We recently appeared on Penny Johnston's ABC BabyTalk (I know, I know, we’ve told you already) and discussed the topic of sleep with Jo Ryan of BabyBliss. Below is a mix of ideas that apply to newborns and/or toddlers which we prepared prior to the show.
-
Routine and consistency – set a routine and stick to it as vigilantly as you can.
-
Prepare for dinner and bedtime routines earlier than you need to give you a buffer in case your day is interrupted.
-
One-on-one quiet time with a parent, typically reading a book or general chat before bed, is a good way for a child to wind down. Build this into the bedtime routine.
-
Babies sense tension and stress. Try to remain calm, relaxed and composed. Us dads need to do what we can to keep mum in a good and healthy state of mind.
-
On occasion baby simply wants mum and we just need to be prepared to accept this…time for dad to go wash the dishes. On the other side of the coin, the more dad can do to give mum a break (like taking baby and puppy for a walk), the better off mum and family will be at the end of the day.
-
Keep kids active during the day so that they are ‘ready’ when bedtime comes around.
-
Difficulty in breast feeding can often be a cause of stress and lost sleep. If this is causing more hassle than it’s worth, consider moving to formula, baby will adjust. For most, breast feeding is preferred, but why persist if it’s causing problems?
-
Consider placing baby in a separate room. This way you won’t react to every little noise baby makes. This could also be the first step to teaching your baby how to go back to sleep by themselves.
-
Dummies/Pacifiers? Personally I think they cause more problems than they solve. Baby will wake up and cry when they’ve lost their dummy, whereas, if the same baby wasn’t used to a dummy, he/she may just go back to sleep instead of crying. Try having some sort of comforter instead – a piece of fabric or a baby-safe toy with floppy ears – something for baby to caress and maybe suck on instead of a dummy.
-
During the third trimester we played music regularly in the background, especially as we were drifting off to sleep. Playing the same music to baby at sleep time seemed to keep baby calmer. Something to consider.
-
If all else fails, consult an expert such as Baby Bliss or attend Sleep School.
In case you missed us on ABC BabyTalk, here's a link to the podcast.
Check out Chubba's article on our ABC BabyTalk experience.
