Bringing Up Baby

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Do you want to know how to make the most of your baby's naps?
How often should they be napping?
How long should they be napping?
How to lengthen their short naps?
Are there particular times of day that are better for babies to nap?
Breakdown of wake-windows, number of naps and general/ideal lengths of naps

Months 0-1 (until around 6-8 weeks of age)

• Wake windows (45mins - 1hr)
• Napping 24/7
• 20 minutes to 3hrs+ (wide range!)

Months 2-3

• Wake windows (45-1.5hrs)
• Up to 5-6 naps per day
• 30 minutes - 2hrs+ (depends on the baby, depends on the day!)

Months 4 &5 - start to see a bit of regularity

• Wake windows (1.5-2/2.5hrs)
• 3 or 4 naps
• Aiming for 2 longer naps (first 2) and 1-2 short, “cat naps”

Months 6-8

• Wake windows (1.5 - 3hrs)
• Biological ‘Sleep Waves’ (around 9am and 12pm)
• 3 naps going down to 2 (at least 1-1.5hrs long each)

Months 9-12

• On 2 naps a day (at least 1-1.5hrs each)
• Roughly around 9am and 1pm
• Wake windows look like 2-3-4 or up to 3-3-4

Months 13-18

• Dropping down to 1 nap a day, which will end up being somewhere within 12-1pm
• Ideally at least 1.5hrs but sometimes short at first or at daycare!

1. How is my baby’s behaviour throughout the day?
2. How easy/challenging is it to get my baby to sleep?
3. Is their overnight sleep being impacted (more wake-ups, difficulty getting back to sleep, super early wake-up calls)

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If you have twins or multiples, you already know you are part of a special group. But this episode can really be for anyone with children because the group of ladies who joined me brought the Real. Talk. The stuff that I know many other moms and new parents have experienced or would be experiencing right now.

• How they would describe their pregnancies with twins
• What it was like to spend time in the NICU after they were born, AND
• They walk us through some of the big CHALLENGES and JOYS of having twins.

So these three ladies I spoke with... are all friends of mine and they all happen to have twin boys!

Veronique Trottier is mom to 8 year olds Cade and Didier

Alana Woods is mom to 4 year olds Rory and Ewan as well as big sister Cecilia

And Amy Lowry is mom to 5-week old boys Declan and Hunter as well as big sister Maera

Each family has their own unique set of circumstances but they also experienced a lot of similarities. They’ve certainly shared some personal and heart-felt stories that anyone having babies would appreciate, but especially those with multiples.

Here is my conversation with Vero, Alana and Amy about their sweet little boys and their experiences as moms of twins...

Follow Ashley on Facebook and Instagram @birth_baby_sleep
For more information about the podcast and all of Birth Baby Sleep's offerings, head to www.birthbabysleep.ca.

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When babies are first born, they need time to adjust.

While your baby was in the womb, you were feeding them constantly, they were sleeping when they needed/wanted to, and they were physically attached to you.

So, think of this time right after they’re born and for the next few months as them getting used to not needing you every single second of the every day... but as someone helping to keep them fed and rested, you’ll have to see yourself as having to almost constantly continue to meet your baby’s needs in the beginning.

For today’s episode, we’re going to dissect some of my best tips to help you through the newborn phase, especially when it comes to helping your little one get their best sleep!

The National Sleep Foundation states that on average, newborns need about 14-17hrs of sleep in a 24hr period but by no means is this sleep organized in any sort of way. What is driving their sleep-wake cycles isn’t their circadian rhythm, but rather their growth/hunger/feeding needs are in the driver’s seat at this point in time.

When talking about your average, “healthy” newborn, they’ll often go home from the hospital slightly under their birth weight and this is completely normal.. But they are expected to get back up to their birth weight by 2-weeks of age, then they need to double it by 4-6 months and triple it by a year! This is the fastest growing time in their extra-uterine lives - even faster then when they’ll go through puberty!

So, babies need to be fed frequently to meet their growth demands and this undoubtedly impact YOUR sleep needs, which can be really tough. When you’re only getting a couple of 1-2 or maybe a 3hr stretch of sleep all night long, it can make those days feel a lot longer and tougher than we’d all like them to be.

Your newborn’s sleep may seem a bit erratic and often unpredictable, but this is normal in those first few months as they adjust and work on gaining that weight they need.

Luckily, there are still some things you can do to help your newborn get their best sleep possible and even help them to regulate it a bit more efficiently... so, let’s get into those, shall we?!

1. Help them fall asleep. Because baby sleep is relatively disorganized, you have to help them work it out! Feeding, holding, bouncing, swaying, rocking or walking with them are all common, proven, and natural ways to help babies fall asleep.
2. Encourage regular napping. Newborns under about 6 weeks of age usually need to sleep every 45 minutes to an hour. For babies over 6 weeks of age you might aim for closer to 1-1.5hrs of awake time between naps during the day. If you find this to be a struggle, listen this next tip:
3. Wear your baby. Use a carrier, wrap or sling to wear your baby if you can
4. Sleep on-demand. Let them sleep when they want, however long they want
5. Sleep when they sleep (at least once a day)

Even if you’re already thinking you might like your little one to be more of an independent sleeper later on when they’re capable of learning that skill, wearing/holding them and helping them sleep now WILL NOT ruin this dream of yours. You all just need some sleep right now, there’s a time and a place for practicing and working on those skills later on if need be. Dr.
Links:
- Harvey Karp is a pediatrician and writer of The Happiest Baby on the Block
- Follow Ashley on Instagram and Facebook @birth_baby_sleep
- Birth Baby Sleep Education and Support Services:

Learn about when & how to help your little one decrease (or eliminate!) overnight feedings.

We'll discuss what's appropriate for certain ages and tips on how you can do it for a more solid night's rest!

Host: Ashley Cooley, owner of Birth | Baby | Sleep

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For more information, check out www.birthbabysleep.ca
Katherine is a Health Promotion Specialist for Child Safety Link – a children’s injury prevention centre at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

With unintentional injury as the leading cause of death in Canadian children, with injuries to children in motor vehicle collisions being at the top of this list...

Katherine’s work focuses on child passenger safety. She is also the president of the Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada, a national not-for-profit that focuses on training and advocacy.

I’m fortunate to have had Katherine as my trainer when becoming a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (aka “car seat techs”) - we are volunteers that can help you safely install your child’s car seat.

I’ve since had the pleasure of speaking with Katherine about car seat safety for children and we dove into a very important topic that comes up a lot with babies - namely how long is too long to be in a car seat and what should you do (and not do!) if your baby falls asleep in said car seat. Because we know that happens. Sometimes we go for a drive or a walk with a baby in the car seat for the sole purpose of getting them to sleep, so I totally get the struggle here... but there are some safety risks to be mindful of and we’re going to dive into that a little bit.

...Mental Health Minute

I DO NOT want you to feel like you can NEVER allow your baby to sleep in the car seat.

Going down this rabbit hole will only make you feel less than a great parent, but you are a great parent!

We’re all going to make decisions based on our own experiences, knowledge and cultural or environmental influences.

As always, I want you to have all the facts so that you can make the best informed decisions you can when necessary.

So, what are the FACTS?

Well, The safest position for babies to sleep in is on their backs on a firm, flat surface. For babies under 1 year of age, you should always place your baby on his/her back for sleep.

Babies MUST be in a certified car seat that is approved by the country of origin and they must be in the car seat at all times when travelling in a motorized vehicle.

So now, how do we make decisions based on this information? Here are just a few options to give you some examples:

If you are planning on going for a walk with baby with the hopes of he/she squeezing in a nap...

• Can you use a carrier instead?
• Or if you have the equipment, some stroller/seat combos have a bassinet that lays flat instead of the traditional car seat. So lying flat while out for a stroll might be an option for some people.

If these are not options, or if you are driving while baby fall asleep in the car seat...

• Limit travel time as much as possible, definitely not going over 2hrs
• Take breaks when necessary
• Take baby out of the car seat once you’ve reached your destination and transfer them to a safer sleeping surface, like their crib
• If for some reason baby had to stay in his/her car seat while sleeping (FOR A SHORT PERIOD), do not unclip them as their harness helps to keep them in a safer position.

And AS ALWAYS when it comes to babies in car seats - make sure they are installed correctly and baby is harnessed safely every time, for every ride.

Links:

For more information about safety regulations and information on anything related to babies and children, check out Child Safety Link’s website here.

And to find a Certified Car Seat Tech, visit the Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada’s website