Please read The Ferber Technique (part one) before attempting this technique.  As I discussed, this method should only be considered if your baby is healthy, well-fed and at least six months old.  Before starting this technique you have to be sure your baby is only crying because he wants something rather than that he actually he needs something.  If you suspect it might be the latter obviously give him everything he needs (a change, a feed etc).  Please note, I am not advocating the Ferber technique, I am simply letting you know the best way to go about it if you decide you want to give it a try. 

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‘Rock a bye baby’ is from our new album: Acoustic Lullabies to Soothe the Soul.  The song is estimated to have been written in the 1600s although there is no concrete evidence to support this.  Some believe it was a pilgrim travelling to America on the Mayflower who wrote the song after observing the native women rocking their babies to sleep in birch bark cradles.  These cradles were hung from trees to allow the wind to rock the babies to sleep.  Because the branches of the trees had to support the full weight, they occasionally broke and this obviously meant that, ‘..down would come baby, cradle and all.’  However, like so many of these ancient nursey rhymes, their origins cannot be confirmed and the legends could easily be fictitious.

 Lyrics

Please note, we changed the words in last line of each verse as we believe it makes a much nicer sentiment.

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Lullabies for Bedtime Babies

Separation anxiety is a perfectly normal stage in a child’s development and can start anytime from at around 12 -20 months. Baby’s increased awareness causes her to realise that you may leave her at any time. This shows she has mastered skills such as recognising the difference between family and strangers, knowing how essential you are to her life and anticipating the feeling of loneliness that will follow from your departure. Unfortunately, she cannot comprehend that the departure is only temporary so it causes her great distress and panic to know that you might not return. Separation anxiety gradually diminishes as the child realises that you come back each time. However, during the condition, it obviously presents a large problem at bed-time.

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When baby is at least six months of age and developing well, you can start reducing the night-time feeds as these are no longer essential to health and growth. 

If baby is used to a 1.00 am feeding, his stomach will hunger for food at that time every night. One of the best techniques for helping your baby to sleep through the night is to reset his ‘stomach clock.’ The aim is to reduce baby’s night time food intake without letting him go hungry. Regardless of the age of the baby, he will generally take in the same amount of calories per 24 hours. If you gradually reduce the night time feeding, baby will just eat more during the day to make it up. This is called calorie shifting.

If you have decided it’s the right time to start reducing the night-time feeds here’s what to do if you’re bottle feeding: Start by reducing the volume of milk or formula in the bottle by one or two ounces (30-60 mls) each feeding. You could start with just the bedtime feed and move onto the other night-time feeds or you could attempt them all at once. Keep reducing the volume of milk/formula by one ounce (30 mls) per night over the course of the next week, until there are no more feeds.

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• Milestones. Has he reached any developmental milestones recently, such as sitting, crawling, walking, talking, teething etc? These go hand in hand with a few sleepless nights I’m afraid! Teething problems can be strongly suspected by the appearance of a wet bed sheet under baby’s head, a drool rash on the cheeks and chin, swollen and tender gums, and a slight fever. Consult your doctor or pharmacist to find the right medication to ease the pain.

• Separation Anxiety. This deserves a post of its own.

• Temperature. Is he too hot or cold? Be careful not to overdress him and see the table at the end of this post for the right temperatures.

• Dressed for sleep. In the early months, many babies like to “sleep tight,” securely swaddled in a cotton baby blanket. Older infants like to sleep “loose,” and may sleep longer stretches with loose coverings that allow them more freedom of movement.

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Here are some common things to check when baby wakes during the night.   For information on how to help baby get to sleep please see the Baby Sleep Techniques section.

 
• Nappy. Does he need a change?

• Appetite. Does he genuinely need a feed? If so feed him. (Depending on what developmental stage he’s at, this may be merely an attention-seeking tactic).

• Clothing. Check his clothes for areas that may be causing discomfort- tags, button etc. Are the clothes 100 % cotton? If not, he may be sensitive or allergic to the synthetic fibres.

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Nap times are essential for babies.  You may use the same techniques for helping baby nap as you learned for night-sleeping. Here are some additional tips:

-Without disrupting your life too much, try and plan nap times for roughly the same time each day. Obviously, this won’t be practical for some parents but if you can manage it then the rewards will be well worth it. Not only will it make nap times easier but babies will sleep better at night time as well.

-For newborn babies, sleeping habits are closely linked with eating patterns.  You might want to consider keeping baby awake for a short time after each daytime feed.  This will stop baby getting into the habit of needing a feed to get to sleep.  Don’t leave it too long however or baby may get over-stimulated and possibly even hungry again and won’t be able to nap which will make him irritable and fussy.   You should plan nap times for about half an hour after lunch or a snack to aid sleeping habits.

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Babies learn best through routine and this is the age when baby is ready to get into the habit of eating and sleeping according to a fairly consistent timetable. The best way to accomplish the challenge of getting your baby to go to bed at a regular time is to follow a well organised day with a consistent bedtime routine. A bedtime routine can include all or some of the following: bath, feed, story, massage, cuddle, lullaby. It culminates with the baby in her place for sleep on her own or with you. A little trial and error is needed to see which techniques relax your baby. In time you will develop a unique bedtime ritual of your own but you should follow this advice:

• Set a bedtime and try and keep it as consistent as possible. Bedtimes can vary from as early as 7pm to as late as 9pm. Your lifestyle and work commitments may determine this for you. The important factor is consistency. Don’t set a late bedtime thinking baby will get exhausted and sleep right through. This is bad news and usually doesn’t work. She’s far more likely just to get overtired.

• Try and make the elements of the routine come in the same order: babies love predictability and will be much calmer if there are no surprises.

• Also try and make sure it’s practical. There’s not much point in having a routine that’s easy to follow at times and difficult at others.

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Colic is diagnosed when an infant is healthy and well fed yet cries in excess of three hours a day for more than three days a week. It is a harmless condition but is obviously very upsetting for parents and carers. It affects around 20% of babies and usually appears around 2 -4 weeks of age and can last for three months. There is much speculation around the causes, although experts agree there is not one universal cause that affects all babies. (BUPA health information sheet 2003).  However, one recent study found that many colicky babies had inflamed intestines, caused by food allergies. When the problem food was eliminated from the diet, the baby recovered almost immediately. For breastfeeding mums, this means also cutting the problem foods from her diet. The usual culprits are proteins from cow’s milk, soya or other troublesome foods. Mums can alter their diet and reintroduce foods one at a time to see if the problem food can be found. If you bottle-feed you may want to try a new formula (Lavin, Glaser, 2007).

If you suspect your baby may have a food allergy, you can work with your paediatrician to find the foods causing the reaction and eliminate them (Lavin, Glaser, 2007).  If your baby seems to have a lot of wind, make sure she is burped frequently. Babies who bottle feed may swallow air from the bottle. This can be reduced by feeding the baby in a different position or by trying a bottle that has been specially designed to reduce the amount of air swallowed.

To soothe babies with colic, the following techniques may be helpful:

• Carry the baby in a front sling or back pack
• Wrap baby snugly in a blanket (this is called swaddling)
• Keep the baby moving in a baby swing
• Place her near continuous noise or vibrations from household appliances like the
dishwasher, vacuum cleaner or washer-dryer
• Take her for a car ride or a walk outside
• Give her a dummy to suck on
• Give her tummy or back rubs
• Take a shower together - the warm water may be comforting

(Lavin, Glaser, 2007).

Medicines are not used to treat colic. However, medicines may help to relieve abdominal symptoms. It may be worth trying “colic drops” or “gripe water”, which are available without a prescription. A medicine called dimeticone (eg Infacol) is available to relieve trapped wind. Consult your doctor or the pharmacist first (BUPA’s Health Information
Team. 2003).

References

BUPA’s Health Information Team. “Colic.” Available from: http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/sids.html (09/10/07)

A. Lavin, S Glasser (2007). “Baby & Toddler Sleep Solutions.” Wiley Publishing, Inc.

I feel it’s very important that we discuss this topic first because it’s surely the gravest concern of any new parent.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is where a child (usually under one year) dies suddenly, for no known medical reason, in their sleep.

Thankfully, the rates of SIDS are falling. In 1991 SIDS hit 1 in 1000 infants.  Nowadays, the figure is closer to 1 in 2000. I believe the reduction is due to new parents becoming increasingly more educated about the main risk factors that are usually associated with this condition. With more and more studies being conducted on SIDS, hopefully, the number of instances will continue to fall.

So what do we know about SIDS?

Most cases of SIDS (around 75%) happen when the infant is less than four months old. After this period the risk falls dramatically. Premature babies are at a higher risk with the risk rising according to the degree of prematurity (Lavin, Glaser 2007).

Babies and infants exposed to cigarette smoke have been found to have a higher risk of SIDS, with some studies indicating the risk is five times greater than babies not exposed to the cigarette smoke.

In which ways can we dramatically decrease a child’s risk of SIDS?

1.  The golden rule is to put your baby to sleep on his back.

This has been the most influential discovery in reducing the number of deaths from SIDS and you should ensure you always follow it. There has been concern by some parents who followed this rule but awoke to find their baby had rolled himself over onto his side or front. Doctors generally agree that this type of occurrence should not warrant an elevated cause for concern. They feel that if the baby was able to roll over unassisted, he should also have the mobility to get out of an uncomfortable or stressful position should one occur. However, if you discover that your baby has rolled over onto to his front, I would still help him onto his back again just to be on the safe side.

2. Ensure the baby’s home is smoke free. Even smokers who light up outside of the house increase the risk of SIDS. Kicking the habit is obviously the safest thing you can do but if you can’t do this, ensure that smoke is banned from the house and that no smoker shares a bed with the baby.

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