Parenting Blog

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.

A toddler will learn more at age two than at any other time in their life. The childcare giver, be it Mom or someone else can influence and enhance that learning. Although you should try to spend as much time interacting with your little one by playing, reading, or any other form, sometimes it just isn’t possible. 

What do you or the childcare provider do when in this situation? Maybe there are other children to tend to, or you have a work assignment that you have to get finished. Some television is ok, but it is not recommended to let them watch too much TV. Childcare experts will tell you this slows their learning. However, there are plenty of toys and activities that can keep your little one interested and occupied for short periods of time.

Every Mom, Dad, or childcare provider needs a moment here and there for a variety of reasons.

Toddlers love putting things in and taking things out. It is a learning process for them at the same time. You can buy toys like a container that has open slots shaped to fit different pieces that they will fit through the holes. There are many different types of toys like this on the market that you can choose from.

On the other hand, the parent or childcare giver can simply make them with things you probably already have around the house. Try an empty, plastic peanut butter jar. These are perfect sized for little hands. Clean it out with soap and water, and let it dry. Next find some small items (not small enough to put in their mouth and choke on, though), that they can drop in and dump out.

You can use the same container, and put a few different twists on it.

One, try gluing the lid on or ensuring in another way that the lid can not be removed. Before attaching the lid add in some small items that will create a nice rattling, or shaking sound. Pennies and dried beans are some good examples of what you can use. This will provide a new, interesting object that they can shake for noise and see the contents shaking all around.

Another easy thing for the childcare giver to do is use it for snacks. Depending on the age of your little one, the snacks will vary. Grapes are a great finger snack that is cool to the touch. These should be ok for two years old, but probably not a one year old. Just ensure you are in the same room in the small chance they do choke on it. You can put a few graham cracker pieces in it. A graham cracker usually breaks into four equal sections, and is the perfect size to fit into your peanut butter jar.

The next time you need a few moments to yourself try one of these simple, cheap ideas. Better yet, offer these ideas to the person you have appointed as the childcare provider. They will thank you for it!

There is not a universal answer as to when you should move your precious little one out of the crib into their own bed. Only you will know when you feel is the right time. Most little ones make this transition between 18 months and three years old. However, there are quite a few circumstances that may be pushing you in that direction.

One may be that there is a new baby on the way who will be needing to use the crib. If this is the case try not to kick your toddler out of the crib too suddenly. You don’t want them to feel that they are being set aside or forced out of the way for their new brother or sister. Gradually work on the transition and allow plenty of time to do so. This means don’t wait until Mom is in labor to do it! Give yourself at least a few months so your toddler will have time to adjust and won’t feel second best to the new baby.

If they are beginning to climb out of their crib, it may be time to start mapping out your plans for their transition. Safety can become an important factor at this stage. If the rails on the crib are meeting up mid-way to high on their chest, they should be moving to their own bed more than likely. Climbing out becomes increasingly easier and will increase the risk of injury at this point.

If your little toddler is potty training or has already been basically potty trained, it only makes sense for them to be sleeping in a bed. They will need the freedom to get in and out of bed when they need to so they can go use the potty.

Once you have decided that it is time for the big occasion, remember that you will need to have a big pool of understanding. There are several ways to try to get your little one excited about the change.

Talk about the big change well in advance of actually implementing it. Try to get a sense of excitement built up around the occasion. If your little one has a favorite cartoon or such, you may try sprucing up the new bed with sheets and pillows of that character. Take your toddler shopping with you and let them see all of the wonderful, new choices they have now that they will be sleeping in a real bed. Let them help you pick out what will go on the bed.

If you can, you may want to place the bed in the exact same place that the crib was at. This will allow your little one to keep a feeling of security. They will be in the same surroundings, and have the same views.

You can even try just using a mattress on the floor. Toddler beds normally have the same size mattress so you can even begin the transition by using the crib mattress on the floor. Once they are accustomed to this, and then transfer the mattress into a toddler bed frame.

The transition out of the crib is a milestone and can be a delightful experience. Just make sure that your toddler is ready and carry around lots of patience and understanding in your pocket!

You may have recently started to see your little one get down on their belly and purposely bang their head on the floor. Chances are higher if you have a little boy, as boys are usually much more likely to go through this phase. There is probably no need to worry about it as there are many little ones who will do this.

Possible causes of a toddler banging their head can be both emotional and physical. Sometimes you may be able to tell which one is probably the case, but other times it may just seem random. Either way, by the age of three or so, they will probably have outgrown it.

Your little one may be banging their head simply to gain your attention. Since you probably are concerned and make a fuss over it when you see this happening, they may continue to do so. They begin to understand that it will get your attention and cause reactions from you.

Giving your little one plenty of love and attention on a daily basis may help reduce the head banging if this is the case. When they are not banging their head make sure they feel they are loved and important. During the times when they do bang their head try to not over-react to it. While you will understandably be concerned about it, try not to make a big deal or a make a noticeable fuss about it. Your little one will see how much attention they get from it and will likely do it more often.

If your toddler is in the middle of what seems to be a tantrum, and starts banging their head, it could very well be out of frustration. They may be unable to communicate to you what they wish they could say and banging their head can oddly be a comfort to them.

Sometimes banging their head can be a temporary fix to something that is bothering them physically. If they have an ear infection or something else that is hurting, the slight pain from banging their head may distract from the primary pain.

Normally a toddler will not bang their hard enough to actually hurt themselves. Even if they seem to be banging their head hard, they will usually start easing up if it is causing much pain. They may end up with a bruise here and there but more often that not, there is no cause for major concern.

However, in fewer cases the head banging in a toddler can be something to be concerned about. If they seem to be banging their head a lot and consistently you may want to take a second look as to what is going on. Also, if they continue to hit their head hard enough that it is really hurting them, and they do it anyways you should be looking more into it.

Head banging can be related to autism, and other disorders, but will be among other signs. Your toddler’s head banging alone will rarely signal cause for concern. If there are other signs you have noticed, or if your little one is not coming anywhere near common milestones, you should talk to your pediatrician about it.

Your journey through parenthood should include a primary focus on setting limits for your child. These limits will help them develop their individuality while creating a blanket of security of around them at the same time. Without limits they will not learn some of the most basic elements of everyday life. Every toddler obviously needs to know not to run out the door and into the street, and not to put their hands up on the stove. The main purpose of setting down ground rules and limits is their safety.

Toddlers are a bundle of joy, but require you to develop a truck load of patience and consistency. Often, when your little one misbehaves it is not just an act of disobedience. They may simply not realize the limits set for them, or they may be trying to determine the exactness of it.

When you are setting limits for your little one try to remember a very important rule of thumb. Discipline does not equal punishment. Try to keep in mind that your goal is their safety, happiness, and for them to learn the rules. It is not to punish them every time it seems they have made a mistake.

This does not mean to let them run rampant and ignore everything you are trying to teach them. However, when they do something that appears to be misbehaving, gently make them aware that there are consequences to the decisions they are making. By only punishing them, they may not realize what it is they are being punished for. They will not learn the important steps in the decision making process.

The limits that you decide to set for your little one should be simple. You don’t want to confuse them. Also, you do not have a rule for every single thing they do every single day. Toddlers need room to experience new things, make their mistakes, learn from them, and grow. This is what the toddler years are all about.

As mentioned, patience and consistency are key attributes to parenting a little one at this age. The limits that you have set need to be consistent so your child will always know what they are. Don’t let it be ok to do something one day, and the next day it be a no-no. This helps them to maintain a feeling of control because they know what is expected of them, and they have the choice to adhere to it. (Of course, there are consequences if they don’t)
When your little one tests you and the limits you have set, they are secretly asking you to show how dependable and consistent you and your limits are.

Don’t fail to set limits because of the fact that you can’t stand to see your little sweetie so upset. Toddlers need small amounts of frustration to learn how to properly deal with it.
Setting and keeping limits for your toddler will help them and you enjoy more rewarding time together. You’ll also be helping teach your little one how to grow, learn, and adapt into the world that they’ll be taking by storm.