A baby needs to eat every two to three hours during the first week of life. However, it depends on the baby’s sleep regimen whether the child should be woken up to have their proper feed.

At times, it becomes difficult to rouse a sleeping baby, hence some tips and techniques for waking up the baby are outlined herein:

01)      Normally it is advised to strip the baby down as the mother’s skin contact emanates sufficient warmth to keep the baby’s temperature regulated. This prevents the child from feeling chilled and is a good technique for rousing the baby from deep sleep.

02)      If the baby is still in deep slumber, the mother should simply hug the baby tight to her chest. This skin contact plays a significant role as it lures the baby away from sleep and the toddler wakes up as he starts to feel hungry.

03)      Massaging the baby softly but firmly and talking softly is a sure way to wake up the baby.

04)      Sometimes if other tricks fail, a diaper change or burping the baby helps in awakening the toddler.

05)      Physical discomfort is the most common reason why a baby wakes up. Early morning sunlight streaming into the room usually does the trick and is sure to wake up the baby.

06)      Staying too close to religious centers like temples or mosques disturbs the baby’s sleep as religious music early in the morning acts as a deterrent and wakes the baby from deep slumber.

However, it depends on the mother’s intuition to determine when it is necessary to wake a sleeping baby for feeding and when the toddler should be allowed to sleep undisturbed. Using common sense and following a pediatrician’s advice is a great help to mothers of new born babies.

During the first few weeks it is tough for parents to awaken the baby. But at times to wake up the baby, mothers need to take recourse to various techniques as suggested above.

Some other ideas for breaking up the sleep and keeping the baby awake long enough to finish feeding include:

• Un-swaddling the baby
• Tickling the feet soles and sides of the baby
• Running the finger down the baby’s cheek and neck
• Talking sweet baby talk
• Making the baby sit-up as most babies tend to open their eyes when they sit-up

]]> http://blog.gotobaby.com/2010/02/tips-for-waking-a-baby/feed/ 1 http://blog.gotobaby.com/2010/02/tips-for-getting-babies-to-sleep/ http://blog.gotobaby.com/2010/02/tips-for-getting-babies-to-sleep/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:25:55 +0000 GTB Blogger http://blog.gotobaby.com/?p=117 Parents often worry whether their baby will sleep soundly through the night. To avoid such anxiety, experts have outlined some suggestions which should ensure that your baby sleeps safely and soundly. Keep in mind the room temperature, the baby’s behavior and sleeping patterns and the bedding sets you have selected when trying to get your little one to fall asleep.

Normally, new born babies sleep for about 17 to 18 hours a day for the first few weeks and 15 hours a day when they are three months old. But the sleeping cycle is confined to roughly 3 to 4 hours at a stretch. At this young stage, it is advisable to make the baby sleep in a cot next to the parents at least for the first six months.

Other recommendations include putting the baby on his back to sleep and also ensuring that the toddler’s feet are close to the end of the cot. This prevents the child from wriggling too far down under the blanket. However, the parents should check frequently to see that the baby’s head is left uncovered by the blanket. The new born baby should never be allowed to sleep on a pillow since they have a tendency to roll off and this may result in smothering the baby in its soft folds.

Keeping the baby cot away from air-conditioning blasts and maintaining the room temperature at 68 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit ensures that the room is sufficiently warm and comfortable. As for bedding, it is advisable to use soft cotton sheets during summer months.

In winter, thin cotton quilts or cellular blankets are preferable to heavy cotton quilts. Parents should periodically check to make sure that the baby does not become too hot or too cold and accordingly should take steps to keep the child in ultimate comfort.

To settle the child down to sleep, the parents should be aware of the signs indicating that the child is tired. If the baby stays up for more than two hours at a time and is put down to sleep after that, the child could be over tired and will not be able to fall asleep easily. The symptoms indicating that the baby is sleepy are when the baby is rubbing his eyes or pulling his ears or there are faint dark circles under the eyes. When such signs are visible, it is suggested that the parents should settle the child for a nap immediately.

Some babies are awake at night and it is advisable for parents to teach the baby to distinguish between day and night. At night the parents should not spend too much time talking or playing with the child. This will initiate the child to distinguish that night time is for sleeping. Often the parents rock their babies to sleep but some medical experts are against rocking as they suspect that the child will look for this practice everyday when they grow up.