Well, well, well (sleep)

[Guest guest]

I was looking at the WHO mental health site (in connection with

's insomnia) and in the leaflet on how to get a better night's

sleep (for adults) it had the following which I thought was rather

sweet (I would - we used to stay up as late as we could and feed DS1

then and then got a night's sleep. We were too tired to stay up late

enough for DS2 and he was 17 months before I got the same length of

sleep as I did within a week with DS1. Coincidence???)

Coping with crying babies

Young babies need frequent feeding and nappy changing, therefore they

tend to wake up often during the night. Also, a baby's sleep cycle is

much shorter than an adult's sleep cycle. A baby usually has a 50

minute sleep cycle and tends to have about 2 to 4 cycles per sleep

period. Therefore, babies tend to awaken much more frequently than

adults who have a 90 minute sleep cycle and experience about 5 to 6

cycles per sleep period.

If you have a young baby to look after, there are a number of things

that may help to reduce the extent of the baby's crying. Firstly,

when a baby cries during the night he or she usually wants food, or

to be comforted. Trying to discipline a young baby by yelling at or

ignoring a baby does not usually work. Many parents find it better to

give the baby plenty of cuddles and kisses so that the baby quietens

down and goes back to sleep feeling safe and secure. Also, it may

help if you alter the baby's feeding time so that the baby is fed

immediately before you go to bed rather than, say, 2 hours later.

This way, you may not have to get up as often during the night. These

suggestions do not always work, but take heart - babies do grow up

and one day they will actually sleep undisturbed all night long!

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jennifer@...

Vaudin