Method: The Baby Sleep Site
Expert:
- Nicole Johnson- 35 years old, married mother of two boys
- B.A degree from UC Berkeley, MBA from Ohio State University
- President of Babble Soft
- B.A degree from UC Berkeley, MBA from Ohio State University
- President of Babble Soft
- Baby sleep coach and owner of The Baby Sleep Site™
- In her own words, "By thoroughly researching the key literature and scientific reports, I became an expert in sleep methods, scheduling routines, baby’s development needs and more."
- More: About The Baby Sleep Site How To: 5 Ways to Help Your Child Sleep Through The Night
More: BabySleepSite_Five Way to STTN.pdf, The Baby Sleep Site
1) Sleep Routines
- "...nap and bedtime routines will cue your child that sleep is near and sets his/her expectations. When done right, your child might start to get sleepy and eyes droopy before you even get to Step 2."
- A typical bedtime routine: Diaper and pyjamas, a quiet game, nursing/bottle/sippie (for babies younger than 1 or 2), brushing teeth, potty (if applicable), book, singing or cuddling, then lights out.
- Naptime routine similar to bedtime routine but shorter (10 mins)
- Bath not included because: a) Some parents do not have the time b) Child may have dry skin, water dries out the skin even more c) A bath may rile up some more spirited children
- " Whatever your specific routine is, the steps are unimportant. It is only your consistency that makes your routines successful or not.."
- "...the most misunderstood fact when it comes to a baby's sleep is the idea that you should keep your baby up longer to get more sleep out of her. This does not promote more sleep. In fact, many times it creates less."
- "The problem with a too-late bedtime is your child will get overtired. When we are overtired (adults included), our bodies will release hormones to fight fatigue. This makes it hard for us to settle down and relax and sleep well. This is especially true for your baby..."
- "The second part of the problem is that babies biologically tend to be early risers in the early days...they want to explore! ..one day, he will be a teenager and you will have to drag him out of bed. But for now, this means that regardless of bedtime, you may not get to sleep in like you did before you had kids."
Amount of sleep:
- Babies younger one year and younger : 11 - 12 hours each night
- Toddlers 2 - 3 years old: 10 - 11 hours each night
- The key to choosing the right bedtime is dependent on the time the last nap ends and to make sure it's not too long until bedtime...
- Recommended bedtime:
Babies 6 months and younger: between 6 & 7 pm
Toddlers until 18 months old: between 6 & 8 pm
3) Naps
- "...the better baby naps during the day, the better night sleep can be.."
- "It is normal for babies younger than 6 months old to take 3 - 4 short 30 - 45 minute catnaps."
- " The average amount of napping is 2 - 3 hours each day for this age group."
- " Around 6 months of age (some ready by 5 months, some won't) , you should nap your baby more on a schedule. A typical schedule might be: 7am(wake), 9am(nap), 1pm(nap), 4pm(nap), 7pm(bed). The third nap is optional and most babies lose it by 9 months old.
4) Manage Sleep Associations
-" Is it a bad idea to rock your baby? Can it be harmful to your baby?...it is never a bad idea to cuddle your baby and give her lots of love and affection! It's only when rocking your baby becomes a task difficult to sustain is it a problem."
- "They (babies) might fall asleep .. in their parents' arms/nursing/sucking on a bottle/pacifier.. there isn't a problem with these methods until it is a problem."
- The problem with sleep associations is that your baby needs YOU to recreate the environment in which they fall asleep..
- "Sleep association is NOT a problem...it's only when you can't keep up with the sleep associations that it becomes a problem.
- The key is to break the sleep associations causing problems...the longer you wait, the harder it is for him to sleep well."
5) Manage Night Feedings
Night feeding: " I personally believe that babies vary and so will answer to the question.."
- " My philosophy is to sleep train to fix problems, but not make a child go hungry if they can't comfortably go all night without nutrition."
- After 3 months old:
" For optimum sleep at night, choose zero, one or two times to feed your child and don't at any other time in the night. You are choosing the number of times based on what YOU know about your child. The theory behind this is that you are helping your child feel hungry at appropriate times at night." [consult your paediatrician]
Pros/Cons - Testimonials
Here is the link to the Testimonials:
(As it's from the site itself, of course all the comments praise the method above. I can't seem to find any other info about the site from Google. Maybe because it's rather new? It was set up in 2009, based on the Copyright..)
Concept-wise, it seems reasonable. The only cons about this method is perhaps the really early recommended bedtime which may not be practical for most people who are not necessarily home bound at that time.
Has anyone tried this method--maybe you can share the pros-cons?
Personal opinion: I have a question: How does one become an 'expert' after "..thoroughly researching the key literature and scientific reports"? Anyhow, I think the principles of this method are reasonable and makes sense. I like that she takes into consideration all babies are different, and that she emphasizes on the consistency of the steps and not just the steps itself. I think it's also true that an over tired baby has difficulty settling down. We went out just now and came back later than expected. My baby was soooo sleepy and slept in the car seat. But after gently putting her down on the mattress, she suddenly woke up and started playing again.. It was an hour later before she dozed off! So I suppose her hormones are fighting the fatigue? Only, which hormones? Endorphins? Adrenaline? Doctors, please enlighten us.Thanks!
Carpe Diem, ladies!
Becky
12 comments:
sleep physiology is a bit complicated.
can't remember all the specifics but its more of the interplay of hormones ie cortisol(stress hora mone), melatonin etc rather than just 1 that determines sleep wake cycles.
habit forming does affect ur internal biological clock.
yup, i agree that the bedtime recommended is rather early.
we made a decision to try to be consistent as a principle but practically speaking, we didn't want to be bound by rigid schedules to the extent that it becomes a chore and our lifestyle no longer enjoyable.
as for her being a self-professed expert, take it with a pinch of salt, she looks like a pretty savvy businesswoman. I'm just happy using whatever i find useful from her free stuff!
I do notice that her approach is rather eclectic (read:rojak). From my experience dealing with clinical problems, this approach is useful in real practice because its usually flexible and individualised. she's prob a more hands-on person rather than academic/theory-based.
wow, so much info to sink in to. I'm training my boy to sleep peacefully through the night now, that means not waking up for milk. But i would tell all the mothers out there not to stress too much if your child by this age has not been able to sleep on her own or sleeps very late etc. For some, like myself, it's a slow but consistent training process. My boy needed to carried around to sleep last time, now we can sit and pat him to sleep, which i would say is a great improvement considering how heavy he's getting.
i do agree that establishing routine nap times and bedtimes would help greatly but again, not all children would adhere to it immediately. So, be patient and be consistent, and you might have to try several methods before finding one that works for you.
Yes, experts can share their wisdom and all but you know your own child best. Some expert methods might work, some might not. My son has a problem of settling down independently. Which is why we opt for the pacifier although some might not agree to using one. So, it's all a matter of context and circumstances. But nevertheless, i'm sure all parents out there are doing their best and giving their best to their kids, so expert advice helps and it's always good to know these things but also don't let it stress you and make you think you're not doing things right with your children.
my kids use pacifier too. i think is much better to use pacifier rather than the baby suck their thumb but of course not all do that. and is really a mentally stress if a working mother having difficulty to put the baby to sleep. so, i would think that pacifier is an aid too.
Sorry guys have been busy so didn't check comments for awhile.
Thanks laifchan for the explanation. As u said, I think we should just apply whatever suitable methods as long as it's practical to our own schedules and lifestyles.
Sharon: I agree we shouldn't get too stressed up.. it is after all a phase in our child's life.
Ss: Hmm.. I tried giving my girl pacifier. She practically vomited it out! Guess it may not work with all babies! :) However, I now prefer that she doesn't take pacifier.. otherwise, that's another thing to wean off!
To stop them from using pacifier is another thing but for me, it doesn't take too long. I would say that will be short term pain. My girl stop using it when she's almost 2 yrs old. There's one day, her daddy was very angry with her (can't remember what she did), so he took the pacifier and go to the toilet and flush (pretending, of course he didn't throw in or else toilet will get blocked). So, from that day onwards, we tell her no more pacifier. When she asked for it, we remind her that daddy flush already. she was sad ... woke up a few times for about 2 nights. after that, ok.
my boy ... we try to stop him from using when he's 1 yr old. he cried for about 2 days. 3rd day, we gave up and wanted to give him back but when we give him back, he throw it away. after one or two days, things get better and back to normal without the pacifier.
so, for me pacifier is still an aid as it helped me through the difficulty to put the baby to sleep in their early age. but don't give them all day. just when want to put them to sleep. 1st 6 months, the pacifier will drop out when they fall asleep coz' no teeth. when they got teeth, sometimes will hang there but usually, when we see that, we'll pull it out. pacifier also got many types, i choose the flat type.
becky, ya not all babies can accept pacifier especially those who are breastfeed for most meal. my bro's daughters also cannot accept pacifier, not even the milk bottle coz' my sister in law not working and full time breastfeeding her baby. my colleague's children also the same, cannot accept milk bottle. they need to spoon feed the milk when she go to work.
yup, again, whatever works best...
just a note of caution for those who really need to use the pacifier.
Pacifiers are a known choking hazard, my colleagues have seen a number of cases of fatal choking due to the teat of the pacifier being detached from the handle and choking the child.
Just be aware of the safety hazard and take the necessary precautions ie choose a safe design, don't let toddlers run with the pacifier (same goes for eating)and try and limit usage to the times when its necessary ie to help the child sleep and then remove it.
i agree, laifchan.
It's heartbreaking reading of too many toddlers who have died choking on pacifiers.
may i know what's the percentage of baby choking because of pacifier. what cause the pacifier to choke the baby. during sleep? or running around with the pacifier? or because of the pacifier being detached? i think the cause is important to know for us to take precaution if we are using the pacifier or maybe it's human mistake rather than the pacifier's fault.
for me, the pacifier is an aid to help the baby sleep. so, other than sleep, i don't let them have it. when fall asleep, i make sure that the pacifier is taken out before i myself go to sleep.
i understand that a lot of modern mothers will exclude the use of pacifier. sometimes, this has made the mother very tired when come to putting the baby to sleep. but mothers are always the best who can sacrifice for their precious one.
so, i think like other sleeping method, there are pros and cons which i think a mother can judge by their own judgement whether to use the pacifier or not. however, those using pacifier, try to stop them using around 1 or 2 yrs old. some might be difficult, but only for short period. they will be ok.
pacifier...that thing is suppose to PACIFY our children to the point of sleep? didn't work for my kids...they would gag on it and one even threw up one time long long ago..haha
the best pacifier is to fill their day with little activities and by night time, read a book, give them a kiss and they will zzzz to la la land.
Prayer and lots of it helps too. Pray for them b4 they go to bed and by the time your prayer is finished (10 mins), they'll be quite tired already.
Thanks ShD, sounds very reasonable and practical -- worth a try!
We all know that humans are creatures of habit. Babies are no different and will adapt quickly to a solid sleep routine. Drawing the curtains, turning on a mobile, soft music etc. Baby will recognize very quickly that it is time for sleep. It may take a few weeks but stick with it. It pays off.
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