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7 Newborn Sleep Tips From The Baby Sleep Whisperer

7 Newborn Sleep Tips From The Baby Sleep Whisperer

If we had a genie’s lamp, “better sleep for everyone in the family” would definitely be at the top of our wish list.

But until that magical day arrives, we did the next best thing. We spoke to a real-life newborn sleep whisperer – Ingrid Prueher, a pediatric sleep consultant, lactation counselor and founder of BabySleepWhisperer.com. She’s a former Wall Street analyst who became a sleep aficionado after the birth of her second son. He kept waking up every few hours at night, so Prueher used her love of data and research to get him in a good bedtime routine. Now she’s on a mission to help families around the country get in tip-top sleep shape too.

Prueher uses a “five-layer cake” approach. That means laying a solid sleep foundation and then applying a training method, aka the icing. With a little groundwork, good sleep can become a reality.

“My youngest client has been a day old and my oldest client has been 71 years old,” Prueher says. “It’s never too late to get healthy sleep habits in your life and make sleep a priority.”

Here are some of her tips for cracking the code to a better night’s sleep for your newborn.

1. Go back to square one.

Baby’s cranky during the day, waking up multiple times during the night and can’t fall asleep without you. To get sleep back on track, Prueher says to start from scratch. Concentrate on sleep for a good two weeks like when baby first came home from the hospital. Use that time to get nap and feeding times running smoothly, perfect the nursery and eliminate negative sleep associations, like being rocked or fed in order to fall asleep.

“In their first three months of life, you want to help them transition from the womb into our world. After that point, if your child has never slept well, start with some basics,” Prueher says. “Treat it like you’re back to newborn days where you stayed home and focused on all of these things.”

That doesn’t mean never leaving the house or taking an extended staycation. But you might have to press pause on play dates and limit baby’s jam-packed schedule until they’re sleeping through the night. Because baby’s first and second naps are so mentally and physically restorative, Prueher suggests saving errands until second nap is over.

“Change your mindset and make sleep a priority, so you can find what the natural rhythm of the child is,” she says.

2. Know thy baby.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that Prueher is a huge fan of analytics! She recommends taking note of everything surrounding sleep, from diet to mood, then looking for trends in the data. Knowledge is power when it comes to figuring out your baby’s best sleep. Be on the lookout for clues. For example, if baby’s really happy, then starts staring off into space, it may be a way of saying, “Hey guys, I wanna go to bed!” Watch for signs of sleepiness like heavy eyes, redness in the face and even hyperactivity.

“Things like tugging on their ear, yawning a lot and starting to get cranky means the child is starting to get in an overtired state,” Prueher says. “But parents aren’t necessarily going to know that right away, so I want them to start logging it because then they start learning.”

3. Designate a sleep zone.

Life is unpredictable, but baby’s sleep shouldn’t be. Until your child’s in a good place sleep-wise, limit zzz’s to one area of the house, like the nursery. No napping wherever baby’s heart pleases. No dozing off in Mom’s arms or the stroller.

“Just for reset purposes, I don’t recommend having the child sleep everywhere,” Prueher says. “Give them a place to rest. A true place to rest. They will become more flexible later on once you teach them to actually sleep.”

4. Make sleep a team sport.

Setting up a routine and establishing positive visual and verbal sleep cues (pulling down the shades, reading a book, coming up with a catchphrase like “It’s time to go to bed!”) are great. But none of it will matter if Mom follows one routine at night, the nanny follows a different one during the day and Grandma does her own thing on the weekends. Get everyone in on the sleep plan – yes, even Grandma! – so that baby’s not caught off guard.

“Anyone who takes care of the child at the parents’ home should be on the same page. You don’t want to do different things because you’re only confusing the child,” Prueher says. “It’s not about everything being exactly the same every single day all day long, but there’s got to be some predictability.”

5. Don’t underestimate the power of milk.

Milk matters. It really, really matters, even when baby starts eating solids around four to six months. They’ll need less milk as they get older. But if baby’s still waking up in the middle of the night to feed, it could mean they’re not getting enough milk during the day.

“A lot of what I see, especially after the doctor has given the okay for the child to start having solids, is that parents just jump into the solids way too fast,” Prueher says. “The child will get to the point where they just eat solids all day long, but then look for milk all night long.”

They might be looking for more than just milk, though. Multiple nighttime wakeups may also indicate a negative sleep association.

“If a child has 10 ounces typically and when they wake up at night they only have two or five ounces, you know they’re not waking up to feed, they’re waking up out of habit,” Prueher says. “And that’s because a sleep association is there – ‘feed to sleep.’”

Prueher advises taking note of how many ounces baby normally consumes or how long they breastfeed, then comparing that to their feeding rituals at night. That’ll help determine if the behavior is driven by a need for milk or a need for you.

6. Practice what you preach.

Infants are like small, very cute detectives. They can tell when parents are wishy-washy about sleep or don’t mean business. “Think about the people you trust in your life,” says Prueher. “They mean what they say and they follow through.”

As babies get older, they could even be affected by your own not-so-great sleep habits. If you don’t take sleep seriously, why should they? “Children learn visually, they will pick up on it,” Prueher says.

7. You do you.

Every baby is different with varying sleep needs, cues and habits. Prueher’s first son was a “stellar sleeper.” Her second son? Not so much. That’s why it’s important to figure out what’s best for baby and you. Even if that means ignoring tips from your well-meaning next-door neighbor.

“When you get advice, you have to take it with a grain of salt,” Prueher says. “It’s all about finding what works for your child.”

If you still need tips for getting your baby to sleep, the Nanit baby monitor offers customized sleep tips based on your child’s sleep patterns. It’s like having a sleep expert in your home.

 

Source: https://www.nanit.com/blog/7-newborn-sleep-tips/

How to keep your children active

How to keep your children active

How to keep your children active

By: Alejandra Jimenez

It is not easy to reconcile the busy day of parents who work, or the housework of stay-at-home parents, with the time and care that children need to stay happy and healthy. Nevertheless, we can’t let our routine make us leave out important details of our role as parents. These tips will help you keep your children active and happy, even if you can’t go outside:

Keep your children active
  • When you go shopping, generally you do not have too much time. And if you have to take your children with you, it will probably be better to sit them on a stroller or a shopping cart. However, little kids need to keep on moving all the time, and if you buckle them up you are depriving them of their natural need of movement. Let them walk next to you at the store and help you push the cart, or have them pick some of the groceries from the shelves.
  • If your kids are always at home or at indoor places only, you are restricting their freedom and exposing them to constant warnings, such as “do not put your shoes on the couch”, “do not run at home”, or “do not shout because you bother the neighbors”, for example. To make sure that your children are doing enough physical activity, visit frequently any safe outdoor place, so they have plenty space to run, jump, climb up and down, and shout as much as they want. If possible, bring in a ball and some toys to keep them entertained for a while.
  • Another excellent way to keep your children active is walking along a trail, at the beach, or at a lake shore, where they can observe some animals, search for treasures, collect  rocks of certain color, count stars, and many other activities.
Keep your children active

It is not easy to reconcile the busy day of parents who work, or the housework of stay-at-home parents, with the time and care that children need to stay happy and healthy. Nevertheless, we can’t let our routine make us leave out important details of our role as parents. These tips will help you keep your children active and happy, even if you can’t go outside:

 

  • When you go shopping, generally you do not have too much time. And if you have to take your children with you, it will probably be better to sit them on a stroller or a shopping cart. However, little kids need to keep on moving all the time, and if you buckle them up you are depriving them of their natural need of movement. Let them walk next to you at the store and help you push the cart, or have them pick some of the groceries from the shelves.

 

  • If your kids are always at home or at indoor places only, you are restricting their freedom and exposing them to constant warnings, such as “do not put your shoes on the couch”, “do not run at home”, or “do not shout because you bother the neighbors”, for example. To make sure that your children are doing enough physical activity, visit frequently any safe outdoor place, so they have plenty space to run, jump, climb up and down, and shout as much as they want. If possible, bring in a ball and some toys to keep them entertained for a while.

 

  • Another excellent way to keep your children active is walking along a trail, at the beach, or at a lake shore, where they can observe some animals, search for treasures, collect  rocks of certain color, count stars, and many other activities.
  • ​When it is not possible to take your children outside, music will always be your best ally to make them happy. Dance, sing along, and play together with any kind of rhythm.
  • Be an example for your kids by showing how physical activity helps them grow healthy and strong. Children’s habits are mostly influenced by their parents’ behavior. Therefore, every time you have the chance, choose walking instead of going by car (if you thing they might get tired, you may take a stroller). Do exercise together at home (yoga, dance). Enjoy together some outdoor activities, such as soccer at the park, fly a kite, swim at the pool.
  • Friends are a great motivation for your children. Invite one of their best friends to spend the afternoon playing at the swimming pool. Take them to a little and safe hill and teach them how to roll over. Let the kids play and exercise together at the park.
  • If you can afford it, enroll them in swimming lessons, a gym or any martial arts. Kids can get a lot of benefit from disciplines like these, even in the early years.

Remember, the main goal is making physical activities fun, so your children stay active without pressure or bad times.

Lee este artículo en español en ParaTiMami

 

Source: www.babycenter.com

Photography credits: Jonas Mohamadi

7 Smart Answers for Big Siblings’ Complaints

7 Smart Answers for Big Siblings’ Complaints

Have you ever wished to have a better answer for your children’s complaints about their siblings? Here are some smart answers to suggest:

 

  • BIG SIBLING: “Why are you going to have another baby? I don’t want anybody else”.
    Instead of: “You’ll see you will love the baby. You’ll have someone to play with”.
    Consider: “This is what you feel? Tell me more. Let me tell you that you will always be my only loved big child”.

 

  • BIG SIBLING: “Who do you love the most?”
    Instead of: “I love you both equally”.
    Consider: “That’s a hard question because you both are special to me. I love each one for being the way you are”.

 

  • BIG SIBLING: “¡Ga ga, gu gu… wa wa… momma”.
    Instead of: “Stop acting like a baby. You’re a big kid”.
    Consider: “Let’s pretend you’re a baby! Come now and sit on my lap”.
  • BIG SIBLING: “You always pay more attention to the baby than to me”.
    Instead of: “That’s not true! I pay attention to you all the time”.
    Consider: “Would you like us to spend more time together? I’d love to spend more time with you too. Do you want me and you to play alone later?”

 

  • BIG SIBLING: “Why are you always on her side?”
    Instead of: “I’m not always on her side. Sometimes you misbehave with your sister”.
    Consider: “That’s what you think? Why don’t you help me understand what you feel so I can be fair to both of you?”

 

  • BIG SIBLING: “I hate my brother”.
    Instead of: “That’s not true! You love your brother”.
    Consider: “Something your brother said or did made you angry”.

 

  • BIG SIBLING: “I wish the baby was never born”.
    Instead of: “How can you say something so unpleasant about your little brother?”
    Consider: “Sometimes you do like your brother, but now you don’t want him here. I know sometimes babies can be annoying, but when he grows up you’ll love to play with him”.

 

When your children argue, remember that family lasts a lifetime. Nobody can’t take your children’s shared story away from them. Nobody else shared all those years at home with their parents. This will be theirs forever, and will make a strong link between them”.

Lee este artículo en español en ParaTiMami

 

Source: www.babycenter.com

Can pets infect people with COVID-19?

Can pets infect people with COVID-19?

Coronaviruses belong to a large family of viruses; some of them cause diseases to people, while others affect certain animals, such as cattle, camels and bats.

Some examples of illnesses caused by coronaviruses that were transmitted from animals to people are: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). This may be what happened with the current coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19).

The first cases of people infected by COVID-19 are related to a live animal market, but now the virus is being spread from person to person.

World Health Organization and other expert institutions are working hard to find the origin of COVID-19.

 

Pets and COVID-19

Some coronaviruses that affect pets (cats and dogs) could be able to infect people, but this is highly unlikely.

There are no confirmed cases of pets infected by COVID-19. And there is no evidence to say foreign animals help spread COVID-19.

Additional research is needed to know how COVID-19 could affect different animals.

How to stay healthy if you have animals?

Despite having no evidence that animals can be a source of COVID-19 transmission, it is always recommended to have good hygiene habits if you have pets. All kinds of animals carry illnesses that can affect people.

  • Wash your hands after handling animals, their food, waste and supplies.
  • Keep your pet clean and disinfect the area properly.
  • Practice regular visits to your pet’s veterinarian and provide any relevant information about your pet. Clarify all your concerns about your pet’s health.

 

How to protect your pet if you are sick?

If you are sick with COVID-19, even if it is not confirmed, you should avoid having contact with your pet, and take the same safety measures you would with people. If possible, leave your pet’s attention to another member of your household. Otherwise, you should take extreme hygiene measures before and after interacting with any animals.

Long Walks Change Your Life

Long Walks Change Your Life

Walking is medicine that cures anxiety, sparks inspiration, and brings us back to ourselves.

 

Yesterday, I walked in the rain from my village and down into the valley, then upwards and into the woodlands. This is my childhood village. One woodland stands above and another at the bottom of the valley. On either side of the village, farmlands blanket endless rolling hills. A patchwork of green fields bordered by hedgerows and drystone walls cut across the landscape in every direction. Wildflowers and farm animals abound, and the picture is dotted with the occasional ancient farmhouse or barn.

The late sun spilled light through the trees and onto the footpath, and every so often a grey squirrel would scurry across my path and ascend the nearest tree until out of sight. Whenever you walk into the woods it feels as if you have entered a sanctuary. Trees are mysterious to me, like gods or mystics, infinitely wiser than humans, all-knowing, all-seeing, and we can only admire them from below.

 

I always choose the woodlands

I could have walked anywhere, but In the woods I walk amongst my ancestors, and I am home.

The paths I most enjoy are woodlands with fallen trees and branches on the ground, and no clear footpath. You have to find your own way through a deadly labyrinth of nettles, thorns, spines, and prickles.

After walking along the narrow woodland path, I came across a lonely stream, which flowed through the heart of the woodlands and down the valley. A father watched over his young daughter, a happy girl, as she played with twigs and sticks and hopped across the stones that sat on the water. Some distance later, the trees stopped before a train track, which stretched across into the distance in a perfect straight line. When I re-entered the woodlands, I was absorbed once again by the trees, the leaves, the sprays of sunlight, the crawling insects, the wet mud, and carried on toward the village.

Eventually, after about an hour and a half of walking, I reached the end of the footpath: a cricket pitch at the top of a hill in a village called Shepley. At this point, I had a view of the entire landscape, including a full scope of my village on the hillside opposite. Beyond the village, I could see yet more farmlands and woodlands, a Victorian village church, and in the far distance, Emley Moor, a broadcasting tower that pierces through the sky and watches over every village southeast of Huddersfield.

Over the years, I must have walked this same route a thousand times, yet I’ve never tired of its charms. If one is attentive enough, every walk is an opportunity to see new sights and hear new sounds. I learn the shapes and curves of different trees and plants, and I notice how they change throughout each season. On my walks I am in a constant, slow-burning rapture.

In nature, you leave yourself behind.

Usually, I walk without a plan. I have nothing to achieve; the beauty is in the walking, in the journey itself. Suddenly, ideas arrive. Stories unfold. Meaning and purpose are restored. Beautiful words, long sentences, poetry and rhyme, answers to dreaded questions. I often regret not carrying a notepad to write my thoughts down.

In nature, you leave yourself behind. You are nobody in the woods. When faced with a particularly difficult problem, I find it’s always healthier to just get out of the house and go for a walk rather than trying to force the answer.

For in the repetition of walking you empty yourself out, free yourself of opinion and expectation, and embody once again humanity’s innate character. In this state of emptiness, your mind begins to clear. Freedom of movement stimulates the mind, bringing forth divine wisdom. A free body is a free mind; being sat in offices and cubicles day and night, makes us forever stupid and loyal customers.

I have days that require I sit inside the office or the library all day and work until the end. And on these days I always feel as if there is a small stove slowly burning in my stomach. If evening comes and I have not walked far at all, then this fire cannot be contained and I get so anxious that I cannot concentrate on even the simplest of tasks. My body’s energy does not find release through physical exertion, and transforms into worries, doubts, fears, because the untapped life force whirls and spins around my mind. The life force I should be expressing through physical exertion turns back on my body and slowly destroys me.

I take long walks because I have a body.

If I do not use my body then I become bad-tempered and apathetic. Those who concentrate solely on their intellect and leave the body behind tend to be rigid, stern characters, and unhealthy. Each of us seems to have a primal drive toward life, which finds its easiest expression in the act of walking and moving forward through the natural world. In my experience, all anxious and depressive feelings seem to dissipate when walking along a woodland path. And if you walk far enough you eventually achieve a state of joy, and you are relieved. You are free in search of the springs of life. A long walk is a rebirth of consciousness; one never returns quite the same, and is always better off for it.

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