 |
|
It is a warm, sultry night  and all the stars of the night sky have come out to greet the evening moon. The beautiful moonlight is strone across the wall from a man rocking his child back and forth trying to sooth his little one into the land of nod. "Why won't he stop crying?" The man says to himself. He knows he cannot continue along the path of little or no sleep and continue on his day-to-day activities. The room should be a quiet and serene sanctuary and it seems as if this would be the perfect place for a child to fall asleep, but instead, for this new dad, all that can be heard are the desperate screams of a crying babe.
This issue is all too common for new parents to deal with during the first few months after having a baby. It is frustrating for sure, but fear not, there are some helpful hints that can turn those sad, late night crying babies into happy snoring angels.
Please understand that each child is different and these hints, yet effective, most of the time, are not always the rule of thumb. It seems as if losing sleep is a rite-of-passage for most parents, but don't fret dear fathers, as your child adjusts as will you.
Hint One:
Understand that your child is not used to being still and movement is an all too familiar sensation. Be sure to rock your child back and forth, up and down and keep in constant motion until they begin to drift away into dreamland. Please note: When you put your child down, from your arms, be careful because this is an art in itself. Casually, yet, carefully lie him or her in the crib or bassinet and leave one of your hands lightly over their chest. This will give the feeling that you are still there. Inch your hand away bit by bit until you're no longer touching your soundly sleeping baby.
Hint Two:
Read and sing. Your baby has heard your voice for the past nine months and just hearing you talk may be a way to calm him or her down. Try reading one of the little golden books like "The Pokey Little Puppy" or "The Saggy Baggy Elephant." Also, take a swing at singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" or humming one of your favorite lullabies. You may be surprised at how effective this may be.
Hint Three:
If your child has colic then movement won't be enough to calm him or her. Pick up some Little Tummys Gripe Water. Gripe Water is sold at the nearest grocery store, Babies-r-us or Target. It is a "highly effective herbal supplement used to ease stomach discomfort often associated with colic and hiccups." (Discuss with your pediatrician before giving your child any of these suggested remedies.)
Hint Four:
Gas. Your child may have gas and if you think about it that is a very painful situation. Give your baby Infants' Mylicon. Mylicon relieves the discomfort of infant gas frequently caused by air swallowing or by certain formulas. Sometimes excessive crying can cause your newborn to develop an upset stomach. (Discuss with your pediatrician before giving your child any of these suggested remedies.)
Hint Five:
It is surprising to say, but don't let the room be totally quiet. Babies are used to hearing sounds from being inside mom's womb. Go to Target or Amazon.com and invest in a "sleep sheep." The "sleep sheep" is a fluffy, little stuffed animal that you can attach to your child's crib. It plays the ocean waves, rain, a bubbling brook and a beating heart beat. Another idea is to purchase a lullaby CD and put it on a continuous loop; you may discover that you will be catching more ZZZzzz's than you ever were before.
Good luck and good night!
Share this post!
Subscribe to this comment's feed
written by Joeprah, July 23, 2009
The gas drops are a good one too that goes overlooked sometimes.
-
- +0
-
-
written by MichaelsDaddy, July 24, 2009
The gripe water works, as does Mylicon.
My first daughter needed a self-stopping cassette tape player with a lullaby tape in it to get her to sleep. My second daughter needed a crib vibrator to help her go to sleep; this thing clamps onto the crip rail and vibrates the entire crib gently, making it feel like a ride in the car.
Oh - and rides in the car work really well. This was effective on all of my infants.
Thanks for the great tips! Not anything I'll have to worry about again until grandchildren come along, fortunately.
-
- +0
-
-
written by DevotedDad, July 25, 2009
-Jason
-
- +0
-
-
written by mytwodaddies, July 26, 2009
-
- +0
-
-
written by creativeDad, July 27, 2009
-
- +0
-
-
written by pjmullen, July 27, 2009
-
- +0
-
-
Its so true that babies are used to being on the go all day as the momma is moving around. Which is often why folks find their babies wide awake at night...because in utero they are awake at night when the gentle rocking motion has stopped for the most part because momma is laying down. I on the other hand am a night owl and my kids were pretty much born sleeping all night long because that is usually when I was awake.
One last thing, those gripe water drops and the gas drops are absolutely AWESOME and a GOD SEND!