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Parenting
Good Night, Sweet
Dreams
by Garima Gupta
Those who
haven’t had babies to look after may not understand a mother complaining
about her child’s sleeping habits. But the rest of us know how difficult
it can get with a baby who just won’t sleep at night, a toddler who
still wakes up five times a night, and a preschooler who won’t sleep in
his own room because of the blue monsters.
Every age and
stage brings with it a unique set of sleep problems, and it may be four
to five years after you deliver the baby that you can count on getting a
complete undisturbed eight hours of sleep. However, it is exactly the
time most couples go for baby no. 2, and that means another round of
sleepless nights . It is, therefore, of paramount importance that you
instill good sleeping habits in your baby as soon as you can, so that
both the baby and you are rested and ready for a fresh day of feeding
and changing, plays and giggles.
First of all, it is important for parents to understand that sleeping
off is not an easy task for a baby. It is not a natural instinct like
sucking or breathing that come pre-programmed with birth. Of course, it
is a natural need, but it still is a skill that needs to be taught to
the baby. Sleeping peacefully requires a lot of trust, and the infant
has to believe that world will still be okay once he wakes up. Mom and
Dad won’t disappear like the cute rattle that he lost a moment back.
(Okay, It’s still under the blanket, but what does a baby know?). The
fist couple of months outside the womb are used up just to get
accustomed to the hostile environment called world. So a newborn baby
pretty much just eats, poops, and sleeps. I sometimes think these are
the most relaxed period of parenthood. But once your little baby turns
two months old, it is time to start her training in good sleeping
habits.
Start with searching for your and your partners preferences’ about
baby’s night time. Would you like her to co-sleep? Will you prefer her
in a separate bed in your own room. Will you want her to sleep in her
own room by herself ? Think of these with a long term perspective :
Cuddling and rocking your angel to sleep one night may feel heavenly,
but doing it 365 night in a row is another matter. Consider also, your
and your partners energy levels, need of privacy and togetherness, and
your baby’s own preferences. Whatever you two decide, now is the right
time to implement it. At such a tender age, your baby would learn
whatever you teach her, and a less involved kind of parenting is the
best long term way for both the parent and the child. It might take a
week or two of training, but consider the enormous benefits. If you
spend 30 to 45 minutes everyday carrying, cuddling and cajoling her to
sleep, imagine the amount of time and energy you would save if she
learns to sleep by herself!
Carefully monitor your child through out the day for his sleep patterns.
As soon as his energy levels dip and he starts feeling drowsy, put him
in for sleep to his crib or bed. Stay there, console him if he cries,
pat him, even carry him back if he is very upset. But as soon as he is
drowsy again, put him back to bed. Avoid rocking him to sleep. After a
few difficult sessions, the baby would soon get the idea that crib or
bed is for sleeping. It is amazing how fast these little ones adapt,
only if we grown-ups would let them!!
If you have already missed this window of opportunity, and your child
has now established a different, and difficult sleeping behavior, you
might still have troubles, like the ones enumerated in the beginning.
But we shall discuss those in a different article. You must, never,
underestimate the importance of sleep : A good night’s sleep is
absolutely essential for the baby, but more so for the caregiver,
because a day waits just beyond the night, and so much needs to be done…
May 28, 2006
Top
| Parenting
The Week of May 28, 2006
Arjun
Singh's Politics: Reservation and the Politics of Reservation! by
Rajinder Puri
Congress Government's Two-Year Report Card :
3/10 by Dr. Subhash Kapila
Schizoid America Tightens Indian Puppet's Loose Screw
by Gaurang Bhatt, MD
Roots of Terrorism by V. Sundaram
Can Non-Violence Still Solve the Problems of
Today? by TA Ramesh
Andaman Faces Kargil-type of Invasion by MH Ahsan
Quota Raj : A La
Jallianwala by V. Sundaram
Reservations and Rebellions by Dr.
Prasenjit Maiti
Internet Bhagawan by J. Ajithkumar
TV Invasion : An Addiction to Resist! by
Naira Yaqoob
Dilemma of India's Distant Education System
by Dr. Prasenjit Maiti
Wild Flowers of Tibet A Photo
Essay by Kana Talukder
Giants of the Cold by VK Joshi
Because There is a Cause by M. Qaiser and P.
Mohan Chandran
Good Night, Sweet Dreams by Garima Gupta
Ah, Newlyweds… Then Reality Sets In by Gary
Direnfeld
Have Two by Monisha Sen
Healthy Kids, Fatigued Moms by Yvonne
Barlow
Theatre Therapy for the Disabled by Neeta Lal
New Peaceniks by Manjri Sewak
Beyond the Caricature by Gautam
Bhan
A Very Good Woman to Know by Malvika Kaul
An Intellectual A Short Story by NS Murty
My Dates with Dentists by PGR Nair
Last Page of a Forbidden Diary by Suseela
Pattamatta
Mujhko NRI Bana De by Usha Kakkar
Heritage Cuisine by Vikram Karve
When I Stole from School by Arya Bhushan
Virtualization by Ruchi Gupta
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