Getting your baby to sleep and stay asleep is probably one of the biggest challenges of parenthood. Sure we have all heard the glory stories of babies that sleep through the night the moment they come home from the hospital, but for most of us that just isn’t the case.
The first step you might take is to try to eliminate as many of the physical reasons for night waking as possible. This may depend on the age of your baby, since some night waking may be inevitable in tiny babies.
Teething
Teething pain can wake a baby and keep her awake. And while you might not see any teeth spouting just yet, pain from teething can occur as early as three months of age, as the teeth get ready to make their appearance. It can last all the way through the two-year molars, although teething pain is generally on and off instead of constant through that time.
Some signs that you baby may be teething include a wet sheet where the baby’s head lays, lots of drooling (and the chin and cheeks rash that generally accompanies it, swollen gums that are tender to the touch, and a low grade fever.
To sooth teething pain, you can ask your baby’s doctor if you may give some infant tylenol to your baby as part of the nighttime routine.
Clothing irritation
Some babies are very sensitive about what they wear to sleep. Itchy sleepers can cause a baby to night wake. There could be many causes of irritating sleep wear, from cheap synthetic fabrics to allergies to detergents and fabric softener.
Some signs that your baby may be irritated by his or her sleep wear are a skin rash or a lot of restless body activity.
To remove clothing irritation, try switching to all-cotton sleepers and using a detergent that is free of perfumes and dyes, such as All Free and Clear (Dreft, while popular, does contain perfumes and dyes).
There are other physical reasons for night waking. Check back again.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.
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