What Parents Should Know About a Baby Sleep Pattern

Is there anything more precious than a sleeping baby? I think not. But that is as long as they are sleeping. Babies are notorious for being wide awake and ready to go at night time and ready to rest and sleep during the day. This would be fine if the rest of the world operated like this. But it doesn't. So what exactly does a baby sleep pattern look like?
How is a Baby's Sleep Pattern Different than an Adult's?

Yes, babies sleep a lot, especially newborns. Your new baby will sleep about 16 to 18 hours a day. Unfortunately, this is not during the typical hours of 6pm and 8am. A baby's sleep pattern is much shorter than an adult's and this is why babies continually wake. When an adult wakes from sleep they roll over and go back to sleep, this is not so easy for a baby. A baby has not yet learned how to go back to sleep. It seems odd that this is a learned behavior, but it's true. Until your new baby learns how to fall back to sleep, he or she will rely on you to help them get back to sleep.

A baby sleep pattern also has double the amount of light sleep cycles than an adult's. For the sleep deprived adult desperately trying everything to lull their precious bundle to sleep, this can be excruciating. Because of the many light sleep cycles, babies wake up very easily. You've rocked, cuddled and finally little Jr. nods off. You slip off to the nursery and just as Jr. touches the mattress he wakes up! Back to the rocking chair! Understanding this aspect of a baby sleep pattern will at least help you keep your patience, if not anything else.

How Can I Help my Baby Sleep Better?

Naturally, as a newborn matures, so will the baby's sleep pattern. Ideally, by the time baby reaches 7-12 weeks, a regular sleep pattern will have been established. And hopefully, this will be between the hours of 10 pm - 7 am. New parents can hang onto the hope that by the time baby is 6 months old, your baby's sleep pattern will include up to 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

If baby is fussy, make sure that the diaper is clean, that he or she is well fed and just the right temperature. Since crying is the only means of communication, a fussy baby could have one of many things wrong. A comfortable baby is more likely to fall asleep. If his or her face is red or if the hair is damp, baby is too warm. No one is comfortable when he or she is too warm and this includes babies. Just remove a blanket or turn down the heat and watch as your baby's sleep pattern comes naturally.

If your baby is having sleep problems then take a look at The Baby Sleep Solution audio program. It's the quickest way to solve your baby sleep problem - guaranteed!
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Bringing up children alone

Bringing up children alone can be a lonely business, especially if you suddenly find yourself a single parent through separation or bereavement. But it’s perfectly possible to end up in a more positive place once the dust has settled.

As a single mum, taking complete responsibility can be a big challenge, from finding enough money and juggling work and childcare to coping with emotional upheaval and the need to keep going for everyone’s sakes.

A mum's view

It can also be hard to work out where the new boundaries lie. Sarah, who has two sons aged 10 and 8, stayed on in the family home when her former partner Neil left.

“I became quite soft with the boys because I was so worried that they would resent me if I laid down the law. I also wasn’t used to being the one to dole out the discipline and I wanted them to be happy. Needless to say, they ran rings around me. I was also quite stressed having to shoulder the whole burden of running the house and paying the bills. I soon realised that it was never going to work trying being their big mate and letting them rule the roost. It’s been a year now and they have settled down a lot. Well, we all have.”

Tips to cope as a single mum

It can be frightening to think that you are in sole charge of financial planning, or that you can’t just throw in the towel when it’s hard going, especially if the children are arguing or you are shattered. But there are ways to cope.

• Take care of yourself. Being the sole adult in the family can be tiring, and if you don’t look after yourself it will be much harder to look after the kids. A couple of hours childcare goes a long way - try to set aside some time for yourself, eat properly and get as much sleep as you can.
• If you find yourself counting the pennies, there are a few things you can do to stay in control. Take a look at our Money matters section for full details on what financial help you might be entitled to, plus, see our ‘Money tips for single parents.’
• Have fun with your children. It really helps to have a support network of other parents, some of whom may well be in the same situation as you.
• Don’t hide away. Getting out and about is the only way to have a social life, and it can make you depressed to stay in the house all day.
• Take a helping hand when it’s offered – support from family and friends is so important and could help you get back on track more quickly.

The Rewards

Once you become used to being a sole parent, you might find there are some upsides to the new situation.

• Taking responsibility means taking control and doing what is best for yourself and the children. It means you can set your own rules and work out what suits you best in the new set-up. And you can take command of the TV remote.
• You may find strengths you didn’t know you had, which will both help you face a different future, and lead you onto new, and more positive paths.
• It’s natural to worry about how the children will react, but they may surprise you with their resilience and will quickly become used to it being just you at home. 
• You may develop an even closer bond with the kids, particularly if you have a different view to your ex on what parenting means and you can finally express it.
• If the household has been living in a tense atmosphere, it may well become an altogether more fun place to live.

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Say Cheese!

This food gives everyone something to smile about
Madeleine Greey

My kids want to chow down on cheese 24/7. Whether it’s the first gooey thing they tuck into for breakfast or the last little piquant bite before bed, Krystal and Nick can’t imagine life without cheddar, marble and Parmesan. Truth be told, we all gravitate toward cheese as an easy, instant comfort food of choice. Besides, it’s healthy — isn’t it?

You bet. According to the Dairy Farmers of Canada, a single 2 oz (56 g) serving of cheddar cheese boasts as much protein as two large eggs. Cheese also has niacin, riboflavin, vitamin A and zinc, and strikes up the same big bang of calcium as eight medium sardines with bones.

The good news!

In fact, cheese is a top source of bone-building calcium. Just one serving of cheddar supplies 200 mg, or about 20 percent of a child’s daily need. While all cheese has calcium, levels vary widely. There’s a dramatic difference between a tablespoon of grated Parmesan (355 mg calcium) and the same amount of regular cream cheese (12 mg calcium). Here’s how some kid favourites stack up when comparing calcium levels per ounce (28 g) of cheese:

• Romano 302 mg
• Swiss 224 mg
• Mozzarella, part skim 222 mg
• Monterey Jack 211 mg
• Feta 140 mg
• Ricotta 58 mg
• Cottage cheese, creamed 17 mg
• Cheestring, Black Diamond Marbelicious (21 g) 150 mg

The Dream Dozen Christmas Toys 2010

The Dream Dozen which is chosen each year by the Toy Retailers Association, is always one of the last Christmas toy lists to be announced - and from this point of view it's never the most exciting because it contains pretty much the same toys as everyone else's lists. However the list always gets plenty of well-deserved press attention - and for many children the Dream Dozen signals that Christmas is just around the corner!

So here it is... click on the listed names for prices!

1. Jet Pack Buzz Lightyear
2. VTechKidizoom VideoCam
3. Fireman Sam Deluxe Fire Station
4. Moon Dough Big Barn
5. Zhu Zhu pets Grooming Salon
6. Paper Jamz Guitar
7. Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS
8. Fur Real Friends Gogo Walking Pup
9. Pumpaloons
10. Monopoly Revolution
11. City Airport Lego
12. Sylvanian Families Motorcycle and Sidecar

Bonfire night - fun without the fright

Bonfire night and its firework extravaganza needn't be dangerous for small children. Follow our guide to keeping your own celebrations safe and fun.

• What you need to consider
• Ways to celebrate
• Mummy, who was Guy Fawkes?
• Safety first
• Best fireworks
• Fun food

Remember, remember the 5th of November - trouble is, with a small child on the scene, you'd probably rather forget. It might be tempting to give it all a miss, turn the kids in early and pray that the bangs won't wake them up, but think again... because while the annual firework festival may be scary, it doesn't have to be. What's more, babies and small children really can get an enjoyable and stimulating evening out of it - so it is worth a bit of effort.

What you need to consider
As with everything to do with babies and toddlers, you must plan ahead if Bonfire Night is to be a success. Here's what you'll need to think about well in advance:

• Noise: A small baby or a timid older child may not relish a noisy firework display, putting a thick, cosy hat on little heads is a must.
• Cold: If you're planning to be out outdoors for a while on a nippy autumn evening, you'll have to make sure your baby keeps warm - the best option is probably a forward-facing babysling. Toddlers will need several layers (fleeces are good), especially on little feet which get very cold in wellies.
• Walking: You often need to park some distance from a public firework event, as these are always popular, so if you've got a toddler remember you may need to take a buggy or - even better - a backpack carrier.
• Fear of the dark: Some small children don't react well to being outside in the dark - remember it's an unusual experience for them and you may need to be ready to retreat home quickly if it all goes pear-shaped.

Ways to celebrate
Bearing the above in mind, go through the different options you have for how to celebrate Bonfire Night. Here are some of the possibilities you might have open to you:

• Home fireworks display: This can be a great way to do it if you've got a big enough garden and a conservatory, or glass-ended kitchen through which to watch the fireworks.
• Shared display with friends: This can be a winner if you all share the buying of the fireworks and the preparing of the food/buying of drinks. Good if someone has a house with a garden that's perfect for fireworks and doesn't mind hosting the event.
• Public fireworks display: The fireworks are going to be a lot bigger and better than you'd get at a home display, and you'll be standing well away from any dangers. If it isn't a roaring success, you can retreat home without spoiling the evening for anyone else. But you might have to drive a long way to get there - and if you've got toddlers who like to walk, it might be a nightmare keeping track of them in a dark, crowded park.

Mummy, who was Guy Fawkes?
Hmm, difficult one. How do you encapsulate the fallout from the Reformation so that it makes sense to a two-year-old? Try this: Guy Fawkes was a man who lived a long time ago, even before grandma and grandpa were born. He didn't like the king, so he decided to try to blow him up! But someone found out what he was going to do and stopped him in time. People were pleased the king hadn't been hurt so they celebrated by having a bonfire and putting a model of Guy Fawkes on top.

Safety first
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) claims that in 1999 over a thousand people were injured by fireworks - a reminder that you need to do more than follow the fireworks code with tiny children. Standing outside with small children isn't a good idea unless you've got a seriously large garden. If you do go outdoors, you need to make sure someone's holding onto the children the whole time you're in the garden.

Letting children handle sparklers may be tempting, but don't do it. In 1998, 16 per cent of firework injuries were caused by sparklers. A small child can be seriously burned from a sparkler. According to ROSPA, sparklers should not be given to any child under five years because the impact of the heat is the equivalent to a welding torch. It's also important to place sparklers in a bucket of cold water when they are finished, to avoid little hands touching them after the event.

Best fireworks
With small children you need to concentrate on low-level visuals - go for Roman candles and fountains. Sparklers are great ( in adult hands, of course) and the odd rocket or two goes down a treat, although little ones probably won't be able to follow their ascent with any accuracy. Catherine wheels work well - although they do involve a bit of preparation to nail them to a suitable post. Depending on your children's ages and characters, bangers are probably too noisy. You may be best off buying the fireworks that you think will work singly rather than getting a big mixed box, because a lot of these possibly won't be suitable for your audience.

Fun food
Baked potatoes are traditional on bonfire night, and they're great for children and adults alike. Try filling them with a bacon and cheese mix when they're almost done and then finish them off in the oven so you can serve them easily. Bits of bacon rolled around cheese are a huge hit with toddlers - make sure they're well cooled, though. Garlic bread and sausages are other winners. If you're going to a public display in a cold park, you can't beat a flask of soup to warm you up - invest in a child-proof, glass-free flask to reduce the risk of accidents. For something sweet, slices of apple and grapes are easy to eat while watching the fun - or flapjacks or gingerbread men are a seasonal hit.

Can I help prevent my baby from getting colds?

Breastfeeding is one of the best ways to protect your baby's health. It passes your antibodies, chemicals in your blood that fight infections, to your baby. This isn't a foolproof way to protect your baby's health, but breastfed babies are better at fending off colds and other infections (CKS 2007, NHS 2009c).

You can also protect your baby by trying to keep him away from anyone with a cough or a cold. Or ask them to wash their hands thoroughly before handling your baby or his things (DH 2009).

If you or your partner smokes, give it up, and don’t take your baby to areas where people are smoking. Babies who live with smokers have more colds, and their colds last longer than babies who aren't exposed to smoke (CKS 2007, DH 2009).

For more parenting tips, see our main website at Positive Parenting or follow us on Twitter.

Pregnancy and Birth - The Things Men Worry About

It's not just women who need help with the labour; men need help during labour as well but are often left out for obvious reasons.

Some of men's most common worries about pregnancy are below...... 

• Fears about increased responsibility
• Worried that they won't know how to help their partner even though they want to help.
• Feeling left out of the pregnancy
• Surprised at how ill their partner may be feeling, and not knowing what they can do about it
• Worried about money
• Feeling unable to relate to the baby yet
• Concerned that their partner has been feeling tired or sick for a long time
• Worried about how their lives as a couple will change once baby has arrived

 Not surprisingly, men often have their own worries about the labour and birth too: 

• Not knowing if they will be able to cope at the birth
• Really concerned about having to see their partner in pain and being unable to do much
• Worries that it may all become too medical and gory
• Fears that they may be ignored by medical staff
• Anxious that they may miss the birth because they might get to the hospital too late

Men also enjoy many aspects of the pregnancy and birth. They like knowing that they can actually father a child. They love watching their partner’s body growing and feel very excited when they see baby on the scan. Just like mums-to-be, they also like telling everyone that they're expecting a baby and they enjoy planning and thinking about the baby even if it's not on quite the same scale as their pregnant partner.

 

When it comes to the birth, there are positives for men too. They also feel immense relief that it’s all happening at last after 9 very long months. They look forward to seeing the baby and knowing he or she is okay and then telling everyone about the baby, and finally, becoming a family.

 

Before the birth, the mother may feel concern for the health of her unborn baby but for men there is a constant, often unspoken anxiety about the risks to not one, but two other people for whom they care deeply and this is something we all need to remember.

 

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REMEMBER Clocks go back 2am this Sunday! CLICK HERE!

Just a reminder that clocks go back by one hour at 2am on Sunday 31st October. Click this link for some tips on how to handle it with your kids!

http://joinpositiveparenting.blogspot.com/2010/10/managing-your-babys-sleep-when-clocks_22.html#links

Managing Your Baby's Sleep When The Clocks Go Back

This month the clocks go back by an hour and if you’ve got a baby who’s already an early waker, the thought of them getting up at 6am instead of 7am [or worse] could already be worrying you.

You might have worked very hard to get your baby sleeping through the night but the fact is that many babies are naturally early risers and for this group, the time change can be a little bit of a challenge.

Rest assured that any disruption caused by the clocks going back will be just temporary and even if you do nothing at all to change your baby’s sleep routine, they will naturally over a few days adapt to the new time.
If you do want to take some steps towards minimising the disruption to your baby’s sleep, here are some tips:

Babies:

• Two weeks before the time change, start to put your baby to bed 10 minutes later than usual, increasing by 10 minutes every other night until they are going to sleep about an hour later than their normal bed time.
• Don’t worry if at first they still wake at the same time in the morning; it often takes a few days for a new sleep pattern to establish itself.
• Keep to the same napping frequency but not necessarily the same times. i.e if your child usually wakes at 7am and naps at 10am and 2pm, put them down again around 3 hours after having woken up in the morning and after waking from the naps.
• The clocks go back in the early hours of Sunday morning. During the day before, allow your baby to have an energetic day which includes lots of fresh air and exercise.
• Parents should go to bed early and one of you be prepared to get up if your child is ready to start the day at 6am.
• Don’t force your baby to remain in the cot if they have had their usual amount of sleep and are looking wide awake.
• If in the run up to the time change, you’ve been putting your baby to bed towards 8pm, you will be able to easily put them to bed at 7pm new time. 

Toddlers: and older:

• With toddlers and nursery aged children, it may be possible to explain the time change. If they have a Gro clock, this will make things much easier for them to understand.
• Put them to bed a little later than usual the night of the time change and set the sun on the clock to come up for half an hour later than they would normally wake up. i.e. if they usually wake at 7am, set the clock to “wake up” at 6.30am new time.
• If they wake up at their usual time [which will be 6am] you should encourage them to remain in bed until the sun comes up. Don’t be too ambitious here; any longer than half an hour to wait could become a bit demoralising for your child.
• When they remain in their bed or cot until the sun appears, they should be warmly praised.
• The following day [Sunday] have another active day and then put them to bed at the new earlier bed time.
• This time set the clock for 7am new time.

Don’t allow the clocks going back to let you slip into “bad” habits. Bringing your baby into bed with you or giving a dawn milk feed to encourage your baby back to sleep may work in the short term but long term may lead to sleeping problems.

On the whole, winter time is good for babies’ sleep. The difference in light levels between day and night encourage the production of sleep hormones, as well as offering clear visual sleep clues.
Being outside during the day, even when it’s cold, is really beneficial for babies’ sleep, so do get outside and enjoy the beautiful autumn colours. And as the nights draw in, it is a lovely time for you and your baby to snuggle up and get cosy.

Clocks go back 2am on Sunday 30^th October.

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Tips on Child Proofing Your Home

Once your baby becomes mobile, your home suddenly becomes filled with potential hazards. While some safety measures are common sense, others aren't so obvious, so almost every parent has a near-miss story. Hear some of those here. Rest assured, accidents can be avoided if you know the danger areas to look for.

The stair

Falls down the stairs are one of the most common accidents toddlers have, as Carla, 32, mum to Scarlett, 3, discovered. "I hadn't fitted stair gates because Scarlett had only just started bum-shuffling," she explains. "But one day, as I was cleaning up after a messy nappy change, she shuffled along to the top of the stairs and fell down them! Fortunately she was okay, but it was a terrible shock. I learned the hard way that, when it comes to safety, you must always be one step ahead of your child's development."

Toxic substances

Keeping cleaning products and medicines securely out of your toddler's reach or under lock and key is a must. Mum Sheila had a near miss when she returned from answering the doorbell one day to find her son, Luke, 18 months, sitting with a bottle of drain unblocker. "Like most people, I kept cleaning products under the sink, not even thinking how easy it is for a toddler to get to. Thank goodness he hadn't managed to open the top, but it was definitely a reality check. Now all nasty stuff is kept higher up."

Everyday items can also be hazards, as Emma, 36, mum to Millie, 4, and Josh, 16 months, recently found out. "Josh got hold of a bottle of vitamin pills from my bedside table and managed to unscrew them. Thinking they were sweets, he started to eat a few. Luckily, they didn't contain iron, which could have been serious, and I caught him before he had too many. Now I lock such things away - you just can't be too careful."

Fire

Matches and lighters are a real danger for pre-school children, as they have the dexterity to work them but are often unaware of the dangers. Steve, 44, dad to Molly, 5, was fortunate with his daughter. "We had a barbecue, and the next day Molly brought me a box of matches she'd found. She told me they were dangerous and children shouldn't play with them. I found out later she'd learned about it when the local fire brigade visited her nursery -thank goodness they did!"

Water

One ever-present hazard is water. Scalds from bath water, kettles, irons or hot drinks are common, especially when you consider a drink made with boiling water can burn a child's skin up to 15 minutes after it's made.

Every year children die in garden ponds and pools. Sarah's daughter, Jessica, 3, nearly drowned in her pool, after Sarah went to answer the phone. "I was gone around 20 seconds but in that time, Jessica had slipped under the water. I can't describe the panic - I grabbed her. Thankfully she was okay - I don't like to think about what could have happened."

Stay aware

When it comes to child safety, you can't be too careful and it's vital to stay vigilant. Katharine, 37, mum to Flora, 3, and Holly, 6, agrees that prevention is always better than cure. "You just can't be too vigilant - I once found a Stanley knife with its blade fully extended lying on a bookshelf in the children's bedroom after my husband had been doing some DIY. When I told him, he was absolutely horrified that he could have been so careless, but anybody can make a mistake. Now I find that whenever I walk into a room, I automatically look around to check for anything that might be dangerous."

Trapped fingers

Playing with doors may seem like fun but it can lead to tiny fingers getting trapped. Kylie, mum to Connor, 2, and, Sara, 3, has taken precautions to prevent accidents. "My mum always used to say rough games end in tears, and it's true. Connor and Sara love to chase each other around the house, slamming doors to slow the other down. I can't always get there in time to stop them, so I've fitted doorstops - at least I know no one can get their fingers or toes trapped."

Learn for these mums and child proof your home as soon as baby is mobile!

For more parenting tips see our main website

POSITIVE PARENTING

Develop a Handwashing Routine

Make it easy for your little one to develop a hand washing routine!

Try these creative parenting strategies to motivate your child:

• Forget boring clear soaps or everyday soap bars - use fun, foamy or colourful soaps
• Fill the sink with bubbles when you lather up with soap.
• To make sure your child spends enough time soaping up, try counting to 20 together or singing your child's favourite song. Or, make up your own song and sing along.
• Join in on the fun - wash your hands with your child! Instead of saying, "Did you wash your hands?" try "Let's wash our hands together."
•  Kids love to "be the parent." So ask your child to show a doll or toy animal how to wash its hands and to explain why this is important.
• Coach your child through positive reinforcement. Instead of correcting or nagging, you might say, "Great job turning on the water and rinsing. Let's try it again with soap."

Don't expect your child to remember all the hand washing steps at once. Praise your child for what is done well, instead of focusing on what is done wrong. This will help to boost your child's confidence.

 

For more parenting tips click here ===> Positive Parenting

Managing Your Baby's Sleep When The Clocks Go Back

This month the clocks go back by an hour and if you’ve got a baby who’s already an early waker, the thought of them getting up at 6am instead of 7am [or worse] could already be worrying you.

You might have worked very hard to get your baby sleeping through the night but the fact is that many babies are naturally early risers and for this group, the time change can be a little bit of a challenge.

Rest assured that any disruption caused by the clocks going back will be just temporary and even if you do nothing at all to change your baby’s sleep routine, they will naturally over a few days adapt to the new time.
If you do want to take some steps towards minimising the disruption to your baby’s sleep, here are some tips:

Babies:

• Two weeks before the time change, start to put your baby to bed 10 minutes later than usual, increasing by 10 minutes every other night until they are going to sleep about an hour later than their normal bed time.
• Don’t worry if at first they still wake at the same time in the morning; it often takes a few days for a new sleep pattern to establish itself.
• Keep to the same napping frequency but not necessarily the same times. i.e if your child usually wakes at 7am and naps at 10am and 2pm, put them down again around 3 hours after having woken up in the morning and after waking from the naps.
• The clocks go back in the early hours of Sunday morning. During the day before, allow your baby to have an energetic day which includes lots of fresh air and exercise.
• Parents should go to bed early and one of you be prepared to get up if your child is ready to start the day at 6am.
• Don’t force your baby to remain in the cot if they have had their usual amount of sleep and are looking wide awake.
• If in the run up to the time change, you’ve been putting your baby to bed towards 8pm, you will be able to easily put them to bed at 7pm new time. 

Toddlers: and older:

• With toddlers and nursery aged children, it may be possible to explain the time change. If they have a Gro clock, this will make things much easier for them to understand.
• Put them to bed a little later than usual the night of the time change and set the sun on the clock to come up for half an hour later than they would normally wake up. i.e. if they usually wake at 7am, set the clock to “wake up” at 6.30am new time.
• If they wake up at their usual time [which will be 6am] you should encourage them to remain in bed until the sun comes up. Don’t be too ambitious here; any longer than half an hour to wait could become a bit demoralising for your child.
• When they remain in their bed or cot until the sun appears, they should be warmly praised.
• The following day [Sunday] have another active day and then put them to bed at the new earlier bed time.
• This time set the clock for 7am new time.

Don’t allow the clocks going back to let you slip into “bad” habits. Bringing your baby into bed with you or giving a dawn milk feed to encourage your baby back to sleep may work in the short term but long term may lead to sleeping problems.

On the whole, winter time is good for babies’ sleep. The difference in light levels between day and night encourage the production of sleep hormones, as well as offering clear visual sleep clues.
Being outside during the day, even when it’s cold, is really beneficial for babies’ sleep, so do get outside and enjoy the beautiful autumn colours. And as the nights draw in, it is a lovely time for you and your baby to snuggle up and get cosy.

Clocks go back 2am on Sunday 30^th October.

For more Positive Parenting Tips, sign up for our Newsletter
Click here ====> Positive Parenting Webiste

Or follow us on TWITTER or FACEBOOK

Thumbs and Pacifiers

Most toddlers naturally give up their thumb-sucking or pacifier habit by the time they're 2 years old. If your toddler hasn't, then you'll want to encourage him to do so as soon as possible in order to prevent orthodontic problems. A recent study at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and the Tokyo Dental College found that sucking a thumb, finger, or pacifier beyond age two increases the likelihood that a child will develop protruding front teeth or a crossbite (a narrowing of the upper jaw relative to the lower jaw).

To discourage your toddler from sucking his thumb, try to come up with creative ways of keeping his hands busy at those times of day when his thumb tends to find its way into his mouth. If, for example, your toddler is in the habit of sucking his thumb while you read him a bedtime story, give him two small toys to hold onto-one for each hand. This approach tends to be more effective than putting a bandage or a bitter substance on your child's thumb or constantly nagging him about his behaviour-strategies that can actually backfire by reinforcing the thumbsucking behaviour.

To discourage your toddler from turning to his pacifier each time he's upset (which, by the way, prevents him from learning other methods of managing his emotions), make an effort to keep the pacifier out of sight and your toddler's mind on other things. Some parents keep the pacifier in their toddler's room so that he has to go and retrieve it if he wants it. Others limit pacifier use to nighttime only.

You'll probably find that your toddler's pacifier use will decrease as he starts to develop other ways of comforting himself when he's upset, when he's able to communicate more effectively, and when he notices that other children his age no longer have pacifiers.

A gradual process of weaning a child off his pacifier generally works best. Forcing a child to give up his pacifier before he's ready can actually cause him to become more dependent on it than ever.

Here's another other important point to consider: excessive pacifier use can interfere with your toddler's speech. Not only will he have fewer opportunities to practise his speech, but overuse of a pacifier can also interfere with his articulation skills. He may tend to replace his "t" and "d" sounds (which require that the front of the tongue brush up against the back of the front teeth) with "k" and "g" sounds (sounds produced at the back of the throat). The solution? Let your toddler know that you can't understand what he's saying when he tries talking with his pacifier in his mouth. Over time, he'll learn to take the pacifier out of his mouth while he's speaking.

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How Old is Too Old for Nappies?

There are numerous theories on how old a child should be potty trained, or have given up their dummy, but as parents, we tend to do what feels right for our child. But is there a point we shouldn’t cross?

A poll by the UK’s leading discount and voucher code website has revealed that 1 in 5 parents kept their child in nappies until they were 3 and a half. A further 17% give their 4 year olds dummies at bed time and 14% allowed their children to use bottles until they were 3 years old.

New research by the UK’s leading discount and voucher code website has revealed that 1 in 5 parents allow their children to wear nappies up until they were 3 years and 6 months old. A further 17% still give their 4 year old children dummies at bed time.

The poll by My Voucher Codes asked 1,196 parents of 3 to 10 year olds across the UK a variety of questions relating to different stages of their child’s lives and their transitional phases.
According to the results, 14% of the parents polled allowed their child to drink from a bottle until they were three years old.

The parents were asked why they held off teaching their child certain development skills until a later age, the majority, 53%, said it was because of the ‘stress’ caused when trying to wean their child out of their habits, a further 1 in 10, 9%, admitted to simply being ‘lazy’.

27% of those asked admitted that they would like to keep their child’s ‘baby qualities’ for as long as possible. Just 31% said that they encouraged their child to progress at the earliest opportunity.
The study found that 12% of the parents asked had their child sleeping in their bedroom until they were 2. A further 1 in 3 of the respondents, 32%, admitted to still allowing their child to sleep in the same bed as them when they had a ‘bad dream’.

What do you think? Do you think we should encourage our children to progress their development at the earliest opportunity or do you think we should allow our children to develop in their own time? Tell us your views by leaving a comment in the box below…
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Baby Sleep Aids - So Everyone Can Sleep Well

How many times in the last few weeks have you tried to get your baby to sleep but to no avail?  Millions of families go through this every night and when all else fails, baby sleep aids can help you to get some of the sleep you deserve and crave for. 

The problem is that there are many baby sleep aids available, so which one do you choose?    Here are a few examples of baby sleep aids that are commonly used and that you may wish to try to see if they'll help to solve your baby's sleeping problem.

Firstly, how can you go wrong with the good old blanket?  At some point, every single one of us has us clung on to a blanket as babies.  The comfort, security, and warmth will leave a baby feeling cozy and allow him to relax if he's having trouble sleeping.  It's one of the best and most used baby sleep aids ever.

As a variation of this, you could use some other transitional object such as a teddy bear, or possibly mom's t-shirt, so that your baby can settle down with a smell that he or she is comfortable with.

Unfortunately though, there are times when a blanket or other transitional object just won't be enough, so you may wish to consider utilizing another baby sleep aid or baby sleep technique.
Night lights are also common baby sleep aids and can help make your child feel a little more comfortable in their dark surroundings. Although we may not know it, babies may often wake up and cry because they aren't used to being alone and they don't recognise their surroundings. A night light will give them security when they open their eyes. Being in familiar surroundings and being able to see the baby toys above the bed or stars on the ceiling will put them at ease.

Music or sounds are also great types of baby sleep aids you might want to try if you haven't already. Soft, carefree music such as classical music at low volumes is very soothing for a baby's ears which can help get them to sleep.  You could even leave this music playing through the entire night if it helped. Alternatively, white noise, which can sound horrible to adults, can be extremely soothing for a baby. A fan, having the television on, or even the sounds of nature .... birds, rain or whale sounds are very common. There are also white noise CD's you can buy with the sound of a vacuum cleaner or washing machine etc. Again, these sound rather strange but really can help.

Although all of these are all capable baby sleep aids and many parents will testify to their effectiveness, it is also possible that none of them may work for your child.  No two children are the same and so there is unfortunately no single cure-all for baby sleeping problems.  However, with some tried and tested baby sleep techniques, a good sleep routine and the odd baby sleep aid thrown in for good measure, you and your baby can soon be getting the full nights sleep that you richly deserve.

Jenny

For more details of Baby Sleep Aids and for an easy solution to your baby's sleeping problems, visit http://bit.ly/getbabytosleep. Or visit Positive Parenting for other tips!