Most pediatricians agree that ‘Sleeping through the Night’ actually means your baby sleeps for 6 or more hours in one stretch (5 hours for newborns).  It’s important you realise this fact or you might set unrealistic goals.

So how do you achieve this elusive ‘Sleeping through the Night’ status?  Well obviously every baby is different and so the first thing you should do is make a conscious effort not to draw comparisons with your friends’ babies. . especially the friends who just can’t wait to tell you their baby is the perfect sleeper (as if it’s a sign of good parenting!)  Once your baby has learnt to sleep through the night, in turn, keep the bragging to a minimum for the sanity of those friends whose babies havent quite got there yet!  

So how can you help attain the 6 hours + sleep a night?

Here are a few of the best and most popular tips.   Try them and see what works for you and what doesn’t.  If in doubt, use your own judgement as the parent and pay attention to how you feel about each of the tips.  If you’re doing something that deep down you feel is wrong, then don’t do it.  The classic argument against this would be Controlled Crying where every parent feels ‘wrong’ leaving their baby to cry and yet in some cases, it can be a hugely beneficial technique to teach the baby to comfort himself to sleep.  What I’d say in response to this argument is that in these cases, even though the parents ‘voice in the head’ will undoubtedly be telling them that what they’re doing is not right, CC is often a very last resort when all other methods have failed and I bet that on some level, the majority of parents realise that what they are doing is ultimately for the benefit of their child.  If they didn’t realise this then I don’t believe they’d try CC at all.  So I stand by my advice to pay attention to your feelings primarily.  The mind is a great tool for researching the various techniques so you can make informed decisions but it cannot tell you the whole picture (even though it thinks it can!) 

Remember people have been raising babies for thousands of years without books, sleep experts or paediatricians and although science and research is hugely important in educating ourselves about the advantages and disadvantages of the various parenting styles, you should rest assured that you have an ingrained, natural ability to know what’s best for your child.

Tip 1.  Routine.  By far the most important tip I can give you is to establish a good bedtime routine that you can stick to every night.  Babies love routine and predictability and this is easily the most important factor in establishing good sleeping habits.  You can read more about this here:   Setting a Routine

Tip 2.  The Dream Feed.  This technique is useful for young babies who still wake several times a night out of hunger.  The idea is to go into the baby’s room just before you go to sleep yourselves and perform a dream feed that will ‘tank him up’ which should buy you an extra couple of hours of sleep.  The trick is obviously to get him to feed without waking up!  Most parents report that it usually takes their baby a couple of nights to learn to feed whilst still asleep but most of them do learn eventually.  Try to make as little noise as possible and use the landing light to provide enough visibility to see what you’re doing without having to turn the lights on in his room.  Add a drop of milk to his lips and he’ll taste it and probably open his mouth.  At this point you can try beginning bottle or breast feeding.  Obviously pick him up very gently and put him back down as soon as you’re finished.  It might need a bit of ‘trial and error’ in the beginning to see how you can make this work without him waking.

Tip 3.  Naptimes. Make sure your baby is getting enough rest during the day with regular and consistent nap times.  If he sleeps well during the day, you are unlikely to have many problems at night time.  You can read more about nap times here:  Nap Times

Tip 4. Give them chance to learn on their own.  From about six to eight weeks, give your baby the chance to fall asleep on his own.  Put him down when he’s tired and sleepy but still awake.  Many experts advise against rocking or feeding baby to sleep, even at this young age, because they will learn habits that are hard to break later on.

Tip 5.  Security Objects.  A baby blanket or stuffed animal can be given to baby to help comfort them back to sleep when they awaken in the night.  A great tip is to rub the object on you so it has your scent which is very comforting to babies.  Obviously, ensure that the object is suitable for newborns and, if possible, buy one made of organic cotton as it’s the best material.  We have a selection of Keptin Jr organic cotton comforter toys for newborns which you can view here:  Soft Toys

Tip 6.  Controlled Crying.  This is the most controversial of all the techniques yet it can be very effective.  I’d advise you don’t attempt this under the age of six months and use it as a last resort.  We have a wealth of information on this topic including night by night accounts from parents who have tried it themselves.  Do a blog search for ‘Ferber Technique’ using our search box at the top right.

Tip 7.  Share the burden.  If it’s practical, get baby used to both care-givers by sharing the responsibility of putting him down and comforting him if he wakes. This tip is for the time when he no longer NEEDS feeding during the night.  In fact Dad can often enjoy better success of night time comforting in breast-feeding families as the baby will detect the scent of breast milk when mum comes to comfort him which will alert his stomach that it’s feeding time and therefore wake up time!  Again, this tip is not for use until the baby has reached the stage where he no longer needs his night time feeds but wakes to feed because of habit. Read the rest of this entry »

We are currently looking for parents who would like to contribute to this free resource by sharing their experiences about parenting with our readership.  Not only will you be helping hundreds of new parents who are struggling to digest all the information out there but, if you contribute regularly, you will find that we’ll treat you from time to time with a little gift from our online boutique.   It’s also a great way to hear from other parents around the world and to share tips, techniques and parenting skills and maybe even make a few friends.   You could even choose to use this blog as an online parenting diary, documenting your little one’s progress, acquiring a permanent record and allowing readers across the globe to see how you’re getting on.  If you hit any stumbling blocks along the way you might find that you have a wealth of support available at the click of a mouse.  If you’re interested in getting involved send a quick email to blog@lullaby-babies.co.uk introducing yourself and we’ll set you up an account!

Penelope Leach, the child development guru, has reignited the debate about the best way to deal with a crying baby when she recently announced that, “Leaving your baby to cry could damage its brain.”

Via the TV, radio and most noticeably the internet, parents and professionals alike have been queuing up to put in their two cents’ worth on this very old debate.  Generally, there are three types of opinion you’re likely to find voiced on the internet:  1) Leaving your baby to cry is unforgivable and unnatural and you are an awful parent if you don’t endure months of sleepless nights 2) You should leave your baby in the shed at the end of the garden and leave them to it- that’s what my mother did for me and it never did me any harm 3)  Parents know best so you shouldn’t even bother reading books or listening to the so called experts as they know nothing.  Okay so I may be guilty of using a little hyperbole here but if you read through a couple of forums you’ll see that I’m not far off!

It’s the parents and ultimately the baby that I feel sorry for.  When parents read such sensationalist headlines it strikes them with fear and worry.  In my view, this is exactly the reason that the professionals make them so people will buy the publication and read about their latest book and think, “I must buy this to find out if I’m harming my baby.”  Some may call mine a cynical view and everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  On a separate note Leach’s new book The Essential First Year  has just been launched and is available in all good bookshops. Read the rest of this entry »

There are many reasons why parents choose to ditch the dummy but the most common reason I hear about is for helping a baby to sleep through the night.  Because the dummy tends to fall out of the baby’s mouth at night time, mum and dad usually get summoned to retrieve it countless times every night!

If you have decided that you want your baby to ditch the dummy then the most effective technique is for him or her to go ‘cold turkey.’  This idea terrifies most parents because they envisage endless sleepless nights and an unwinnable battle of wills.  However, most parents report that it is not nearly as bad as they had anticipated and the joy of not having to get up 15 times a night is well-worth the initial challenge.

Rather than trying to get rid of the dummy sneakily and hoping the child doesn’t notice, it is far better to explain to the child what is going to occur and to get them involved so they feel like it is their decision to get rid of it because they are a big boy or girl now and so no longer need it.  It is remarkable how much even very young babies understand so it is always worth doing.  Asking Father Christmas or the Dummy Fairy to take the dummy away so that a younger baby can have it works for some parents and it is not uncommon for them to leave a token of their gratitude behind!     

Be prepared that the first few days might be quite tough and come up with a list of ways to distract your baby – games, cuddles, stories etc. so that you are providing the extra comfort that the dummy offered.  Make sure you get rid of the dummy and any spares and are not simply hiding it so that you are not tempted to give it back.    

Good luck!

Here are a few items from our baby store that are sure to make Christmas even more special this year. How adorable would your little little one look in the following items!?

1. Baby Santa Suit. Okay, so he won’t be drinking sherry and chomping down full mince pies but this Santa will still be bringing joy and happiness to all around him. £12

 2.  Rudolph Outfit.  An adorable reindeer suit with matching bib that can be enjoyed over the entire festive period.  £10

 3.  Winter Robin Outfit.  Keep little one snug and warm over the winter with this gorgeous little two-piece set.  £8.99

Every baby`s sleep pattern is different. While some babies quickly learn to sleep through the night, others take a lot longer to get used to it. A good indication of how your baby will sleep can be learnt from the baby`s sleep patterns in the womb, but some babies are quite simply unpredictable. Generally speaking, after six months the baby should be getting into a routine and sleeping throughout the night. Newborn babies won`t be sleeping through the night for a few months as they spend between fifteen and eighteen hours of the day asleep and usually in two or three hour bursts. This sleep pattern is essential to help the baby to grow and develop, but after a while the daytime naps will shorten and the night time ones will lengthen. Until that point the parents have to adapt their routine to the baby`s sleep pattern. Read the rest of this entry »

Newborn babies shouldn’t be expected to sleep through the night from day one.  They have tiny tummies that digest milk very quickly and if babies didn’t wake up when they needed feeding they would fail to get the level of nourishment required.

But there are some things you can do to help ensure a safe night’s sleep for your newborn. The Numours Foundation offers the following tips:

• You should never let a newborn baby sleep with plush bedding, blankets or pillows.
• You should put baby to sleep on her back to reduce the risk of cot death (sudden infant death syndrome).
• You should remove stuffed toys from the crib at bedtime.
• Every night you should alternate the side of baby’s head that she sleeps on.  This prevents development of a ‘flat spot’ on a favoured side of the head.

Want to Learn more?

Check out our category on SIDS (on the left hand side of the page) because this contains a wealth of safety information for new parents.

I have to say, since my last post, I’ve been getting about 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night. What a blessing! Especially consdering we’ve been traveling since last month and have gone through 4 time zones (India, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Dallas). The little one has adapted wonderfully and gotten used to day and night across the globe, no problem.

Rich’s advice of calorie shifting was great. That coupled with my mom’s advice of 6-10-2-6-10 nursing cinched the deal. Basically, not just did work with the little one to shift their feeding times to days, I also nursed him at 4 hour intervals starting at 6am with the last feeding being at 10pm.

This has worked wonders! In between nursings, Aidan gets his fill of solids so I know he’s got a belly full.

Ah, a full night’s sleep. No replacement for that!

A new study has found that more than half of the occurrences of Cot Death happen when the baby is sharing a bed with his or her parent

The research from Bristol and Warwick University claims the safest place for baby to sleep for the first six months is in a cot next to the parent’s bed. We completely agree with this statement and it is something we have been recommending to parents since the start of this blog over a year ago.

However, when the tabloids published this story they did not go into enough detail. On closer inspection of the study it is apparent that the extremely high correlation between cot death and co sleeping was observed in a high-risk group. This high-risk group consisted of young, socially-deprived mothers who smoked and many of whom had taken alcohol or drugs at the time of the tragic cot death. In the group studied, there were also many cases where the mother had fallen asleep on the sofa with her baby.
Read the rest of this entry »

I came across an interesting article this morning that is packed with tips to help save you money and help save the earth.

The author starts by examining the merits of breast milk but goes on to give some good suggestions for what to do when baby reaches the stage of wanting to eat everything that’s on your plate! She says the greenest way of feeding your baby at this stage is to prepare local organic fruits, veg and even meats in your own kitchen.  The author says not to go out and buy the foods separately, but instead put a few items aside that you’re preparing for your own dinner and mash them up with a fork or mix in a blender to create your own organic baby food! Apart from being the healthiest, least wasteful method of feeding baby, this should also be the cheapest. Read the rest of this entry »

A recent study has shown that breast milk contains different compounds at different times of day. Morning breast milk contains natural stimulants and its effect on babies could be compared with an adult’s morning cup of coffee!

Breast milk produced at night-time has been shown to contain calming compunds that may help babies sleep (just liike an adult’s cup of Horlics!).

This study could prove really important for mothers who express breast milk for bottle-feeding because they could easily be giving the ‘pick-me-up’ milk at night time and the calming milk during the day. This would obviously affect the baby’s sleeping patterns and mothers who express may want to ensure they are giving the right milk at the right time.

The Daily Mail has the full article here: For baby, a breast-milk cappuccino: Morning feed gives infants a natural pick-me-up

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I work for an online retailer that specialises in breast pumps and the guys at Lullaby Babies have invited me to share my expertise on this blog. 

Breast pumps can prove to be an essential item for a breastfeeding mother to provide enough milk for the baby. Many women complain about the use of breast pumps but the fact is that as long as you buy a good quality breast pump that suits your needs and you know exactly how to use and clean it, then you will have no problems. Since a breast pump is a machine and is not designed to be as flexible as your baby, you will have to work with patience with your personal pump to express sufficient milk. Mothers usually need a breast pump when they are returning to work or when they have to be away from the baby. A breast pump also helps mothers to maintain and increase a healthy milk supply and it is best to pump milk often and usually during your normal nursing hours.

To use a manual or electric breast pump efficiently, firstly make sure everything is clean and hygienic, wash your hands thoroughly and go through the instruction manual of your pump to know every detail about it, so that you can set it up and use it correctly. Every breast pump requires you to achieve a let-down; with some breast pumps there are massagers in the flanges that massage your breasts and nipple. Otherwise, massage and gently rub your nipples until you relax completely. After you have achieved a let-down, the milk will flow freely. You can choose either between an electric breast pump or a manual breast pump. Manual pumps require a little more time and effort and are not meant to be used frequently. Spend around 15 to 20 minutes per breast or 5 minutes for each breast till they are drained. Use short squeezes to get a let-down with a manual pump and afterwards use long squeezes for an effective, less tiring job. Electric pumps, on the other hand, are best if you will be expressing milk frequently, for example, during work hours. Different types of breast pumps can be found and ordered online at trusted breastpumps.

After each use, you have to completely disassemble the pump parts and wash each of them separately in hot, soapy water and dry them after rinsing them properly. Try to clean your breast pump right after use so that bacteria are not allowed to grow in it. If you cannot do that immediately, then soak the pump in warm soapy water until you can get back to it. Also read your pumps’ instruction manual about the proper way to clean your particular pump. Some pieces of you pump may require mild cleansing while some may require regular sterilization. Remember that not all parts of the pump can be submerged in water, electrical parts like the motor, batteries etc. should never be cleaned with water but can be cleaned with a clean, dry cloth. Some pump parts are also dishwasher friendly but check that with your instruction manual before putting them in the dishwasher.

Clean all parts of the pump thoroughly that come in contact with your breast milk, no milk should be left behind as this curdle combines with fresh milk and can be harmful for the health of your baby. There are a few of ways to sterilize pump parts; with the electric sterilizer method you need special bags, a container designed to sterilize parts in the microwave or an electric counter top sterilizer. These use water to steam the parts of the pump and use it for nipples and baby bottles as well. To sterilize in a dishwasher, first determine which parts of the pump are dishwasher safe. Then rinse excess milk from the parts and place them in the top tray of the washer, set the washer on hot cycle to ensure enough heat for sterilization. You can also sterilize pump parts in a large pot after washing the parts with warm, soapy water. Boil these parts in water for 10 to 15 minutes to sterilize them.

Once you have cleaned your breast pump, don’t dry it with a cloth or towel because they can contain germs and bacteria which will contaminate the pump parts. Leave the parts to dry and when they are completely dried, they can be reassembled for use or stored for future use.

I was determined last night to try out the advice from Rich’s article on reducing night-time feeds.  At 10:30pm sharp, Aidan had his last feed for the night and went to sleep without a fuss.  At 1:17am, the l’ll guy woke up.  I sent the hubby in for a quick diaper change and a reassuring pat.  Aaah, back to sleep.  3:54am, awake again.  Another diaper change, and time for some nursing (usually Aidan wakes up for a feed at around 2:30am).  Quick feeding, and back to sleep.  7:04am, awake once again (sigh), another feeding and diaper change.  Aidan’s in the mood to play, so he hangs out on our bed between the hubby and me, explores around, sees us asleep and curls up near my knees and passes out.

9:14am, Aidan’s still asleep.  Ah, finally.  He actually slept in (wow, this rarely happens)

We’ll be trying this again tonight to see if we can prolong the first night time feed to a decent hour