Posted by admin on August 17, 2009
You may be surprised to know that food allergies can contribute to your baby’s trouble with going to sleep. Yes food allergies can and do affect many infants and toddlers.
And if it is food allergies, chances are that milk (the stuff that comes from cows, not you mom) is the cause of your baby not getting to sleep.
A surprising number of adults have some sort of milk intolerance and what may be even more surprising to many is that babies also have a problem with the stuff you’ll get from the dairy case.
If your baby is in fact allergic to milk products it will not necessarily mean that that they are lactose intolerant (as is the case with most adults who are allergic to milk).
Most infant allergies to milk are caused by a adverse reaction to the protein that is found in cow’s milk.
Symptoms of milk / food allergies in babies may include shortness of breath and upset stomach which may also be accompanied by vomiting, although this does not always happen.
The best fix for this problem is to breastfeed baby, but for mothers that prefer a different solution you shouldn’t rush out and grab just any infant formula, as many of these will also have some sort of milk / dairy product in their ingredients list.
Rather, if you think your little one may have a problem with food allergies you should take them to see their pediatrician for a confirmed diagnosis, who will then likely prescribe a soy based formula if breastfeeding is not the solution of choice.
If you decide that breastfeeding is the best option for your baby because of a milk allergy then mom will also have to avoid dairy products in order to avoid passing the cow protein through her milk.
Keep in mind that just because an infant is allergic to milk products doesn’t mean that they always will be. In many cases allergies to milk are overcome by age 4. However milk, or other food allergies, can cause / contribute to insomnia in toddlers and even adults so if your little one has allergies consider food allergies as a possible reason.
For more great information on how to get your baby to sleep through the night consider getting this excellent guide to getting your baby good solid sleep through the night.
Posted by admin on February 25, 2009
I just read a very interesting article from TIME magazine that had some very interesting research quoted on the effects of parental behavior on their infant’s / toddler’s sleep habits.
Basically it seems that many sleep problems in infants and toddlers are , and this might hurt, related to ” ‘maladaptive’ parental habits”.
So what were some of these bad habits on the part of parents?
A couple mentioned in the very beginning of the article were mom / dad staying with baby until he / she fell asleep and mom / dad giving food to a child when they would awaken during the night.
The study mentioned included a panel of 987 parents (I’m assuming that there were less than 987 children / not all single parents) with children 5 months of age at the beginning of the study.
It pointed out that while some responses were appropriate in the first few months of a childs life that most of these responses were unhealthy when continued past those few months.
Many of the habits that parents got into actually seemed to exacerbate the sleep difficulties for the future.
The article actually presented what would appear to be a very balanced view explaining that while you wouldn’t want to allow a child to cry (“wail”) endlessly you also would want to avoid “co-sleeping” or joining the child in a common bed.
What was the alternate solution?
Quoted directly from the article:
” ‘It might be appropriate to be present in the room, comforting the child for a short time,’ Simard says. But it’s most important ‘to let the child develop a capacity to comfort himself on his own.’ “
If you’d really like to get the full information from the article I suggest giving it a read.
You can find this invaluable article at Time Magazine’s website and it is called “How Not to Get Baby to Sleep”
Posted by admin on February 20, 2009
What are some symptoms associated with sleep problems in children?
While this is not a complete list and some of these problems may occur from time to time if you have any of the issues mentioned below on a regular basis you may have a problem with your child’s sleeping patterns.
Some symptoms may be:
Night Terrors / Nightmares (they are different) – When a child has night terrors there is no response to parent. The child still may seem to be in the dream. Nightmares generally are bad dreams that have ended and the child will respond to parents.
Breathing Problems (sleep apnea)
Violent rocking or head banging to bring to a sleep state. This can also happen during the night.
Frequently waking during the night, not sleeping for the full time from bedtime until normal waking hours.
Difficulty sleeping – while this seems to be a duh! statement actually when a child is demanding as far as length of time taken from parents to coax them to sleep this can be associated with sleeping problems and there are solutions to help.
Thankfully all of these symptoms can be remedied with a bit of time and research for a happier and healthir child and parents.
Posted by admin on
Why do we have a site dedicated to your baby’s sleep?
It may seem pretty unbelievable but a newborn (at least in the beginning few days) can sleep up to two thirds of each 24 hour day. Of course as we get older this amount of time decreases significantly.
In the end the average person will have slept for about 1/3 of his/her lifetime… much less than that original 2/3rds.
In the first 3 years of life sleep is more important than any other time as it helps with many important functions during those years of growth.
It effects proper development in immune system, brain function, physical growth, and many other areas.
For parents the lack of sleep can also be exhausting as children who have sleep problems will likely let their parents know.
While many believe that their child “will grow out of it” studies have shown that a large percentage of children do not grow out of it and in fact continue to have problems continuing on into later years.
But there are things that parents can do to help this situation.
What can you do?
Some simple things to help your child to get through problems sleeping and help you get more of the sleep you need:
- Make consistent bed times – Your child is just that, a child, and as such needs some guidelines about when it’s time to sleep. Children like to have a stable environment and should not be included in adult activities that extend beyond their normal waking hours. It helps to have some consistent pattern before bed (story time, brush teeth, tucking in, etc)
- Stay away from giving your little one sweet things (food or drinks) before they go to bed. This will just serve to get them “wired” and then it will prevent them from getting good solid sleep during the night.
- If your baby / child cries a little / indicates disapproval in a minor way, it may be a good idea to wait a minute or two quietly for them without making a big deal about it.
- Be alert for your child’s sleepy symptoms and use these to help them get to sleep more easily.
