Swaddling, sleep training and stimulation
| Q: | Hi Just a couple questions that I would appreciate your input into! Once my daughter is old enough to wriggle out of the swaddle she obviously won’t be able to be swaddled. How does one successfully do the transition from swaddle to no swaddle without her arms flying everywhere and waking her up? |
| A: | Swaddle her more loosely around the arms and keep the body swaddle tight. Then more to swaddle only under her arms and eventually no swaddle but you can then transition to a sleeping bag to keep her warm. |
| Q: | My daughter is now 12 weeks old & her evenings have been very variable one night to the next. She goes to bed at 6:30 then can wake up 12:45, 2:30 and the other night did a 10 hour stretch…is it normal to have it this variable? Generally she wakes up around the same time (btwn 5 and 6) in the morning so it seems to rectify itself but it just seems strange that no one night is the same! |
| A: | This can be the case but the trend should be in a certain direction – i.e. getting better generally. If her sleep becomes consistently worse, you will need to rule out hunger which will indicate she needs solids. This will occur in the next three months. |
| Q: | I’ve heard people put mobiles above their baby’s cot. Is this advisable as it is the sleep zone & should be not stimulating, right? |
| A: | Correct – mobiles are for play time – use them over her changing mat or play gym. |
| Q: | As my daughter is now just 3 months, we’re wanting to start ‘helping’ her to sleep in her cot during the day. (I’ve emailed you before but I’m sure you get tons of emails so just to refresh your memory – she sleeps perfectly at night but her day times are opposite – she’s not interested in sleeping in her cot and cries hysterically if put down in her cot – even if she’s fast asleep before I put her down – drowsy/asleep doesn’t matter so she sleeps on me the whole day – in my arms or in my moby wrap!). |
| A: | Watch her awake times so she doesn’t fight going to sleep during the day. |
| Q: | So, in your opinion - what would be the best method to start training her to sleep in her cot? Obviously at this age, she needs her sleep (and if she doesn’t sleep well, she doesn’t feed well & then it becomes a vicious cycle). But where do you draw the line between training her to sleep in her cot (letting her cry it out if necessary) and her needing sleep? I’d appreciate any advice on how to start getting the day times right so she doesn’t develop unhealthy associations in the next month or two which will be more difficult to break later on. I have previously tried many times the method laid out in Baby Sense with no success. Does one go cold turkey or slowly implementing it by one sleep at a time, etc? I really need advice before I embark on this one!! |
| A: | Go slowly – she is still so little. Sleep is so important right now so if she won’t fall asleep unless in your arms or sling, go with it. Try the following:
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| Thanks so much for all your advice – it’s really helping me & bit by bit I’m getting there! I cannot wait for the day she will sleep in her own cot (even if it is for 45 mins) and so I can take a lie down myself…that will be a memorable day. Warm Regards, Chantelle | |
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