Wednesday 4 December 2013

Sleep patterns...

I have a friend who is a relatively new mom... Her bumling is now three months. 

When I went to visit her maybe three weeks post delivery, she looked like a mess!! And all she could ask me was when will his sleep pattern get set!! 

At three weeks she was already going crazy with the mad sleeping schedules of a baby! 

When Sid was born, he was up a number of times at night... Every two hours actually, but I was very lucky that he would simply have his milk and knock back to sleep. He never was so awake that I had to rock him to sleep, neither did he cry when he woke up... So it was easy. 

By the fourth month he started getting up every three or four hours... His pattern was kind of set, he'd sleep by eleven wake at two and then again at six or seven. It was good.... 

And by the sixth month, I was blessed with a all nighter baby!!! He knocks out around eleven thirty - twelve and wakes at seven in the morning... That too if I put him into our bed and pat him sometimes he sleeps off again for another hour, hour and a half!!! 

I've heard of horror stories of babies and their lack of a sleep pattern. Babies who wake up crying or who wake up and are fully awake wanting to play. Babies who sleep for only an hour and then are up and again sleep for half an hour and wake up. It can be super taxing on anybody. 

Someone once told me that for the baby it was like a jet lag... They get so used to sleepin in our tummies during the day when we are out and about... And dancing around at night when we are relaxed and lying down... So now for them to switch their schedule it's not easy ....

You can help them create a schedule. 

1. Fix a time in the afternoon and night which are sleep times andkeep them constant.

2. Feed him a good heavy meal around twelve. 

3. Then change his diaper, if you generally use cloth nappies, use a pampers diaper for this... A baby who's nappy gets wet is not going to sleep peacefully!!

4. Next take him to your room..put him in his bed with a blanket.. This way he starts associating his bed and blanket with sleeping. Another thing is to take him away from people, because when every one keeps playing with him he will refuse to sleep. 

5. Play some soft music, or sing lullabies or just talk to him real softly.. Tell him stories.. Anything which is slightly repetitive... This usually works with Sid... The days singing doesn't help.. I simply say the words 'potato tomato papita banana!!!!!!' Random I know but some days it works like a charm!!!!! 

6. Don't be too hung up on rocking your baby to sleep... Let him do it himself... What I try to do with Sid is I walk around with him singing songs, and when he's semi asleep I put him in his bed... And he tosses and turns a little but he eventually knocks out. This was honestly Aadi's method... But it works... Not always... And you have to have more patience for it... But it's a good habit you know. 

7. Also make the room cozy... Draw the curtains, put on a small lamp, have the ac or heater on for some noise. Most babies need some white noise... I remember when winter hit and we stopped using the ac, poor bumling found it very difficult to sleep.. And we were so confused... Till we realized it was because of the silence... So we brought out the heater and put it on and ha ha... It was a snooze fest post that!!! 

The thing is... A number of things will keep distracting your baby when you're putting him to sleep... Sometimes bumling is semi asleep and suddenly he will notice some button on my shirt and will start fiddling with it and sleep is out of the picture!! 

Just be patient... Take turns with your hubby, because some days are just damn exhausting when your putting him to sleep...  Especially if you are super sleepy!!!! 

This one night... Aadi and I were exhausted and Sid would just not sleep... He walked with him then I walked... I sang a song then Aadi hummed.... But nothing... We left him on our bed with toys... We left him in his bed with his blanket... Wide awake!!!! And we were so so so sleepy that after getting grumpy with each other we reached a point where we just started laughing!!!!!  

So patience patience patience.. That's the key to a sleeping baby!!!! 





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