Getting baby to sleep

Got my free copy of the Raising childrens DVD in the mail. It is ab interactive DVD provides information on  nutrition, development, communication, behavior, sleep, health and safety, play and learning.

It is contains into 3 short movies divided into newborn(0-3 months), baby (3-12 months) and child (1-5 years).

The DVD interviews a number of parents and they talk about their challenges and achievements. There are sections on sleeping and wrapping which are quite helpful.

The Raising childrens DVD is available free to Australian residents and there are plans to make it available overseas for a small fee. To get you copy visit http://raisingchildren.net.au/

At Karitane there was always music playing while baby was sleeping. The music was gentle instrumental music. The music is supposed to have a calming effect which makes it easier getting baby to sleep.

You can get these music cd’s at most baby shops. I managed to get a Fisher Price cd from Kmart. It contained lullaby instrumental music with songs such as Brahms Lullaby, Hush little baby and Rock a bye baby. It also include the lyrics for you to sing along with. Be sure to use a cd player that can repeat as some babies wakes up when the music stops.

I have also seen some CD that play white noise such as moving car, washing machine, hair dryer, vacuum cleaner. Not sure if there is anything special to them but I wonder of you can can just record these your self. If it helps getting baby to sleep, it might be worth a try.

The week mother and baby spent at Karitane has been most helpful. When first enrolled it was easy to see the difficulty we had in getting baby to sleep. This was done by charting babies sleep pattern. Red ink was used to indicate where baby was unsettled ans the first day was full of red. By the end of the week baby managed to sleep 4 hours without requiring resettling.

On returning home, however she has only managed to sleep a maximum of 3 hour at one time. It might be that she need some time to get used to the new environment as we have moved  her to her own room.

Interesting to note that the room where baby sleeps at Karitane is in total darkness, so to get the same effect we have bought a thick curtain to make the room dark during the day.

The most important thing we learned is to develop a routine. It does not haev to be a stricked routine where things have to be done at a specific time of day, but in general baby should be up for 1  to 1½ hours during the day . This includes feeding and play time. Baby should then be put to sleep, sleeping from 2 ½ to 3 hours. The times will vary depending on the age of the baby.

At night there should be no play time. Nappy should also be changed at each feed. Once you develop a successful routine you’ll find it easier in getting baby to sleep.