Wednesday, 29 April 2015
Baby bible;the first year-nighttime sleep.
When I first started writing this series I did contemplate posting the Sleep entry first as I know this is the main thing on a new parents mind. However, as soon as I began writing I realised one of the big keys to successful sleep is routine. So I am very sorry, but I had to wait in order for this to make sense.
One of the key ideas with newborn sleep, is teaching them the difference between night and day. This seems silly when they're so little but has a big impact very early on. It's actually a very easy thing to do; change them when they wake up for the day in the morning (i.e. the time you want them to get up, not if they wake at half four!), and change them when you're putting them down for the night.
Once they're ready for baths (I think we started ours about three weeks), I then introduced a full bedtime routine. This is really important as they learn the association. Try to stick to it wherever possible, and eventually you won't need it anymore. If I ever put Minnie in her cot to contain her for a while so I can do something in her room, she tries to sleep! Mine included:
-Milk
-Bath
-Massage
-Change
-Say goodbye to sunshine
-Put into sleep bag
-Read story
Also make the two types of sleep different. At night ensure the room is dark (use blackout blinds if necessary) and quiet, and during the day have a more noisy and light environment. This is for newborns-as time changes we adapt, if you're reading this for an older baby please keep reading and you will find something to help you, I'm sure. If not please ask as I have been through lots of hiccups along the way.
Where?
I'm a true believer in efficiency and don't agree with wasting time. I therefore chose to put my daughter straight into a cot. When they're tiny they sleep a lot, and will do it wherever, so no need to get them used to a cosy moses basket, then have to go through the trauma of getting them used to full size cot a few months down the line. You're making life hard for yourself - go straight for the end goal (I also don't believe in 'Ta' instead of 'Thank you' but that's another story!).
An essential part of teaching your baby good sleep habits is having the same repeated behaviour and conditions that they learn. When you first have your baby they recommend keeping it with you at all times. When Minnie was a newborn I put her down at 8 in the living room, and transferred her upstairs for her dream feed. Then transferred into the cot. I did this only until she was five weeks old, when I felt comfortable putting her upstairs on her own at bedtime, and then switching on the angel monitor.
Start off with your baby sleeping in your room. This is recommended for the first six months. I found that my daughter was getting disturbed by us prior to the six month deadline. You need to consider how far you go to stick to guidelines - things need to work for you. Needless to say, I moved her to her own room and everything went back to normal-sleeping through 7.30-7.
Dummies - these seem like such a good idea at first. You bung it in your baby's mouth and it goes to sleep - great huh? Until you find yourself having to get up in the middle of the night over and over again to replace said dummy in your baby's mouth because it is now used to having the in order to fall asleep.
I definitely believe dummies have their purposes and I used one to sleep train. From about seven weeks (when I swapped the bedtime bath and feed so I was putting her down awake-see routine post here), I would do my bedtime routine, leave the room and close the door. If she whinged I would leave her to whinge herself to sleep but if she escalated to a cry, I would go in the room and pop a dummy in her mouth. This generally meant she'd go to sleep and the dummy would fall out, not needed again. This again helped her realise that sleep was the next step in this routine. She completely refused a dummy from about four months as she never became dependent on it. By that point she was trained.
Other sleep aids - People will tell you their baby falls asleep by themselves when put down awake, only for you to find out they use dummies, sleep sheep, cuddly toys, singing, clapping or a thousand and one other techniques. I didn't realise these were lies until it was too late and I had pushed Minnie into self settling from a very young age. However, I am now far better off as she can sleep wherever and whenever because she's not dependent on different factors. If you are able to (or crazy enough to) train your baby with sleep aids please try to. It will make your life easier in the long run. However, don't beat yourself up if you do use a sleep aid. It won't be forever but you will have to wean them off it at some point.
Pat-shh.
Really this is another form of sleep aid. When your baby is struggling say 'shhhh' really loudly, the level of a running tap, and gently pat your baby's tummy or back. The concept of this is that the baby can't concentrate on more than two things, so will stop crying and will calm. The rhythm will then help them to drift off.
I would suggest only doing this to calm them, not until they are asleep as they can become dependent on this, but it's another useful tool to have up your sleeve.
Blackout blinds.
These are really useful when teaching your newborn the different between night and day. They also come in handy when the sun comes up early in the morning, so your baby doesn't know. I also used them when Minnie was struggling with the 45 minute nap fiasco, but more about that in the next post.
I did wean her off them when she was about six months old, just by gradually lowering them less and less until she was able to sleep through the light.
Dream feed.
In my opinion, this is a big part of getting a breastfed baby to sleep through. Not so important with bottle fed as you can ensure you're giving them their correct milk intake during the day.
Between 10 and 11 every night lift your baby from their cot and offer them a feed (still sleeping). When they're very tiny you may want to change their nappy first so they're awake enough to take a good amount of milk. They will then nod off, so pop them right back into their cot.
Regression.
I hate to be the one to tell you but this is perfectly normal. They generally happen in line with certain developments, for example crawling and walking. They seem exasperating at the time but your baby is just so excited about their new skills that they want to show you! Remember, it's not forever. I chose to simply feed Minnie and pop her back into her cot to self settle, as this was the quickest way for me. I didn't get any points for patting her for hours or pacing the room. I think my regressions have lasted around a month each. This too shall pass.
Try, try again.
Finally, don't give up. There will be hard nights and easy nights, there will be days when you feel like you've got a newborn again. It will pass. You are strong enough to do this. The worst is all in the first six months, then it gets easier. Hold on, your willpower is stronger than your bambino's.
If you've read this far then well done. I will do the naps post as a separate installment.
Please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you for reading.
Lucy x
One of the key ideas with newborn sleep, is teaching them the difference between night and day. This seems silly when they're so little but has a big impact very early on. It's actually a very easy thing to do; change them when they wake up for the day in the morning (i.e. the time you want them to get up, not if they wake at half four!), and change them when you're putting them down for the night.
Once they're ready for baths (I think we started ours about three weeks), I then introduced a full bedtime routine. This is really important as they learn the association. Try to stick to it wherever possible, and eventually you won't need it anymore. If I ever put Minnie in her cot to contain her for a while so I can do something in her room, she tries to sleep! Mine included:
-Milk
-Bath
-Massage
-Change
-Say goodbye to sunshine
-Put into sleep bag
-Read story
Also make the two types of sleep different. At night ensure the room is dark (use blackout blinds if necessary) and quiet, and during the day have a more noisy and light environment. This is for newborns-as time changes we adapt, if you're reading this for an older baby please keep reading and you will find something to help you, I'm sure. If not please ask as I have been through lots of hiccups along the way.
Where?
I'm a true believer in efficiency and don't agree with wasting time. I therefore chose to put my daughter straight into a cot. When they're tiny they sleep a lot, and will do it wherever, so no need to get them used to a cosy moses basket, then have to go through the trauma of getting them used to full size cot a few months down the line. You're making life hard for yourself - go straight for the end goal (I also don't believe in 'Ta' instead of 'Thank you' but that's another story!).
An essential part of teaching your baby good sleep habits is having the same repeated behaviour and conditions that they learn. When you first have your baby they recommend keeping it with you at all times. When Minnie was a newborn I put her down at 8 in the living room, and transferred her upstairs for her dream feed. Then transferred into the cot. I did this only until she was five weeks old, when I felt comfortable putting her upstairs on her own at bedtime, and then switching on the angel monitor.
Start off with your baby sleeping in your room. This is recommended for the first six months. I found that my daughter was getting disturbed by us prior to the six month deadline. You need to consider how far you go to stick to guidelines - things need to work for you. Needless to say, I moved her to her own room and everything went back to normal-sleeping through 7.30-7.
Dummies - these seem like such a good idea at first. You bung it in your baby's mouth and it goes to sleep - great huh? Until you find yourself having to get up in the middle of the night over and over again to replace said dummy in your baby's mouth because it is now used to having the in order to fall asleep.
I definitely believe dummies have their purposes and I used one to sleep train. From about seven weeks (when I swapped the bedtime bath and feed so I was putting her down awake-see routine post here), I would do my bedtime routine, leave the room and close the door. If she whinged I would leave her to whinge herself to sleep but if she escalated to a cry, I would go in the room and pop a dummy in her mouth. This generally meant she'd go to sleep and the dummy would fall out, not needed again. This again helped her realise that sleep was the next step in this routine. She completely refused a dummy from about four months as she never became dependent on it. By that point she was trained.
Other sleep aids - People will tell you their baby falls asleep by themselves when put down awake, only for you to find out they use dummies, sleep sheep, cuddly toys, singing, clapping or a thousand and one other techniques. I didn't realise these were lies until it was too late and I had pushed Minnie into self settling from a very young age. However, I am now far better off as she can sleep wherever and whenever because she's not dependent on different factors. If you are able to (or crazy enough to) train your baby with sleep aids please try to. It will make your life easier in the long run. However, don't beat yourself up if you do use a sleep aid. It won't be forever but you will have to wean them off it at some point.
Pat-shh.
Really this is another form of sleep aid. When your baby is struggling say 'shhhh' really loudly, the level of a running tap, and gently pat your baby's tummy or back. The concept of this is that the baby can't concentrate on more than two things, so will stop crying and will calm. The rhythm will then help them to drift off.
I would suggest only doing this to calm them, not until they are asleep as they can become dependent on this, but it's another useful tool to have up your sleeve.
Blackout blinds.
These are really useful when teaching your newborn the different between night and day. They also come in handy when the sun comes up early in the morning, so your baby doesn't know. I also used them when Minnie was struggling with the 45 minute nap fiasco, but more about that in the next post.
I did wean her off them when she was about six months old, just by gradually lowering them less and less until she was able to sleep through the light.
Dream feed.
In my opinion, this is a big part of getting a breastfed baby to sleep through. Not so important with bottle fed as you can ensure you're giving them their correct milk intake during the day.
Between 10 and 11 every night lift your baby from their cot and offer them a feed (still sleeping). When they're very tiny you may want to change their nappy first so they're awake enough to take a good amount of milk. They will then nod off, so pop them right back into their cot.
Regression.
I hate to be the one to tell you but this is perfectly normal. They generally happen in line with certain developments, for example crawling and walking. They seem exasperating at the time but your baby is just so excited about their new skills that they want to show you! Remember, it's not forever. I chose to simply feed Minnie and pop her back into her cot to self settle, as this was the quickest way for me. I didn't get any points for patting her for hours or pacing the room. I think my regressions have lasted around a month each. This too shall pass.
Try, try again.
Finally, don't give up. There will be hard nights and easy nights, there will be days when you feel like you've got a newborn again. It will pass. You are strong enough to do this. The worst is all in the first six months, then it gets easier. Hold on, your willpower is stronger than your bambino's.
If you've read this far then well done. I will do the naps post as a separate installment.
Please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you for reading.
Lucy x
Sunday, 26 April 2015
Friday, 17 April 2015
Monday, 13 April 2015
Baby bible-the first year:routine
Okay, let's face it, most people will read this and scoff at me. A routine for a newborn-no way. And in a way they're right. I'm going to start off by saying right at the beginning of a baby's life you do need to be VERY flexible with your routine, and simply try to get back on it when you can. I also want to stress that I did not have a perfect baby. Minnie cried from 4pm to 8pm religiously for weeks and it used to drive me crazy BUT I have been there, done it and come out the other side.
Let's
start at the very beginning. Newborns aren't in any routine. This might sound
bad, but is actually great. It's our opportunity to shape the routine into what
we want it to be.
People
will laugh and scoff at you, but I can tell you this. Every person who used a
routine from the off now has a calm structured baby, that sleeps and, on the
whole, eats.
At
first routine is more for you to help keep sane. Your day is broken up into chunks.of
three/four hours depending on your feeding schedule. It helps you know what
your baby might need at each point of the day and helps eliminate what they
probably don't need. I stuck with my routine and at about nine weeks (11.5
pounds) it just clicked with Minnie. All of a sudden she knew what to do-fell
asleep at the right time, was hungry at the right time etc. It helps to set
their body clock and this again is useful for other elements.
I
also think that a routine has a huge bearing on making the other important
elements work - sleep, feeding, being content.
I
used a number of different routines throughout the first year, migrating from
one to the next based on Minnie and her wants and needs. Here are the routines
that worked for us-please feel free to adapt them slightly for your baby based
on awake time, feeding schedules and other relevant factors, but in general,
these meet the needs of a baby at the different ages. Also, please don't think for a second I am the Gina Ford school of never leaving the house. Let's face it, sometimes your baby will nap in the car, the pushchair or heaven forbid, on you! Roll with it, but have this routine structure on the back of your mind and try to stick to it as much as you can. It works sort of along the 'Baby whisperer' E.A.S.Y guidelines (basically Eat, Activity, Sleep, You time - read her book for more), but I have made this work for me.
I do also want to tell you that I broke the golden rule - I woke the sleeping baby. Every single day. She sleeps like an angel and very rarely wakes before me now so I do actually think this helped.
I do also want to tell you that I broke the golden rule - I woke the sleeping baby. Every single day. She sleeps like an angel and very rarely wakes before me now so I do actually think this helped.
0 - 7 weeks
7.00
- Awake and feed
- Change
baby's nappy and outfit
- While
baby is lying on changing mat jump into shower quickly and then get dressed
8.15-8.30
- Baby naps -watch out for tired signs (approx 1.5 hours)
- Do
makeup, hair, eat, chores
10.00
- Awake and feed
- Change
nappy, gentle play
11.15-11.30
- Baby naps (approx 1.5 hours)
-
You time, napping, prep lunch etc
13.00
- Awake and feed
-
Nappy change, gentle play
14.15-14.30
- Baby naps (approx 1.5 hours)
-
You time, washing, spruce house, snack etc
16.00
- Awake and feed
-
Nappy change, gentle play
17.15-17.30
- Catnap (Up to 45 minutes)
-
Dinner prep
18.00
- Cluster feed
-
Gentle play
19.30
- Bath (once introduced),
nappy change, put into pyjamas
20.00
- Bedtime feed
- Baby
to bed (keep in living room with you with you until 5 weeks old, then start to
put into own room at this time)
20.30
- Cook and eat dinner
-
Prepare baby's and your clothes for following day
-
Pack nappy bag for following day
-
Wash hair, shower, paint nails, other 'you' time
22.00-23.00
- Dream feed and put baby straight back to bed
Teeny, tiny - before routine meant much.
7 weeks to 3 months
Essentially all I did here was swapped over the bath and feed at the end of the day. I felt that now she knew what was supposed to happen I could encourage her to sleep at the right time.
7.00 - Awake and feed
- Change baby's nappy and outfit
- While baby is lying on changing mat jump into shower quickly and then get dressed
8.15-8.30 - Baby naps -watch out for tired signs (approx 1.5 hours)
- Do makeup, hair, eat, chores
10.00 - Awake and feed
- Change nappy, gentle play
11.15-11.30 - Baby naps (approx 1.5 hours)
- You time, napping, prep lunch etc
13.00 - Awake and feed
- Nappy change, gentle play
14.15-14.30 - Baby naps (approx 1.5 hours)
- You time, washing, spruce house, snack etc
16.00 - Awake and feed
- Nappy change, gentle play
17.15-17.30 - Catnap (Up to 45 minutes)
- Dinner prep
18.00 - Cluster feed
- Gentle play
19.30 - Bedtime feed
- Bath (once introduced), nappy change, put into pyjamas
- Bath (once introduced), nappy change, put into pyjamas
20.00 - Baby to bed (in own bed)
20.30 - Cook and eat dinner
- Prepare baby's and your clothes for following day
- Pack nappy bag for following day
- Wash hair, shower, paint nails, other 'you' time
22.00-23.00 - Dream feed and put baby straight back to bed
Three months to six months
7.00 - Awake and feed
- Change baby's nappy and outfit
- While baby is lying on changing mat jump into shower quickly and then get dressed
9.00 - Baby naps -watch out for tired signs (approx 1.5-2 hours)
- Do makeup, hair, eat, chores
11.00 - Awake and feed
- Change nappy, activity
13.00 - Baby naps (approx 1.5-2 hours)
- You time, napping, prep lunch etc
15.00 - Awake and feed
- Nappy change, activity
Between
17.00 & 18.00 - Catnap (Up to 45 minutes)
17.00 & 18.00 - Catnap (Up to 45 minutes)
- Dinner prep
19.00 - Bedtime feed
- Bath (once introduced), nappy change, put into pyjamas
- Bath (once introduced), nappy change, put into pyjamas
19.30 - Baby to bed
You'll be getting the hang of this by now, get prepared and then enjoy your evening
22.00-23.00 - Dream feed and put baby straight back to bed
Once weaning is established (6 months plus)
Maybe don't let them get into the chocolate orange.
I will do an installment of this series focused around weaning, but in terms of fitting it into these routines, when I introduced first tastes I used the 3-6 month routine and added in the first tastes for breakfast first, giving half the milk feed first, then the first tastes. I then pushed the 11 am feed slightly later and did the same for lunch. When I was ready to introduce dinner I moved to the next routine as below.
I also found out what timings my nursery used and set my routine up around these. I also ensured that I could keep her bedtime consistent once I went back to work by factoring how long it would take me to get home and have a little time with her before bed. Feel free to adapt this to suit your own needs.
7.00 - Awake, milk
- Breakfast - Change nappy - Bung the baby in a bumbo, get showered etc, change -Dress baby - Play 9.30 -Nap (40 minutes) 10.30 - Milk (you can drop this once you're happy weaning is fully established and replace with a snack) 11.45 - Lunch and water 12.45 - Nap (approx 2 hours) 15.00 - Milk (this will be the next to drop) 16.30 - Nap if didn't sleep well at lunch (30 min) 17.00 - Tea
19.00 - Bedtime feed
- Bath, nappy change, put into pyjamas
19.30 - Baby to bed
I wish you all the best with these routines, please let me know how you get on or if you have any further questions. Look out for the other installments in this series which will include sleep, feeding, essentials and more. If there's anything you could particularly like to read about please do let me know. 
My grown up baby - 1!!
Lucy x | |
Friday, 10 April 2015
Make your own tipi - tutorial
I've wanted a tipi for Minnie for quite some time, before she was even born I think. As she's turning one on Tuesday I thought it would be nice to make this for her. The idea is that I'll have it set up at her birthday/naming ceremony and then she can have it in her room going forward.
I actually found this pretty straightforward to create and would give it an 'easy' rating. Please let me know if you try it out, I'd love you to send me some pictures.
What you'll need:
Fabric - 189 cm x 94.5 cm (I used an old duvet cover so this meant I had a different fabric inside and out, you can find a similar one here)
Six bamboo canes - 126 cm (I used a bread knife to cut mine down, but be very careful)
Six strips of fabric or ribbon, 30 cm long
Ruler or tape measure
Scissors
Needle and thread
Elastic bands
Step one
Use the elastic band to tie the bamboo sticks together around 7 cm down from the top. Arrange them into a tipi shape.
Step two
Fold your fabric in half so that it becomes a square and then fold again opposite corners, so it becomes a triangle,
Step three
Mark a semi circle at the folded pointy corner of the triangle and another along the bottom edge. Cut out. You will be left with a rainbow shape piece of fabric.
Step four
On the two free edges sew together the top ten centimetres down from the smaller semicircles opening.
Step four
Fold the fabric strips in half and attach them to the inside of the tipi at evenly spaced intervals, ensuring the tipi opening is slap bang in the middle of an interval. The strips will be tied around the bamboo canes.
Step five
Slip the fabric over the bamboo sticks and tie the strips. Stitch back the flaps of the opening.
Et voila, you have your completed tipi - enjoy.
Love Lucy x
I actually found this pretty straightforward to create and would give it an 'easy' rating. Please let me know if you try it out, I'd love you to send me some pictures.
What you'll need:
Fabric - 189 cm x 94.5 cm (I used an old duvet cover so this meant I had a different fabric inside and out, you can find a similar one here)
Six bamboo canes - 126 cm (I used a bread knife to cut mine down, but be very careful)
Six strips of fabric or ribbon, 30 cm long
Ruler or tape measure
Scissors
Needle and thread
Elastic bands
Step one
Use the elastic band to tie the bamboo sticks together around 7 cm down from the top. Arrange them into a tipi shape.
Step two
Fold your fabric in half so that it becomes a square and then fold again opposite corners, so it becomes a triangle,
Step three
Mark a semi circle at the folded pointy corner of the triangle and another along the bottom edge. Cut out. You will be left with a rainbow shape piece of fabric.
Step four
On the two free edges sew together the top ten centimetres down from the smaller semicircles opening.
Step four
Fold the fabric strips in half and attach them to the inside of the tipi at evenly spaced intervals, ensuring the tipi opening is slap bang in the middle of an interval. The strips will be tied around the bamboo canes.
Step five
Slip the fabric over the bamboo sticks and tie the strips. Stitch back the flaps of the opening.
Et voila, you have your completed tipi - enjoy.
Love Lucy x
Thursday, 9 April 2015
Thursday, 2 April 2015
Couch to 5k
About two years ago I started running, using the couch to 5k program. I then found out I was pregnant and stopped running, and haven't run since!!
However, since the weather is getting nicer again and I could certainly do with improving my fitness levels, I am going to give it another bash.
My aim is to run three times a week, on Wednesdays running home from work, on Fridays either with Minnie in the pushchair or dropping her to my Dad's and on Sundays, running round the pitch while Aiden is at football.
I am using the NHS couch to 5k app and am aiming to give you an update around once per week to keep you posted on my development.
Week one: Run one
-5 minute warm up walk
-60 seconds run, 90 seconds walk - alternate for 20 minutes
-5 minute warm down
How it felt
Well, I managed it which is the most important thing. I am definitely not fit. They got much harder at the end, the first few were actually not too bad.
Notes
Running with a huge bag on my back carrying all my work stuff is not conducive to a good run - rectify this for next week. Also, my trainers make me flat footed....see if I can break them in or get some others.
Let me know if you have any tips for running.
Thanks.
Lucy
However, since the weather is getting nicer again and I could certainly do with improving my fitness levels, I am going to give it another bash.
My aim is to run three times a week, on Wednesdays running home from work, on Fridays either with Minnie in the pushchair or dropping her to my Dad's and on Sundays, running round the pitch while Aiden is at football.I am using the NHS couch to 5k app and am aiming to give you an update around once per week to keep you posted on my development.
Week one: Run one
-5 minute warm up walk
-60 seconds run, 90 seconds walk - alternate for 20 minutes
-5 minute warm down
How it felt
Well, I managed it which is the most important thing. I am definitely not fit. They got much harder at the end, the first few were actually not too bad.
Notes
Running with a huge bag on my back carrying all my work stuff is not conducive to a good run - rectify this for next week. Also, my trainers make me flat footed....see if I can break them in or get some others.
Let me know if you have any tips for running.
Thanks.
Lucy
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