HUSH LITTLE BABY We know the pain that comes with a baby or toddler who just won’t sleep. If you haven’t experienced it yourself (lucky duck!) then there’s a very good chance that you know somebody who has struggled night after night with a little one that won’t sleep, most of the time suffering in silence while they battle through dreaded sleep deprivation. Unfortunately we were that somebody…
Marissa: When my youngest (Atticus) was
born I knew immediately he was going to be a bad sleeper. He screamed the full five nights I was in hospital and did-not sleep! The next three months were a blur. He just wouldn’t sleep- twenty minutes max during the day (unless he was rocked or fed to sleep) and two-hour (max) blocks overnight. I remember having this overwhelming feeling that there was actually something wrong with him. The other two were great sleepers and Atticus is my third, so surely, I should’ve had this baby sleep thing down pat? Wrong.
Amelia: When Alfie was three months old,
my dream sleeper did a U-turn and I could not get him back on the right track – no matter what advice I took or book, website, routine I read. Catnapping was the new norm and I can’t even tell you the amount of night wakings that were occurring. I tried everything! I co-slept (and he HATED it), I fed him to sleep (then he began using me as a dummy and ended up resenting the breast come night time), I walked and drove for hours on end to no avail, and I almost broke my back from hours of rocking, shooshing, swaying, patting and nursing. You name it. After both experiencing and overcoming sleep and settling issues with our own little ones we decided to come together to launch Baby Sleep School. If you’ve come this far, there’s a good chance you are struggling with your baby’s sleep and desperate for some advice from an experienced
60
sleep consultant. Well, you can breathe a sigh of relief because we have compiled our top 10 sleep tips to help you and your bubs finally get on the road to a well-deserved sleep!
1. Routine Easier said than done, we’re well aware of this, but babies are creatures of habit and if you do the same thing at the same time each day, your baby will soon be using this as their sleepy cues. For example, wake up from nap, feed and then play, then back to sleep. After a few days your bub will know that after playtime comes bedtime and there will be much less resistance come nap time!
2. Relax This one’s for you, Mumma. Our little ones feed off of our temperament and anxiety, so if you approach sleepy time with a nonchalant approach, we guarantee your bub will go down MUCH easier. Next time you put your baby down for a nap, take a super relaxed approach and think to yourself - ‘what is the worst thing that can happen if my baby doesn’t sleep?’
3. Sleepy Blinds A dark room decreases the chances of your bub becoming distracted by anything on the wall or surroundings. Something as small as a shadow or a print on the wall is enough to keep your baby awake and overstimulate them. Our Sleepy Blind is a great way to ensure this doesn’t become any issue!
4. White Noise/Lullabies Rumour has it that lullabies can cause a baby to become more stimulated at bedtime, but we disagree. White noise is great for many babies, but we personally believe gentle lullabies are far more relaxing than the sound of a vacuum or hairdryer in your ear. Every bub is different though, so it’s best to see what works best for your little one.
