Parenting Blog

Your baby needs to sleep well and should develop a pattern of sleeping and waking up. It is necessary for his good health as well as important for the parents. Some tips to develop good sleeping habits are mentioned below:

1. Fixed Bedtime

You should set a fixed bedtime and regular nap times for your baby during the day. When you had a newborn baby you knew the bedtime of the baby by noticing the drowsy eyes of your baby. As she grows a little older you will have to create a better timetable which should consist of a set bedtime and daytime naps, as well as their durations so that her sleep patterns and cycles can be regulated.

Your routine and the lifestyle of your family will play a major role in influencing her sleep schedule. Now you will have to choose a practical bedtime which suits you and your family and stick to it. If your baby shows energetic behavior at night, don’t be surprised. It is a sign showing that your child is tired.

2. Plan Daytime Naps

Start planning for daytime naps too. Keep in mind that sleeping is very crucial for your bay at this age. Choose specific time or you can choose definite hours for which your baby can stay awake between two naps.

3. Comfortable Clothing

Try to keep your baby calm, and make sure that whatever you make your baby wear should be comfortable and skin friendly. Uncomfortable clothes or diapers can sometimes be a cause of your baby’s irritability, if you find it difficult to make your baby sleep for longer time. Sing lullabies to your baby to make her doze off. Babies are very fond of soft music and rhythmic beats.

4. Bedtime Routine

A bedtime routine should be developed. You can include a warm bath, a bed time story or a lullaby before you kiss your baby goodnight. This will help the baby get a cozy feeling and the affection you offer will be enough to make everything comfortable for the baby.

You can choose any activity which suits you but make sure to repeat it every night and at around the same time. Consistency is the key to keeping a baby calm.

5. Wake your Baby after Adequate Sleep

Do not hesitate to wake your baby up in the morning if she sleeps more than usual. This will help her to adjust to a routine which she will have to follow later on. It is necessary to develop regular sleep-wake patterns. Your baby can make up for this in the daytime where you can allow her to take naps in frequent intervals.

Inculcating such healthy sleeping and waking habits in your will make her sleep schedule more predictable and you will find it more convenient to regulate it and plan things accordingly.

When the baby comes to the world, the parents have to make sure that they leave no stone unturned for their baby’s care. Recognizing and taking care of the basic needs of your baby is very essential for the proper growth and development of the baby. The baby should be healthy and energetic and you can help him to be so by fulfilling the primary needs properly before you proceed to take up any fun activities.

Immunization

With the increasing number of diseases, you must make sure that you take the baby for getting immunized at the proper time. Your baby is fragile and is susceptible to a number of health problems. Your prime concern should be to reduce the risk of your baby suffering from any of these problems. This can be done by vaccinating your baby at the proper time against all diseases that your doctor suggests. If you are concerned about his weight, take him for weight checks and keep the doctor informed if any problem is bugging you.

Sleeping

Sleep is very crucial for your new born. It is the daily recharge for him which is very important for the growth of his external as well as internal body. During the ‘Rapid eye movement’ cycles the brain cells of the baby are developed and this is the time where the baby enhances his learning, movement and thinking abilities. This is the time when your child’s nervous system learns to understand the senses of vision, touch, hearing, taste and smell.

Feeding

Milk is the best food for the baby. You can either feed him breast milk or formula milk. Nothing else is needed for the first six months. Breast feeding is encouraged by the doctors, since not only it provides your baby with all necessary nutrients but also reduces risk of conditions like asthma, eczema, diarrhea , respiratory problems or any other kind of infection. Though formula milk is a good substitute for breast milk, it does not have these unique properties.

Other important things to care about

Make sure that your baby is comfortable. Change his diapers on time and never leave him in a wet nappy. Take care of the safety of baby and learn about the crib safety too. Keep your baby in a lively atmosphere so that he is not surrounded by dullness, but also make sure that you get enough time alone with him as well.

As a mother it is equally important that you take good care of yourself to nurture the baby as per her needs. You should take good rest from time to time, eat well, stay healthy and be patient if you want to feel the joy of parenting.

• The baby bicycle

Lay down the baby on his back and gently move his legs in a cyclic motion. You can repeat this several times a day. This relieves tummy discomforts for most of the babies and his also a good exercise for leg muscles.

• Go for a long drive

It has been observed by a lot of parents that a ride in the car is one of the best remedies for colic. Babies love three things the most when they are taken for a car ride – the motion, the vibrations and the noises. Take proper precautions before you get behind the steering wheel. Buckle your baby properly and see that the baby does not experience any discomfort during the journey.

• Changing the atmosphere

If you have been staying indoors for a long time then taking your baby out for a walk can be a good decision. You can use a stroller or a sling. A wide range of new sights, sounds and odors may be a good distraction for him. The fresh air is good for his lungs and the rhythmic motion of walking will make the colic pass away and lull the baby into a sound sleep. At the same time, if you have been out with the baby for a long time, your baby might be missing the silence and comfort of his home.

• Swaddle

Swaddling is an ancient method in which you wrap your baby in a blanket or cloth. Since the newborn has just stepped into a new world which is much bigger than his old world which was limited to the mother’s womb hence, snuggling him in a warm blanket makes the baby feel less out of place. If you have observed any crying pattern in your child then you can try swaddling your child before his crying period and see if this calms him down.

Swaddling not only make your baby go to sleep, but is also a good technique if you want your baby to remain sleeping for a longer time. It has been found that swaddled babies have a more sound sleep as compared to babies who are not swaddles. Researchers have found that babies who are swaddled sleep more soundly than those who aren’t. This is because of the fact that swaddling prevents any movements of body in the infant so that his own twitches might not break his sleep.

• Aromatherapy

Some babies are very responsive to smells. You can spray some pleasing smelling scents in the rooms to please the baby and to keep the atmosphere fresh.

Be creative with your baby and keep trying new things to get closer to him and to understand the needs of your baby so that you can fulfill them at the right time.

You can never afford to be careless with you baby, not even when he is playing with his toys. Like any other time, he needs your attention while he is entertaining himself with his toys too because he still doesn’t knows about right and wrong. He might bring himself to a choking hazard, might hurt himself, or stab others. A lot many things can happen with toys too. So you need to be careful every time.

Here are a few tips that can help you to choose the right toys for him, one which does not pose any kind of danger to your baby:

• Choose toys which are most appropriate for your baby’s age. To help you, almost all toys come with a ‘recommended age’ tag. Such toys suite your baby’s developmental level. You need to be aware of you baby’s abilities and the level of his maturity while choosing toys for him.

• Make sure that whatever you choose for him doesn’t present a choking hazard. The toy parts must be bigger than his mouth. Here is a small test to help you: if the toy you chose for your baby fits into the cylinder of a toilet-paper roll, then it is not safe.

• Also, pay attention to the weight of the toy. Make sure that if somehow that toy fell on your baby, it wouldn’t be heavy enough to harm your baby.

• Look for some toys that are put together well and which aren’t tearing or peeling off paint in any place. For example, if you chose a stuffed toy, make sure that it is sewn properly and does not have any buttons or likewise things that you baby could snatch out of the toy and put into his mouth.

• You need to pick toys for him that actually fit his size. Buying a toddler a cycle won’t be of any use to him.

• Make sure that the toy you choose for him is in a good condition. Sometimes, we tend to use toys that have been present in the family for some time. Such toys are usually worn out, chewed out or fixed with plastic appendages.

• Avoid toys that have a considerably long string because they can cause strangulation to the baby. Also, make sure that you don’t leave around any mobile chargers or similar stuff because they can be easily wrapped around your baby’s neck.

• Make sure the toy doesn’t contain a magnet, because it is something that can be easily put into the mouth by your baby.

Keep a track of all these things when you choose a toy for him. It is also a good idea to inform anyone about these guidelines who is planning to give a gift to your baby.