Category: sleep

sleep · summer

How to keep your baby cool in the summer

katchambers1 Comment

Since I was trying to find the answer to this myself, thought I would share what I have learned. It has suddenly gotten quite hot, Nate’s room is around 26 degrees and he has already woken twice tonight. So based on what I have read online and in one of my baby books these are some ideas, but please note that I am not a professional so if you don’t feel comfortable with any of these suggestions please don’t do them.

1. Strip baby down to just a vest or if very hot just a nappy
2. Cool baby down with a washcloth/flannel that is luke-warm-cool, not too cold as will shock baby
3. Strip bedding down to bare minimum and use cotton where possible as its breathable
4. Remove things like bumpers, cot tidies etc and anything stopping good airflow into cot
5. Open a window or put a fan on but make sure baby is out of direct contact with cool air
6. Give baby some cool water to drink or a cool bottle of milk, make sure baby stays hydrated
7. If breastfeeding you may want to put something in between the skin like muslin or a cool cloth as skin to skin contact can be very warming
8. There is a water spray called Magicool that you can spray on the face to help cool down although I don’t know how suitable that is for babies
9. For older babies/toddlers you can freeze fruit and let them suck on them. It can get quite sticky though.

Hope these ideas have helped.
Happy Sleeping!

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sleep

Helloooooo improvement

katchambersLeave a comment

So last night Nate only woke 3 times and slept from 1:30am-5:30am a total of 4 hours in a row! This has not happened in a very long time so it is lovely to finally see an improvement. I hope he continues to improve although I am prepared if he goes back to waking 5 times a night. It’s amazing how good you feel with 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep. What a good end to Good Friday.

Today we went swimming at the local pool with Nate, Col Little A and her parents and grandparents. They also do Waterbabies so we were all doing the moves and techniques we learned in class. It was fun but also sad because Little A’s mum goes back to work this week, which means we won’t be hanging out every week anymore. It was so lovely spending maternity leave with one of my closest friends.

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sleep · Uncategorized

Sleep deprivation

katchambers2 Comments

Nate woke up 5 times last night, which would be fine if he was sick or not 4 months old or if that were a rare occurrence but non of that is true. I went as usual to bumps to babies and baby massage this morning but I was surprisingly mute during discussions. I was so close to tears that I knew if I spoke I would start crying. Isn’t this supposed to be getting easier?! I can’t remember the last time he slept for more than 4 hours in a row at night and what’s funny is the leader in class today was talking about how sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture and that if you don’t regularly get 4 hours sleep it can lead to depression, well that doesn’t bode well for me 😦

I would feel so much better if I knew other babies were doing the same thing but everyone I talk to says that there baby is either sleeping through or doing at least 6 hours in a row.

sleep

3 months!

katchambers7 Comments

Nathaniel is my beautiful boy and I love him so much! He will be 3 months on Monday!! What is he like… Well he:

  • is jumpy and
  • has cold hands and feet like Colin
  • he has big cheeks, blue eyes and
  • loves music like me
  • he loves it when you play with his hands
  • he smiles a lot and laughs on occasion, mostly when you sing or tickle him
  • he is a very fidgety eater
  • he gets grumpy at bedtime and when naked, and doesn’t enjoy baths that much
  • loud noises upset him
  • he loves watching TV (when given brief opportunities)
  • he will sleep anywhere and will stay asleep often when I take him from car to pram or house
  • he loves looking around at everything, he’s very inquisitive
  • In the morning when I go into him he looks up and gives me a massive smile, he is normally happiest in the morning
  • when col gets home from work another giant smile
  • he sleeps between 4-6 hours in a row (at the moment we are doing dream feeding)
  • he dribbles a lot and usually brings up wind easily
  • he holds on the bottle or my thumb when drinking which makes me happy

That’s my boy!

3 month old baby tummy time
3 month old baby doing tummy time