July 2008 newsletter

Dear Baby Sense Mums and Dads

Horror hour – what is the story?

It is an amazing phenomenon – and I call it a phenomenon, because it is pretty much seen globally with babies and toddlers – its that time of day when newborns are screaming and toddlers swing from the chandeliers!

When James (9) was born I recall clearly pacing the passage and finally having an exhausted little boy asleep on his equally exhausted Dad’s chest. At the time I battled to get my head around it. That is, until I approached it from a sensory perspective. Neither Emily or Alex suffered as much – maybe 15 minutes of yelling was the most they gave us. By then we had found the sensory solutions that I now know are the best way to deal with Colic and Chaos.

The key ways to avoid prolonged evening chaos are:

• Make sure your baby/ toddler has an age appropriate day sleep – even toddlers need an afternoon nap. An overtired baby will be fractious at the end of the day
• Have a calming bath routine and don’t leave your baby’s room after bath if she tends to be irritable in the evening.
• In her nursery, dim the lights, use quiet white noise or lullabies, give her a baby massage if she is not too irritable (under 3 months of age – keep the massage for the morning)
• Swaddle her (under three months of age) or for the older baby, cuddle her with a quiet story and then quietly to bed after a feed.
• If she is under four months old and colic has a hold – do the following:
• if she cries when you put her down, feed once more
• swaddle
• lie her in her cot rather than fuss with her and carry her around
• sit with her patting her or giving her deep pressure until she falls asleep
• if all else fails put her in a sling which creates a quiet environment for lulling her to sleep

And know that this too will pass….

Ten years down the line, we still have very busy, slightly disorganizing evenings, getting three tired children to bed and my nerves are frayed but the time they are asleep. I guess that is one of those little things they forget to tell you to expect post kids!

We wish you all many Happy Days and Peaceful Nights.

Meg Faure

NEWS
4 July is Independence Day. Enjoy the celebration and the fireworks, but remember to keep safety a priority with your little ones.

If you are going away on a summer vacation with your family try to keep your babies in a flexible age appropriate routine. See our happy Days article this month to find articles on traveling with your baby. If you are staying home and need ideas on what to do with your children during the break, contact your local library for events, groups and activities in your area.

Enjoy the lovely weather, but please remember sunscreen for your children, and babies under a year should be kept out of the sun entirely.

HAPPY DAYS
Colic? Temper Tantrum and bedtime battles? We answer them all. Have you visited the Baby Sense website recently? You will notice that we have an ever growing base of information available to parents. This month we have provided you with a summary of the articles available in our Articles of Interest section on the website. Do you have a question to ask about coping with your baby? Perhaps one of our articles could give you the answers you need.

PEACEFUL NIGHTS
In those early days somehow we find the energy to wake up during the night to feed our babies. The trick is Getting your baby back to sleep after a feed to ensure that you both get as much precious sleep as possible. Megan Faure writes from a sensory perspective about the best strategy to get you through the night.