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Sleep Routines At Christmas: Your Questions Answered




I hosted a Q&A session hosted by the lovely Baby Mori at their beautiful shop on the Northcote Road, London. The theme was managing little one’s sleep and routine over the busy Christmas period but I also answers lots of questions from parents on any topic. Here are a few things we covered…


Question:

My 4 month old breastfed baby was sleeping for a long stretch at night but has suddenly started waking again, won’t settle and is wanting  extra feeds. Why do you think this is?


Answer:

It isn’t always due to the commonly known sleep regression at 4 months that little ones start to wake but hunger starts to wake them again. It’s normal for a breastfed baby to start waking again at night for feeds from around this age because they don’t tend to take bigger, longer feeds during the day and would rather take extra feeds at night when they need more milk. On average a breastfed baby takes 120-150ml per feed whereas a bottle fed baby at this age can be taking 180-210ml  per feed.

 

Question:

My little one of 6 months has started waking numerous times every night and needs me to put his dummy back in , he doesn’t want a feed just his dummy , I am beyond exhaustion as it can be every 20 mins ! 


Answer:

The dummy run is a tough one but there are two choices…

 a) Carry on popping it back in for them until they can find it themselves, this is often around 10-12 months. Dummy blankets are great for this, they are little soft safe blankets that have a little loop that you can attach 1 or more dummies too, meaning they can find them easier themselves in the night or during naps.

 b) If they are going to sleep using the dummy, it’s only natural that when they wake in the night, they want it back. Maybe remove the dummy for sleep using some gentle sleep coaching to help them learn to settle to sleep themselves.

 

Question:

I am travelling abroad for Christmas, do you have any tips for jet lag? 

 

Answer:

When you arrive, switch into the new time immediately – lots of daylight, keep feeds regular and naps appropriate for their age. If they are super tired get them to bed as early as 6.15pm and wake and start your day at 7-7.30am.

If they do wake in the night ready to play, keep the lights low and read books rather than playtime on the mat.


It can take 4-5 days for them to adjust to mid and long haul distances whereas if travelling to Europe you could just keep to your normal time routine.


I hope you find these Q&A’s helpful. I will be sharing another post very soon with more detail and my top tips on managing little one’s sleep and routine over the Christmas holiday.


Sam aka The Baby Guru


Follow me on Instagram for weekly tips and advice on all things sleep, routine and feeding.

@thebabyguruofficial

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