How to Get Enough Sleep with a Newborn

Sleeping Beauty What new parents need more than almost anything else is sleep. *believe me!*

It is definitely a challenge to get enough sleep while taking care of a newborn, but it can be done.

As for me, getting quality time for sleep is very crucial to develop positive thinking mum. *Insya-Allah*

Things You’ll Need:

* Baby Bathtubs
* Baby Blankets

Step 1:
Make a big sign for your door that says, “Mother and baby are sleeping! Please do not knock or ring unless we are expecting you!“

Step 2:
Leave the sign up for as long as you like it works.

Step 3:
Turn off the ringer on the handphone/telephone and let the machine answer all calls. Return calls when you feel like it. People will understand. *That’s why I don’t have a personal phone, yay*

Step 4:
Nap when your baby naps. Try to resist the urge to do dishes and housework instead.

Step 5:
Share sleep with, or sleep near, your baby. With the right safety precautions, this can mean a good night’s sleep for everyone.

Step 6:
Accept all offers of help from your husband. Let them come over and do a load of laundry, or even cook a family meal, while you sleep.
*You just gave birth to his son/daughter, so it is time for you to be a lil princess, rite? But don’t overdo it !
Remember to use words of “please” & “thank you” together with his sweet name such as “darling“, “cutie pie“, “my hero” or, whatever suit the best*

Step 7:
Keep the room quiet and dark if you get up for night feedings. This will help your baby understand that nighttime is for sleeping, not playing.

Step 8:
Take a warm bath with your baby a couple of hours before bedtime. This will relax both of you and prepare you for a good night’s sleep.

Alert:

Keep your baby warm, but not too warm, at night. If you are sharing sleep with your baby, he should be dressed more lightly than babies who sleep alone.

If you are breast-feeding, work on the side-lying nursing position as soon as possible. This will allow you to sleep or catnap while you nurse.

If you are breast-feeding, remember that breast milk is digested quickly. Because your baby is processing his meals so efficiently, he may need to eat a number of times during the night.

In the middle of the night, when it seems that your baby has been up every half-hour, repeat to yourself, “This too shall pass,” and remain calm.

Avoid letting your newborn cry at night. New babies need to eat frequently - and be comforted just as frequently.

Avoid falling asleep on a couch with your baby. It creates the risk of falling and/or suffocation.

If your baby is in your bed, make sure you have taken all the necessary safety precautions.

If you are bottle-feeding breast milk, resist the temptation to give your baby an extra-large meal before bedtime. It won’t help him sleep longer and may actually upset his digestion.

Burp baby well - Even if you have to wake baby after a feed to burp, it will be well worth your while. The baby will usually wake again soon anyway (which also means you!) so by taking the time to do it properly the first time you and baby will get a much longer sleep.

Hope those tips could cherish your relationship between your newborn and beloved husband

Please take care of your health *tataa*

December 7, 2007 | Filed Under Mama's Talk | 1 Comment

How to get your Baby on a Timetable

Ever wonder on how you could get your bundle of joy on a ritualistic schedule you can work around day and night?

What is your goal? Much needed sleep, a secure and happy child.

Remember: to grow a healthy baby involve a healthy mom!

Sleeping Beauty

*Alhamdulillah* I have 3 children, so I have had plenty of practice at this

Below are some tips that I had discovered in my journey of nurturing my kiddies plus knowledge from the miracle of Internet:

Things You’ll Need:

dedication
1 bundle of joy or multiple
diapers
lotion
bottle
breast
washcloth and/or warm bath
lots of love
lots of patience

Step 1: Bedtime Diagnosis
The first thing you’ll need to know about babies is once they are born they really seem confused.
To get them on a schedule is an easy task but it does take dedication from you the parents.
Sometimes if you really try to write everything down, feeding times, fussy times, bowel movements, the whole 9 yards, it still doesn’t make any sense.
The main thing to focus on is bedtime in the beginning for your baby.
Instead of writing all of this down, jot down what you think might be his/her bedtime. What time does your baby go to sleep, in the evening, and sleep for several hours?
Let’s say he/she falls asleep at 6:30pm and sleeps until 8pm. Then use 6:30pm as the bedtime….this is the secret!!!

Step 2: Work It
So if its 6:30pm each evening and you see this pattern, then use this time to your advantage.
As I said, you have to be dedicated and clear your personal time to allow for things to fall into place.
What you do next is, ok, you pick 6:30pm each evening, now what you do is at about 6:00pm you start getting him/her ready for bed.
You either do a warm bath or wash the baby off with a warm wash cloth, hands and face, etc.
Change the baby’s diaper and I usually use a small amount of powder for dryness.
Then you can do baby lotion *my kiddies love massage routine* and last, pajamas.
This in total should not take you more than 30 minutes. *yay*

Step 3: Breastfeed Your Baby
Lastly, you can feed the baby his/her bottle of breast milk or breastfeed, whichever you are doing.
Finally you can put the baby down for its nap.
How does this get the baby on a schedule you ask? Easy!
It works because by being persistent and establishing a bedtime you have just started creating security in the life of your new child.
The baby now knows, “when I get my bath, and jammies and my tummy full, I go to bed“. The baby learns what to expect and when to expect it, this provides security for him/her.
You will see the baby getting very unhappy if things go off schedule for a day or so, which is normal for them.
Next, this will lead to the baby establishing a wakeup time and at that point you can give him/her the first feeding of the day or breakfast(cereal/fruit).

Finally, you will further see some additional patterns as the baby starts to get a little older that will indicate, ok, at this time he/she is hungry and this could be a good time to establish the lunchtime.

Same goes for the napping, you will see two naps usually for babies, one in the morning after breakfast and one in the late afternoon following lunchtime.

Alert:
* The main objective here is consistently focus on bedtime and getting ready at the same time every evening. This starts the process, and soon you will be able to predict your baby’s every need, grunt, cry, or wimper. So getting them on a schedule is one piece at a time and eventually it falls into place.

Best of luck mommies Never give up! *daaa*