used to sleeping in an upright position, which could cause problems later on when he tries to sleep lying down. So intersperse car-seat naps with sleeping on a flat surface.
Soft Sounds
A number of companies now produce heartbeat recordings that duplicate what your baby heard in the womb. These sounds can
Review and Choose Sleep Solutions
85
be comforting to a new baby. As mentioned earlier, quiet music or white noise can work well also.
Good Smells
A baby’s sense of smell is more defined than that of an adult.
Research shows that a baby can recognize his own mother by her smell. If you have a small, safe stuffed animal or baby blanket, you can tuck it in your shirt for a few hours, and then place it in the cradle while baby sleeps, following all safety precautions.
A Warm Bed
When a sleepy baby is placed on cold sheets, she can be jarred awake. While you are feeding your baby, you can warm her sleeping spot with a wrapped hot water bottle or a heating pad set on low. Remove the warmer from the crib before you lay your baby down, and always run your arm over the entire area to make sure it’s not too hot. Another alternative is to use flannel crib sheets rather than the colder cotton ones.
Make Yourself Comfortable
I’ve yet to hear a parent tell me that she or he loves getting up throughout the night to tend to a baby’s needs. As much as we adore our little bundles, it’s tough when you’re woken up over and over again, night after night. Because it’s a fact that your baby will be waking you up, you may as well make yourself as comfortable as possible.
Accept Night Wakings with Your Newborn
The first step is to learn to relax about night wakings right now.
Being stressed or frustrated about having to get up won’t change a thing. This is a lot like a fourth stage of labor—a very, very short period of time in your life, and later on, you probably will
86
The No-Cry Sleep Solution
not be able to clearly recall the overwhelming fatigue. The situation will improve day by day; and before you know it, your little newborn won’t be so little anymore—she’ll be walking and talking and getting into everything in sight during the day and sleeping peacefully all night. But you’re in this newborn–no-sleep stage now, so do what you can to get through it as comfortably as possible. Here are a few ideas to make your night activities less disruptive for yourself:
• Make your nighttime-feeding place as cozy and comfortable as you can. If you feed your baby while sitting in a chair, I suggest you move your most comfortable chair into Baby’s room for now. If you use a rocking chair, make sure it has soft padding on the seat and back. Get yourself a soft foot-stool, and put a table beside you for your glass of water, a book, a night-light, and anything else that helps these nighttime episodes seem more inviting.
• If you bottle-feed, make sure everything you need is ready and waiting. (Wonderful portable bottle stations are available. Check out the Dusk to Dawn Bottle Warmer at
onestepahead.com as one option that I’ve been told is convenient.)
• Invest in a specially designed nursing pillow or experiment with how to use bed and sofa pillows to support both the baby and you during your feeding sessions.
• If you breastfeed in bed, make sure you are very comfortable. Many mothers complain of a sore back from nursing in bed. This is usually from arching your back to bring breast to baby. Instead, get yourself in a relaxed and restful position and let your baby fold himself around you . Babies are remarkably flexible and will tuck into whatever space you allow. Even a big eighteen-month-old can get himself comfortably curled into the space provided when you lie on
Review and Choose Sleep Solutions
87
your side and bring your knees up (speaking from lots of experience.)
• If you and your baby co-sleep, make sure the bed is big enough for everyone to get comfortable. If you’re
Soft Sounds
A number of companies now produce heartbeat recordings that duplicate what your baby heard in the womb. These sounds can
Review and Choose Sleep Solutions
85
be comforting to a new baby. As mentioned earlier, quiet music or white noise can work well also.
Good Smells
A baby’s sense of smell is more defined than that of an adult.
Research shows that a baby can recognize his own mother by her smell. If you have a small, safe stuffed animal or baby blanket, you can tuck it in your shirt for a few hours, and then place it in the cradle while baby sleeps, following all safety precautions.
A Warm Bed
When a sleepy baby is placed on cold sheets, she can be jarred awake. While you are feeding your baby, you can warm her sleeping spot with a wrapped hot water bottle or a heating pad set on low. Remove the warmer from the crib before you lay your baby down, and always run your arm over the entire area to make sure it’s not too hot. Another alternative is to use flannel crib sheets rather than the colder cotton ones.
Make Yourself Comfortable
I’ve yet to hear a parent tell me that she or he loves getting up throughout the night to tend to a baby’s needs. As much as we adore our little bundles, it’s tough when you’re woken up over and over again, night after night. Because it’s a fact that your baby will be waking you up, you may as well make yourself as comfortable as possible.
Accept Night Wakings with Your Newborn
The first step is to learn to relax about night wakings right now.
Being stressed or frustrated about having to get up won’t change a thing. This is a lot like a fourth stage of labor—a very, very short period of time in your life, and later on, you probably will
86
The No-Cry Sleep Solution
not be able to clearly recall the overwhelming fatigue. The situation will improve day by day; and before you know it, your little newborn won’t be so little anymore—she’ll be walking and talking and getting into everything in sight during the day and sleeping peacefully all night. But you’re in this newborn–no-sleep stage now, so do what you can to get through it as comfortably as possible. Here are a few ideas to make your night activities less disruptive for yourself:
• Make your nighttime-feeding place as cozy and comfortable as you can. If you feed your baby while sitting in a chair, I suggest you move your most comfortable chair into Baby’s room for now. If you use a rocking chair, make sure it has soft padding on the seat and back. Get yourself a soft foot-stool, and put a table beside you for your glass of water, a book, a night-light, and anything else that helps these nighttime episodes seem more inviting.
• If you bottle-feed, make sure everything you need is ready and waiting. (Wonderful portable bottle stations are available. Check out the Dusk to Dawn Bottle Warmer at
onestepahead.com as one option that I’ve been told is convenient.)
• Invest in a specially designed nursing pillow or experiment with how to use bed and sofa pillows to support both the baby and you during your feeding sessions.
• If you breastfeed in bed, make sure you are very comfortable. Many mothers complain of a sore back from nursing in bed. This is usually from arching your back to bring breast to baby. Instead, get yourself in a relaxed and restful position and let your baby fold himself around you . Babies are remarkably flexible and will tuck into whatever space you allow. Even a big eighteen-month-old can get himself comfortably curled into the space provided when you lie on
Review and Choose Sleep Solutions
87
your side and bring your knees up (speaking from lots of experience.)
• If you and your baby co-sleep, make sure the bed is big enough for everyone to get comfortable. If you’re
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