My baby and sleeping
Unless your newborn baby is hungry, cold or otherwise uncomfortable, he'll spend most of the time between feeds asleep. The amount of time he sleeps will depend on individual physiology, but the average is about 60 per cent of the day. Don't, however, expect your baby to sleep all the time and don't get worried when he doesn't. Some babies are naturally more wakeful than others right from the start.
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Even though your baby will follow his own sleep pattern it is important that he learns to differentiate between day and night and there are several ways of helping your baby to do this. For example, when you put your baby down in the evening make sure that the room is darkened and make an extra effort to see that he's comfortable and contented. When he wakes to be fed in the night simply give the feed but don't play or otherwise distract your baby. As he gets older and more aware of what's going on, develop an evening routine so that he has the evening feed, a bath, a story, games and songs before going to bed happy.
Occasionally a baby is sociable rather than sleepy after a meal and this is something to enjoy, although it needn't stop you from trying to set up the routine of bed after the evening meal.
If your baby is habitually wakeful after the meal, don't cause unhappiness for all of you by insisting that he stays in the cot. He'll only get upset and you'll end up with a baby who is very hard to pacify and your nerves will be worn to shreds. If, like me, you are a working mother and spend a good deal of your time away from home, your child will naturally see the night time as your mothering time and will want to spend that time with you. The probability is that you'll want to spend time with him, too, in which case there is nothing wrong with being flexible about the time he goes to bed. In our house, when we discovered that we had two sleepless young children, we had to abandon the idea of routine bedtimes and the whole household was far happier for having done that. However, we didn't abandon bedtime routines.
Where your baby should sleep?
As long as your baby is warm and comfortable he'll be able to sleep almost anywhere. Most parents start their baby off in a basket or carrycot (see Sleeping), because that way the baby is portable, and they can therefore keep him close both day and night. However, when your baby outgrows whichever of these you've used, he'll have to be put in a cot - preferably one with drop sides and an adjustable mattress height (see Sleeping), so that he can be picked up and put down easily.
Whichever room you put your baby to sleep in, it must be warm. Your young baby doesn't have full control over his body temperature: he'll lose body heat easily but won't be able to generate it again by moving about or by shivering. For this reason you must keep the room at a constant temperature of about 16-20°C (60-68°F). If you don't want to keep your whole house that warm you could buy a thermostatically controlled room heater (approved by a recognized safety board), which will maintain your baby's room at a constant temperature.
Whenever you leave your baby to sleep outside, make sure that he's not in direct sunlight. Either put the pram under a shady tree or use a sun shade, and if there's a breeze, put the hood up and point the front of the pram into the wind so that there's an effective wind-break. Make sure that you put a cat net over the front of the pram, even if you don't have cats yourself.
What your baby should wear during his sleep?
Young babies don't like being changed so in the early weeks, when he's going to need changing quite frequently, you'll want something that gives easy access to his nappy but causes the minimum of disturbance. Nightdresses are useful initially, but once your baby has settled down, probably within a month, all-in-one stretch suits are equally practical.
When your baby's about four months old you may want to use a sleeping bag, especially in the winter (see Sleeping). Your baby will stay snugly warm inside and there will be no risk of the blankets being kicked off on a cold night. Choose a lightweight sleeping bag and make sure it is the right size, so your baby can't slide down into it. If the weather's very cold, put your baby in a stretch suit as well. Otherwise just leave on his vest and nappies. In summer your baby may not need any covering at all, although you'll probably want to put him in a vest or body suit.
Many parents worry about whether their baby's too hot or too cold once he's been put down. You can tell by touching the back of his neck, but make sure that your hand isn't too hot or too cold when you do this. If the back of his neck feels about the same temperature as your skin then he's at the right temperature; if it feels damp and sweaty he's probably too hot. If you've got blankets on his cot, take one off. If his neck feels cool, add an extra blanket (but check the room temperature - see What bedding to use). Never judge your baby's temperature by feeling his hands. Babies' extremities are often cooler than the rest of their bodies, and are quite often bluish in colour. This is nothing to worry about.
What bedding to use for sleeping?
| Temperature | What to use |
|---|---|
| 14°C (57°F) | Sheet and four blankets or more |
| 16°C (60°F) | Sheet and three blankets |
| 18°C (65°F) | Sheet and two blankets |
| 20°C (68°F) | Sheet and one blanket |
| 24°C (75°F) | Sheet only |
Bed-making tips
- Your baby will be most comfortable wrapped in sheets and blankets made of natural fibre - cotton is ideal.
- Avoid blankets with fringes - he may suck them.
- Avoid lacy, open-work shawls as your baby's fingers might get stuck in the holes.
- Use your own old sheets, cut up to the correct size, in addition to bought ones. The more sheets you have, the less frequently you'll have to do the washing.
- Use a pillowcase as a sheet - just slide the mattress into it. When one side gets dirty just turn the mattress over.
New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard
Posted 03.11.2010
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