Archive for the 'Slings' Category
I can remember when my children were newborns not getting much sleep. My two older children started sleeping through the night when they were about 4 months old. The next two (twins) were sleeping through the night by 2 months old. The reason they were sleeping through the night earlier was because of my pediatrician a wise older man. He gave me a great tip that I try to pass on to all mothers that are having this problem of getting little to no sleep.
First, your baby needs to be on a schedule with their eating. Do not let them just eat on demand; this causes your baby to over eat (especially in the middle of the night). Second, if they have shown you that they can sleep for a stretch of time (in the middle of the night) then if they wake up sooner they need to sooth themselves back to sleep. They do not need to get up every two or three hours and eat if they have shown you they can go for five or six hours. Third, he said to start them on a sleeping schedule early, if it is bed time lay them down and let them cry themselves to sleep. The crying will make them more tired and it teaches them to comfort themselves and go to sleep.
I started doing this with my twins after their two month check up. The first night I laid them down to sleep it took my son 15 minutes to cry himself to sleep it took my daughter 45 minutes. I almost went in and got her up but I did not. The next night she only cried for 10 or 15 minutes, and each night it became a shorter period of time that they would cry. They learned that they were put down late in the evening when it was bed time and they would sleep for five to six hour stretches. As they got a little older the length of time that they slept extended to 7 or 8 hours and then they were sleeping a full 12 to 13 hours. One thing that helped my children was a musical box that played music for 15 minutes. It also had a remote control that I could turn it back on if I needed to, usually they were asleep by the time it was finished playing. They also slept with pacifiers; and when they were newborns and little babies it was difficult to keep them in their mouth.
I have discovered the coolest new invention that was not around when my children were newborns. It is called a Binky Buddy, I wish I invented this; it is truly a unique baby item. This unique baby item helps your baby keep their pacifier in their mouth, or if it comes out they are easily able to find the pacifier because it is right in front of their mouth. I would have loved to have had this so when my children where trying to cry themselves to sleep they would not have lost their binky out of their mouth and would have been able to pacify themselves and gone to sleep faster.
Baby slings are easy to use, easy to slip into the diaper bag and are easy on your back. It is easy to learn how to use baby slings once you are shown. Most every baby slings give some type of instructions of how to wear. Baby Slings fold up small enough that they can easily be put in your diaper bag, so you always have them handy whenever they are needed. Many times when you are out shopping, you need to get the stroller out of the car and then pushing your child around the store at times may be difficult. If you have a baby sling you don’t need the stroller you can just slip on the baby sling and easily carry your baby around close to you. Many moms love the baby sling because it is convenient and doesn’t hurt their back. The way the rails go across the shoulder and around the body disperses the weight of your child, so baby wearing is easy.
Your baby loves and needs to be held and the bond that forms is so important, so start off with a good baby sling. Most moms request a baby sling as one of the first baby items that they put on their gift registry. Because you know that you are going to be carrying your baby, so be prepared, get a baby sling so you have it from the time their baby comes home from the hospital.
I wish when my babies were first born that I would have known about baby slings. I know they were around because in other cultures they have been using them for centuries. I did carry my babies around with me a lot, but I never found a baby carrier that I felt comfortable carrying my children around in. I only tried cheap snuggle carriers that were given to me for shower gifts. I did not like them so I never pursued looking for any other carriers. I do not remember ever seeing baby slings until my children were much past their toddler years.
A few years ago, I remember a friend of mine, who had many children, using a baby sling. I was thinking to myself “that looks like a great idea; I wish they would have been around when my children were younger.” I have 4 children and my last three are very close together. My second child is 21months older then my twins, who are children number three and four. I would have loved to have been able to free up my hands a little more if I could have used two baby slings to carry my twins around. There are many times that you just run out of hands when you have multiples or just many young children.
But aside from freeing your hands up, it also allows you to keep your baby close. Whether your baby is a newborn or a toddler they want to be held and close to you. This is a special time of bonding that you will never be able to replace as your children grow older. Babies love to have human contact and to be close to you, they tend to be less fussy, sleep well and bond better with you.