Subscribe by RSSSo your baby won’t sleep like you want them to and you feel frustrated. When trying to get your baby to sleep, it may be the way we feed a baby which may be the source of your baby’s sleep problems.
The confusing thing is knowing which habits are the wrong ones and which are going along smoothly. Some of these include:
- Alternating between nursing and bottle feeding
- Letting your baby feed himself to sleep
- Is your diet affecting the way your baby sleeps?
If you alternate bottle feedings with nursing
There is evidence that indicates alternating between nursing and bottle feeding may actually increase the number of night wakings. A nursing mother’s body regulates the milk output based on how much the baby is feeding. If the routine of nursing is alternated with bottle feeding sessions, these may signal to the body to reduce it’s milk output.
This reduction in milk supply will then result in less milk taken in by a baby during the less regular nursing session. Less milk equals a hungry baby who will wake up more often in the middle of the night looking to fill their hungry tummy. This sets up the pattern for interrupted sleeping.
If you nurse your baby to sleep
It is so tempting for a new mom to nurse their baby to sleep. In the early stages this is probably not a problem due to the short duration of baby’s sleep cycles. But as your baby gets older they should be able to sleep longer without feedings.
If you are commonly feeding them to sleep you are reinforcing the need for the baby to nurse to sleep which may become a vicious cycle of an inability to sleep unless they are being nursed.
Fortunately, there are ways to break this cycle of dependency in a baby.
One is to alternate the time you feed a baby before bed. This may reduce the perceived association that bedtime equals feeding time.
You may also want to change the duration to reduce the habit further. But always make sure your baby is getting enough food!
Does your diet affects your baby’s sleep
The obvious answer is yes. But even still it may be a challenge for a busy mom to get the right diet. During pregnancy diet was stressed as being very important to the baby’s health. Post-partum, this is still the case. If you are nursing with an inadequate diet, baby’s may require longer nursing sessions to get their needed nutrition.
Consuming healthful and nutritious foods is very important for a nursing mom. Also keeping your fluid intake at higher levels is important. This gives a baby their required nutritional balance as well as the correct amount to eat. Consequently, the fuller your baby is able to feel, the better he or she will be able to sleep.
If your baby is having problems sleeping through the night, I suggest you look at The Baby Sleep Solution audio program. It will be the quickest way to solve your baby sleep problems – guaranteed! Take a look now at Baby Sleep Solutions to get your baby to sleep tonight.
Article Filed Under Category Baby Sleep, Sleep TroubleTags: baby, Baby Sleep, sleep
