Damask Baby Carrier Sling

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Relationship Troubles and Your Babies Sleep

Have you ever tied together your relationship troubles and the amount of sleep that your baby is receiving? Are problems with your partner causing you to toss and turn all night? Unfortunately, troubles in your relationship could be getting in the way of your baby’s good night sleep. According to a study that found 18-month old children were more likely to experience sleep disturbances when parents’ relationships are rocky.

So how do we determine this connection? Scientists think that changes in the brain systems involved in how children develop and regulate their sleep patterns reflect the impact of family stress. So this theory was tested, researchers followed more than 3250 families starting when their babies were 9 months ago and continuing over a nine-month period. The researchers chose to study adoptive families to narrow out the possibility that any connections between parents’ behavior and children’s sleep were due to shared genes.

Therefore, parents were asked individually whether they would consider seeing an attorney and, more generally,’ has the thought of separating or getting a divorced ever crossed their minds?” The higher a couple recorded  on martial instability measures, the greater the likelihood of them reporting their children had sleep problems-falling asleep, staying asleep, or frequent night –at 18 months, reports Time Magazine. Studies were true even after taking into consideration such factors as children’s difficult temperaments, parents’ anxiety levels, and birth order.

“Our findings suggest that the effects of martial instability on children’s sleep problems emerge earlier in development than has been demonstrated previously,” says lead researcher Anne M. Mannering. “Parents should be aware that martial stress may affect the well-being of their children even in the first year or two of life.”

Now let’s focus on your baby. Amusingly, researchers did not find the reverse to be true: children’s sleep problems did not appear to reflect problems in their problem’s relationships. Granted dealing with sleep deprivation can certainly cause stress and exhaustion, and it is not unreasonable to expect martial unhappiness to result, researchers recognized no such connection. To figure that out, they flip-flopped the study and looked at infant sleep problems at 9 months and following reports of martial instability at 18 months.

In this particular study, at least, kids appear to be off the hook when it comes to rocking the martial boat, Time magazine points out. “It kind of surprised us a little bit too,” says Mannering. Just a little tip from me to you. If you and your partner are experiencing relationship issues, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. While lack of sleep might not be the basis of your problems, the emotional and financial stress of becoming new parents could be, at least, contributing to your trouble.

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Ways to help babies sleep

Babies do not know how to tell time so as a parent it is good to establish a routine for your baby.

3 ways to help babies sleep:

1)Soothing bedtime stories- Best bedtime stories are rhythimic and includes lots of repetition. The winners are the ones that you find yourself memorizing and almost chanting to your baby.

2) Soft bath towels- Wrapping up the babies in a soft towel after a bath can be very comforting

• Soft bath towels. Wrapping up in a soft towel after a bath can be a comforting part of your baby's routine. It's even cozier if you put the towel in the dryer for a few minutes to warm it up.
• Glider or rocker. Few pieces of baby gear will get more use than a comfortable glider or rocking chair. It can become an essential part of your nightly routine, whether you and your child just rock, glide, or read your favorite bedtime story in it. A well-made rocker or glider is something you'll continue to use for years after the baby swing, bouncy seat, and highchair — and your baby's bedtime routine — have been retired.

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Trust your Instincts

Every parent has to be able to cope with some unsought advice on how to be a parent from their own parents, from friends that mean well, and even from strangers on the street. There are millions of bookstores and libraries that stock education material to teach mothers on how to keep their children happy, how to avoid spoiling them, how to put them to bed at night, how to encourage their intelligence and artistic abilities and overall how to just keep them healthy. Too much information is not always good either because too much information can result in conflicting information. Nevertheless, parents will also run into the issue of who will they listen too, or determining what information is the right information. So the best advice is going with one’s instincts without some level of self-doubt.

What it really boils down to, is providing a good balance between the needs of the baby and the needs of the mother. If baby is happy, appropriately stimulated, learning, and calm, then it leaves a mother feeling as though she is doing her job right. Now on the flip side, if baby is fussy, bored and developmentally delayed, or prone to screaming and crying, then it leaves a mother feeling stressed out and like a failure.

No one is parenting experts, but we do have to notice that women who practice a certain style of parenting tend to have somewhat of an easier and smoother time parenting for the first few months postpartum. Mothers should always keep in mind that they are the only ones that know what is best for their children, no books or theory can ever change that. Listen to your instincts, and if they tell you what the best practices are and the feeling is what feels right will give the greatest satisfaction.

Attachment is the most important factor when it comes to parenting babies. Most small babies do not want to be put down for any length of time. Babies that are carried most of the time are normally calmer and tend to cry less. “As these children grow older, they tend to be less clingy, because their need of physical closeness to their caregivers has been fulfilled; they feel more secure when it comes time to explore the word” (Sears, William M.D.). Babies are more at ease when they are in physical contact with their parent.

The amount of time that a parent spends on holding their baby can take most of your time away from other things. So to make the amount of carrying and your holding your baby an easier process; invest in some different baby carriers to allow you to tote your little ones around hands free. This will allow you to able to go about your daily lives and still have hands to actually get things done. Babies can nap and still observe in a comfortable perch. A baby’s brain and nervous system development are promoted by constant movement and observation of you and your everyday tasks. If you baby falls asleep in a sling, you can simple just take the sling off while baby is still in it and lay them down. Pediatrician William Sears, M.D., one of the best known proponents of attachment parenting, calls this carrying period baby carrying. Generally, it lasts from birth until the baby begins to crawl, walk and engaged in independent play”.

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How to Handle a Child's Fever

Fevers are something that happens every day to anyone. More than almost any other common condition fever causes parents to worry. Especially for first time parents. The first signs of a child or baby having a fever are the discomfort of the child or baby and of course the red-cheeked child. Then it gets the parents wondering if it’s just the fever itself or is it a sign of a more serious illness.

In furthermost cases, fever is not serious and, if anything, is a good sign that the child’s body is working to fight an illness, probably the worst of the illness. While extremely high fevers can be over 104 degrees F then calling for action is the best choice at that point. Between a 100-degree fever and a 102-degree fever is not much of a difference. Since many types of bacteria and viruses don’t like hot temperatures, a fever is a nature’s way of fending off disease.

Now you wonder when you should call a doctor.

Any infant age three months or younger with a fever should be seen by a doctor immediately. After that, the data is less absolute. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends parents call the pediatrician within 24 hours for fever in children one year old or less. Also looking at other symptoms is always good too. Such as neck pain, persistent vomiting, and diarrhea.

Should you always jump the conclusions and give your child medication right away? Not necessarily.

When using medications for fever-reducing, we need to remember that we cannot give medication because of the certain temperature or the number. The most important thing is our child’s comfort lever. Fever-reducing medications such as acetaminophen often only reduces a child’s fever by one degree, which can often times be just enough to allow our child to sleep comfortable. If you cannot feel like you can make your child comfortable with adequate medication dosing, then consulting a doctor should be the best bet.

If your child is sleeping, wait until your child wakes up to give her medicine. Also make sure we take advantage of this time and give them a drink of clear liquid to make sure that the child stays well hydrated. Often times, the warmth of a mother being close to a child might help. Swaddling the baby in a baby carrier, or just laying next to your child so they feel like they don't have to go through alone.

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How to Read a Baby's Mind

Have you ever waked up in the middle of the night because your baby’s is crying up a storm and you just don’t know why? Well trying to understand gestures and expressions might be the best way to go. Even when babies are first born, believe it or not they already know a few things about people, language, and their new world, according to Alison Gopnik, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkley, and author of The Philosophical Baby: What Children’s Minds Tell Us About Truth, Love, and the Meaning of Life. “At first glance, babies may not seem to do much, “she says, “They don’t talk, which is usually how we find out what someone thinks—but looking at what they do, where they look, what interests or bores them can tell you a lot.” That’s why some easily-mistaken expressions and gestures may not be hard to decode after all-as long as you are able to spot the signs.

Look: Scrunched-up face and grunting noises

Meaning: Probably means the feeling of being uncomfortable.  Gas ? Poop face?

Look: An intense, investigative stare at an object or in one general direction.

What does that mean: Babies normally get fascinated easily and is particularly intrigued by things around them. “They track the way objects around them move and are especially interested in edges and contrasts,” explains Gopnik.

Just a little something that I wanted to throw out there.

Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget notably claimed babies don’t understand that an object can still exist once it’s out of view, but recent studies have thrown this theory out of the window. That’s why baby will continue to stare after mom has walked out of the door: He’s looking for her to return.

Look: Furrowed brows and a pouty lip

Meaning: Overstimulated and on the brink of a meltdown. Place the baby in a swing for some rhythmic movement to calm him down and back away slowly. Babies need some alone time too.

Look: A series of unexplainable crying, yelling, or even object throwing

Meaning: If this behavior is accompanied by some ploys of your attention, then guest what? That means that the baby is probably bored. One-on-one might be needed at this point.

Different types of crying:

Cry: Rhythmic and repetitive

Meaning: Hungry, Sucking on their fingers might be another sign of hunger too

Cry: Slow build-up of crying over several minutes

Meaning: Nap time

Cry: Periodic soft whimpers

Meaning: Baby is not feeling well; it is time to think about seeing a doctor

Cry: Powerful screams

Meaning:  If the baby is crying at the top of their lungs for a prolonged period, then it’s time to see a doctor. Maybe the baby developed something

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