Parenting Blog

With the divorce rate in the United States at an all-time high, it’s an unfortunate fact that an increasing number of children face huge family adjustments each year. While the divorce may be best for the well-being of your children, they will still have a tough time dealing with the new situation. Many kids feel that they could have prevented the split by cooperating more; some will even blame themselves, thinking that arguments caused by their forgotten homework assignments or bad behavior were the cause of the divorce. There are many ways you can help your child understand that the divorce is not their fault and make the transition easier for everyone.

It’s important that you and your ex-partner treat each other with respect. It’s important to your child that you are both present at important times and events in his life, and you must be able to be civil around each other. The worst thing you can do is pressure your child to “take a side” or to become jealous of the time or experiences your child shares with his other parent. Remember that your child is learning relationship patterns from you. Your child should not have to feel responsible for your well-being. Though your relationship has ended, as parents you must be able to overcome the issues you have with each other and focus on doing what’s best for your child. Sometimes a counselor is very helpful to a divorced parent dealing with these issues.

You may have to ease your child’s worries about financial problems that could arise, particularly if your child is a teenager planning to attend college. It’s important in stressful times like this that you maintain as much normalcy for your child as possible. Continue with regular activities and try to keep to a normal routine. Plan some fun outings to take your mind off things. This is a good opportunity to teach your child about stress management. Remember, the best way to teach is to lead by example. If your child sees you channeling your stress into athletic activities such as going for a jog, he will pick up on your healthy stress-management techniques.

Focus on the positive outcomes of the divorce. Your child may be upset by the change, but chances are he’s happier now that his parents have dealt with their problems and begun to move on. Many children develop a stronger relationship with each parent and discover their own strength and coping skills. By focusing on the positives you can turn a difficult transition into a valuable experience in learning and growth for your child.

The life of newborn babies is mostly all about feeding and sleeping. After all, he/she is in the inertia of the long cozy sleep inside the mother’s body. Parents do need to know how much a newborn baby normally sleeps in 24 hours. 

While newborn babies do not follow a set routine for sleep, for most babies, the sleeping time is up to 18 hours daily (in 24 hours). But the sleep is often intermittent and the baby wakes every 2 to 3 hours to be fed. Also, most babies will sleep for 3 to 5 hours maximum at a stretch. Following are some common sleep patterns for newborn babies of varying ages: 

Up to 3 Months

Newborn babies, ranging in age from their natal day up to 3 months, usually take 16 to 18 hours of sleep daily. The sleep is divided into 2-3 hours sessions. Their sleep does not have to do much with night or day and they will sleep almost equally at day as they do at night. The day-night awareness appears in the baby at an age of around 6 to 8 weeks. By the age of 2 to 3 months, a sleep pattern is developed by the child. The parent can then anticipate when the child is going to sleep and how long the sleep is going to continue at a particular time. 

3 to 6 Months

The total daily sleep of the baby at this age is about 14 to 16 hours. It is usually 8 hours of sleep at night and 6 hours at day (divided in three stretches of 2 hours each). The child gets asleep more readily and does not wake in the absence of much disturbance. Some babies at this age may not wake at all during the night. However, most would wake once to be fed. By the age of 6 months, the daytime sleep drops to 2 naps, each lasting about 2 hours. 

6 to 12 Months

During the 6 months to one year, the total daily sleep of a baby is 12 to 14 hours. Most babies take a daily nap of about 2 to 3 hours each. A 6 month sold baby is able to sleep well through the night, without waking at all. But many kids do wake once. Before the baby’s first birthday, a long stretch of sleep (about 11 hours or more) is less likely to occur.