Babies dream and maybe going over something they have learnt or experienced that may be startling - if you feel it's OK you just need to keep an eye on it but if you're more worried ask your health visitor for more advice.
Hello Mrs Cox Newborn babies generally like to sleep a lot, around 16 hours a day on average, however this won't necessarily be at night or in large chunks and may be punctuated with a fair amount of crying. There really are no hard and fast rules on this, your baby will sleep as long as he or she needs to.
Our own bodies are set to run on a 24-hour clock (the technical name is circadian rhythm), with a long period of sleep at night. However babies are not born with this and it can take several weeks for them to develop it. By four to six weeks, babies start to develop a more distinct circadian rhythm. Sleep starts to occur in fewer and longer episodes as the baby grows, until the total time spent asleep falls from around 16 hours to about 12 hours by age one.
By six months, most babies are sleeping from 12 to 14 hours a night, mostly in one long block at night with at least one nap taken during the day. It is estimated that most new parents lose at least two hours of sleep for the first four or five months and one hour a night after that. This may not sound much, but it adds up to several hundred lost hours of sleep over the first year of your baby's life. It is no wonder parents feel tired!
The dummy issue is one where he possibly hasn't yet learnt to self soothe or can't reach the dummy yet of course to pop it in but to reassure or to help other mums with sleep issues this info may be of help I hope.
Newborn ??????? Short naps of two to four hours on average.
??????? Total sleep - 14 to 16 hours a day.
Six weeks to six months ??????? A baby's 24 hour body clock is more established from six weeks. Gradually over the next few weeks the longest sleep will take place at night.
??????? Total sleep - dips down to around 14 hours a day.
Six months ??????? Should have developed a pattern of one long sleep at night and one to two substantial day time naps.
??????? Total sleep - 12 to 14 hours a day
By ensuring your baby eats little and often during the day and is awake for short spells during the day, this will encourage him to sleep for longer spells at the right time, i.e. during the night.
There are many factors that can affect a baby's quality of sleep:
??????? Diet - Ensure your baby is receiving a balanced diet during the day so he doesn't need to wake up for feeds at night. 'Demand feeding', where parents believe every time their baby cries it's because he's hungry, results in the baby feeding little and often when he's capable of taking a bigger feed and sleeping for a longer stretch in the night.
??????? Hunger - Certain foods and drinks can affect the sleep of young babies and toddlers. Breastfeeding mums should avoid alcohol, artificial sweeteners, excess caffeine and highly spiced foods.
??????? Over-tiredness - Many babies and young children don't settle to sleep easily in the evening and wake up several times a night because they are overtired.
??????? Over-stimulation - Allow a quiet wind-down period of 15-20 minutes before naps or bedtime as over-stimulation before bed affects how well they settle and sleep.
??????? Illness - A baby under 3 months of age will usually need help to get through the night when he has a cold or is ill.
??????? Anxiety - By the age of 6 months, babies begin to realise they're separate from their mothers and may show signs of separation anxiety or stranger anxiety. Responding quickly and positively to his anxiety rather than ignoring it will, in the long run, help him become more confident and independent. However, don't let your baby feel he's being rewarded for his night-time waking by giving him too much attention.
??????? Discomfort - Ensuring the room temperature is neither too hot nor too cold and he's dressed comfortably makes all the difference to his sleeping
Just reassure him and go in when he needs it and keep the bigger picture in your mind that this phase will soon pass too as he learns to self soothe and drift of to sleep himself in time
oh, i wasnt too worried, but i am now! she does this every day pretty much, i really hope she hasnt experienced something that scary that she has nightmares about it everyday! could there be any other explaination?
It's always best to go and see the doctor or health visitor if you are unsure even just to reassure you - let me know how you get on and if I can help further
Hope you found my answers helpful - if you would like more ideas, information and inspiration there's a sample of my new book to preview called ???????Pocket Parenting Made Easy - TODDLERS??????? available to read before it's launch at on 31st October at http://www.positive-parentsclub.com and lots more articles there too on babies as well as toddlers to teens in my Positive Parents Club!!
Please feel free to email me on sue@positive-parents.com if I can help further and I hope you all have a wonderful night's sleep tonight - as it's really important to take care of yourself too
Replies
Babies dream and maybe going over something they have learnt or experienced that may be startling - if you feel it's OK you just need to keep an eye on it but if you're more worried ask your health visitor for more advice.
Hope that helps
Sue
Newborn babies generally like to sleep a lot, around 16 hours a day on average, however this won't necessarily be at night or in large chunks and may be punctuated with a fair amount of crying. There really are no hard and fast rules on this, your baby will sleep as long as he or she needs to.
Our own bodies are set to run on a 24-hour clock (the technical name is circadian rhythm), with a long period of sleep at night. However babies are not born with this and it can take several weeks for them to develop it. By four to six weeks, babies start to develop a more distinct circadian rhythm. Sleep starts to occur in fewer and longer episodes as the baby grows, until the total time spent asleep falls from around 16 hours to about 12 hours by age one.
By six months, most babies are sleeping from 12 to 14 hours a night, mostly in one long block at night with at least one nap taken during the day. It is estimated that most new parents lose at least two hours of sleep for the first four or five months and one hour a night after that. This may not sound much, but it adds up to several hundred lost hours of sleep over the first year of your baby's life. It is no wonder parents feel tired!
The dummy issue is one where he possibly hasn't yet learnt to self soothe or can't reach the dummy yet of course to pop it in but to reassure or to help other mums with sleep issues this info may be of help I hope.
Newborn
??????? Short naps of two to four hours on average.
??????? Total sleep - 14 to 16 hours a day.
Six weeks to six months
??????? A baby's 24 hour body clock is more established from six weeks. Gradually over the next few weeks the longest sleep will take place at night.
??????? Total sleep - dips down to around 14 hours a day.
Six months
??????? Should have developed a pattern of one long sleep at night and one to two substantial day time naps.
??????? Total sleep - 12 to 14 hours a day
By ensuring your baby eats little and often during the day and is awake for short spells during the day, this will encourage him to sleep for longer spells at the right time, i.e. during the night.
There are many factors that can affect a baby's quality of sleep:
??????? Diet - Ensure your baby is receiving a balanced diet during the day so he doesn't need to wake up for feeds at night. 'Demand feeding', where parents believe every time their baby cries it's because he's hungry, results in the baby feeding little and often when he's capable of taking a bigger feed and sleeping for a longer stretch in the night.
??????? Hunger - Certain foods and drinks can affect the sleep of young babies and toddlers. Breastfeeding mums should avoid alcohol, artificial sweeteners, excess caffeine and highly spiced foods.
??????? Over-tiredness - Many babies and young children don't settle to sleep easily in the evening and wake up several times a night because they are overtired.
??????? Over-stimulation - Allow a quiet wind-down period of 15-20 minutes before naps or bedtime as over-stimulation before bed affects how well they settle and sleep.
??????? Illness - A baby under 3 months of age will usually need help to get through the night when he has a cold or is ill.
??????? Anxiety - By the age of 6 months, babies begin to realise they're separate from their mothers and may show signs of separation anxiety or stranger anxiety. Responding quickly and positively to his anxiety rather than ignoring it will, in the long run, help him become more confident and independent. However, don't let your baby feel he's being rewarded for his night-time waking by giving him too much attention.
??????? Discomfort - Ensuring the room temperature is neither too hot nor too cold and he's dressed comfortably makes all the difference to his sleeping
Just reassure him and go in when he needs it and keep the bigger picture in your mind that this phase will soon pass too as he learns to self soothe and drift of to sleep himself in time
Hope that helps
Sue
It's always best to go and see the doctor or health visitor if you are unsure even just to reassure you - let me know how you get on and if I can help further
Web Ed
Please feel free to email me on sue@positive-parents.com if I can help further and I hope you all have a wonderful night's sleep tonight - as it's really important to take care of yourself too
Take care
Sue