baby Sleep Solutions For Parents

Is your little baby having trouble sleeping at night. Here are some parenting tips which can help you and your little one earn the much-needed sleep that you might be deprived off. It is essential to follow these sleep solutions for your baby as it is very important for them to have a good sounds sleep. It is also said that little babies should sleep for 12 hours in a day as they grow while sleeping.

You can now follow these easy parenting tips so that your little infant has good sounds sleep and is not disturbed by anything. As parents the last thing you want to do right before bed is excite your baby. It is also said that prolonged or animated eye contact with you is one of the most stimulating things for your little love to feel secured and sleep better. So when you are with your little one trying to nap her, avert your eyes when you are putting him/her to sleep.

1. One of the best tricks which will work for your baby to sleep well is by giving him or her nice warm bath. Which baby does not like a warm nice bath combined with soft and loving massages from their mummy. Leave aside the squishy toys and keep voices low when it is bath time for a soothing experience for your little baby. 

2. Co sleeping helps a lot when it comes to baby sleep solutions. If you are for co sleeping try this with your little baby to see him/her sleep like a prince/princess. Studies have shown that those children who co-sleep with their parents grow up with higher self-esteem and less anxiety. 

3. Try dreaming feeding your baby so that she is not disturbed from a sound sleep. If your baby is the type who wakes up at night hungry, a dreamfeed might help. All you have to do is instead of waiting for her to wake up hungry, feed your little baby just before you go to bed. Experts believe that the extra feeding fills your baby's belly just enough to earn a bit more uninterrupted sleep. 

4. Beautiful scents are yet another key for your baby to sleep soundly. Their little noses can be lulled to sleep with the scent from a drop of natural lavender oil on a tissue near the bedside. These natural oils are known for their relaxation and anti anxiety benefits which will you're your baby to a great extent to sleep soundly. It is also not recommended for children less than 6 months old. 

5. Transferring your baby into the crib at bedtime can cause your baby to wake up. You need to place your hand gently on her stomach and head to comfort and soothe him/her before you change beds. Doing something as simple as this will draw your baby closer to you and provide little one with security when she/he sleeps at night.

These are some of the baby sleep solutions we have for you. Try these baby tips to help your baby sleep right through the night.

Refer: 

• Newborn Baby Care
• Baby Sleep Basics
• Some Common Skin Rashes In Babies
• Top 10 Baby Care Tips
• Breastfeeding Getting Started
• Bathing Your Baby
• Baby`s Daily Massage
• Teething Sign And Symptoms
• Safe Homemade Baby Food

Benefits Of Mustard Pillow For Newborn

A newborn baby is like a soft cotton ball. Its hands, legs and all other body parts are still very soft. You can give your newborn baby any shape you want not literally but metaphorically. But when it comes to your baby's head shape, then that is truly in your hands. Using mustard pillow for newborn helps to smooth the shape of their head.

Now many babies are born with minor birth defects. Some babies have a missing finger or a fused toe or a dented head. Alas all birth defects cannot be corrected. However, you can correct defects associated with your newborn baby's head.

Head Shape Birth Defects

 Many babies are born with a slight dent on the head that is caused during the passage through the vagina. Some babies also have elongated heads specially you have forceps delivery. Even a slight manhandling from the doctor or nurses can cause a defect in the shape of your baby's head. In fact, your baby's head may also have naturally disfigured shape. But within a few weeks after birth, all these defects can be corrected to a certain extent by using mustard seeds pillows for newborn.


Benefits of Using Mustard Seeds Pillow For Newborn

• First of all, a mustard seeds pillow will give newborn some much needed comfort. If is a very soft pillow and babies love to sleep on it. It gives their tender heads a comfortable cushion.

• It has been seen that sleeping on mustard seed pillows smooths out the shape of the baby's head. Slight bumps or dents can be fixed when your baby is using this pillow.

• Mustard seed pillows for newborns are adaptable. As your baby turns in his/her sleep, the pillow adapts itself to the sleeping position of the baby's head. In this way, even if your baby sleeps only on one side, the pillow will not put pressure on the head.

• If your baby sleeps all day in the same position, there is a chance that his/her head will flatten out on one side. A baby's head is very tender and can change shape easily. That is why, even if your baby does not have any birth defects associated with the shape of head, let your baby sleep on a mustard seed pillow.

These are some of the advantages of using mustard seed pillows for newborn baby. You can use these pillows until your baby is 8 to 9 months old.
Refer: 

• Newborn Baby Care
• Top 10 Baby Care Tips
• Breastfeeding Getting Started
• Bathing Your Baby
• Baby`s Daily Massage

Baby sleep basics: Birth to 3 months

Typical sleep patterns for newborns

Newborns sleep a lot – typically up to 16 to 17 hours a day. But most babies don't stay asleep for more than two to four hours at a time, day or night, during the first few weeks of life.

The result? Lots of sleep for your baby and a very irregular – and tiring – schedule for you. Your job is to respond to your newborn's cues, so you'll probably be up several times during the night to change, feed, and comfort him.

What's going on
Baby sleep cycles are far shorter than those of adults, and babies spend more time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is thought to be necessary for the extraordinary development happening in their brain. REM sleep is lighter than non-REM sleep, and more easily disrupted.

All this unpredictability is a necessary phase for your baby and it doesn't last long – though it may seem like an eternity when you're sleep-deprived.

What's next
At 6 to 8 weeks of age, most babies begin to sleep for shorter periods during the day and longer periods at night, though most continue to wake up to feed during the night. They also have shorter periods of REM sleep, and longer periods of deep, non-REM sleep.

Somewhere between 4 and 6 months, experts say, most babies are capable of sleeping for a stretch of 8 to 12 hours through the night. Some infants sleep for a long stretch at night as early as 6 weeks, but many babies don't reach that milestone until they're 5 or 6 months old and some continue to wake up at night into toddlerhood. You can help your baby get there sooner, if that's your goal, by teaching him good sleep habits from the start.

How to establish good baby sleep habits

Here are some tips for helping your baby settle down to sleep:

Learn the signs that mean he's tired.
For the first six to eight weeks, most babies aren't able to stay up much longer than two hours at a time. If you wait longer than that to put your baby down, he may be overtired and have trouble falling asleep.

Watch your baby for signs that he's tired. Is he rubbing his eyes, pulling on his ear, or being more fussy than normal? If you spot these or any other signs of sleepiness, try putting him down to sleep. You'll soon develop a sixth sense about your baby's daily rhythms and patterns, and you'll know instinctively when he's ready for a nap.

 Begin to teach him the difference between day and night.
Some infants are night owls (something you may have gotten a hint of during pregnancy) and will be wide awake just when you want to hit the hay. For the first few days you won't be able to do much about this. But once your baby is about 2 weeks old, you can start teaching him to distinguish night from day.

When he's alert and awake during the day, interact with him as much as you can, keep the house and his room light and bright, and don't worry about minimizing regular daytime noises like the phone, music, or dishwasher. If he tends to sleep through feedings, wake him up.

At night, don't play with him when he wakes up. Keep the lights and noise level low, and don't spend too much time talking to him. Before long he should begin to figure out that nighttime is for sleeping.

 Consider starting a bedtime routine.
It's never too early to start trying to follow a bedtime routine. It can be something as simple as getting your baby changed for bed, singing a lullaby, and giving him a kiss goodnight.

Give him a chance to fall asleep on his own.
By the time he's 6 to 8 weeks old, you can start giving your baby a chance to fall asleep on his own. How? Put him down when he's sleepy but still awake, suggests Jodi Mindell, associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and author of Sleeping Through the Night.

 Mindell advises against rocking or nursing your baby to sleep, even at this young age. "Parents think that what they do this early doesn't have an effect," she says, "but it does. Babies are learning their sleep habits. If you rock your child to sleep every night for the first eight weeks, why would he expect anything different later on?"

Not everyone agrees with this strategy, however. Some parents choose to rock or nurse their babies to sleep because they believe it's normal and natural, because they enjoy it and their baby is thriving and sleeping well, or simply because nothing else seems to work. These parents expect to get up with their baby several times during the night to help him get back to sleep.

Asleep, Active, or Alert?

During the first month of life, your newborn will spend much of the day sleeping or seeming drowsy. Over the next several weeks to months, your baby will mature and be awake or alert for longer periods of time.

It's important to recognize when your baby is alert and ready to learn and play and when the baby would rather be left alone. A baby who is quiet and alert will be attentive and responsive and interested in surroundings.

A baby who is awake but active (squirming, flapping arms, or kicking legs) or fussing will be less able to focus on you. The baby may seem agitated or start to cry when you try to get his or her attention. These are signs that your baby may be getting overstimulated.

Over the coming weeks and months, you'll learn to recognize when your infant is ready to learn or overstimulated.

Get them to sleep later

Have an early riser? That can be super tough. And if yours is really little, you might not be able to explain sleeping in to her. So, make it a little harder to wake up by hanging blackout curtains in Baby's room. Close them at bedtime. You won't be sorry. For older children, teach them that they can't get up until a certain time. It will save your sanity.

Music soothes

They say that music can tame the savage beast. It also can calm a child down or, in the car, even put him to sleep. Slide in a CD and see how something that's soft and soothing can make everything a little more relaxed.

Protect from long-sleep leakage

We love double-duty things, and this tip falls firmly into that category. "If you have a baby who sleeps long and hard, a maxi pad in the diaper is a great solution to soaked sheets and jammies," says Annie Ory, a certified life coach.

Not comfortable with that approach? That's OK. There are also lots of highly absorbant nighttime diapers now available from Huggies, Pampers, Seventh Generation and more.