News, views & guidance
News, views and information
This section is all about offering you some additional advice that we hope you may find useful.
The Night Nannies Top 10 Tips for Encouraging Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night
Remember: if you are breastfeeding, you will not be able to begin guiding your baby into a good sleep routine until this has been well-established for your baby, i.e.: between 4-6 weeks.
- Always try to put your baby down awake so he will recognise where he is if he wakes up in the middle of the night, and will be used to settling himself off to sleep.
- As your baby gets older (from about six weeks) and is beginning to stretch the time between feeds, ensure that the last feed of the day is a really filling one. Often your baby will be too tired to make the effort to feed properly, but persevere as this will enable you both to sleep for longer.
- Don’t worry if your baby grizzles when you put him down to sleep. Babies often create their own wall of “white sound” in order to cut out other noises that are preventing them from going to sleep. If your baby’s crying increases or continues for more than 10 minutes you should, of course, go to him and establish what is wrong.
- Use a dummy to settle your baby at the beginning of his sleep, whether a nap or an overnight sleep; however, do not let him become dummy-dependent by using it throughout the night – once it has fallen out, leave it. This way, he will not become used to having it returned to him and will learn to sleep without it. (However, if breastfeeding, wait until your baby is one month old to ensure breastfeeding is well-established).
- Once your baby is weaned (from 6 months), he is able to start sleeping through the nightas he will be getting sufficient nutrition during the day. If he is still waking, don’t just leave him to cry. Instead, take a deep breath and a lot of patience, and kneel by his cot stroking his tummy in a clockwise direction with one hand and stroking his feet from toe to heel with the other (hold his feet together as if you were about to change his nappy). This will give him as much reassurance as if you were cuddling him and will eventually allow his desire for sleep to overcome his desire for a feed. It can take up to an hour each time but within five nights your baby should be sleeping through.
- Maximise the differences between daytime naps and overnight sleep (nursery and kitchen, dimmed light and bright daylight, calm one-on-one time and busy family chatter).
- Help your baby to develop his internal bodyclock (or Circadian cycle) by keeping his feed times and nap times consistent during the day – it will help with his overnight sleep.
- Put in place a regular evening routine so your baby picks up on sleep associations (for example, a bath, a massage, storytime with older siblings, feed and bed). Try to make this a transferable routine, so that it can remain the same when you go on holiday or to granny’s for the night.
- Ensure your baby’s bedroom is a peaceful place, somewhere he can sleep well. Try to keep toys downstairs, have soft lighting and subtle colours. A black-out blind can be particularly useful to keep out early summer sunlight.
- Make sure your baby’s room isn’t too hot (or, less likely, too cold). An ideal temperature is around 18°C.
Night Nannies – Top Recommended Products
Here are some products we would like to recommend to you. We’ve come up with this list based purely on feedback from all of our Night Nannies who have extensive experience dealing with babies every night. We’ll add to this list, so keep checking this page for new updates or email us at info@nightnannies.com if there’s a specific product you would like us to quiz our Night Nannies about.
www.baabaablinds.com for blackout blinds – ideal for a baby’s room.
Giant swaddle muslins, really thin and very useful when there’s a heatwave or if you’re away on holiday. They’re by Aden and Anais from www.hamillbaby.com
Earth friendly baby toiletries from www.earth-friendly-baby.co.uk
Anything from green baby clothes at www.greenbaby.co.uk
Recommended bottles - Dr brown bottles www.drbrowns.co.uk/
Preferred dummies are by Mam.
Boots own brand breast pads.
BT baby monitor or Tommee Tippee www.tommeetippee.co.uk sensor pad monitor
Pampers sensitive wipes
The Egg room thermometer from www.gro.co.uk/grobagegg.aspx
Medela breast pump www.medelabreastpump.co.uk
Tinylove play gym and toys www.tinylove.com/toy.aspx?toyId=46
Dentinox colic drops and dentinox shampoo
The Waitrose bottom butter cream for all over body cream.
Baby Nutrition
The maternal and infant nutrition section of the Department of Health website (www.dh.gov.uk) is a useful resource for providing you with up-to-date guidance on any issues relating to feeding your baby. In particular you may find the section ‘Guidance on the safe preparation and storage of infant milk formula’ of interest:
Pregnancy, breastfeeding and swine flu: official guidance on breastfeeding your baby if you have swine flu and have been prescribed anti-virals.
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Children/Maternity/Maternalandinfantnutrition/DH_099965
'Infant Feeding' from the Royal College of Midwives - a resource for healthcare professionals and parents:
'Guide to Bottle Feeding': A Guide for Parents Who Are Not Breastfeeding:
Cot death
The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths is the UK’s leading baby charity working to prevent sudden deaths and to promote health. FSID funds research, supports bereaved families, and promotes safe baby care advice. For more information, click through to their website. www.fsid.org.uk
Meningitis Information
Find out about meningitis, how you can spot the signs, available treatment and how the Trust can help if you’ve been affected. http://www.meningitis-trust.org/meningitis/
Interesting Articles
‘Not Just Talking’ – www.notjusttalking.co.uk
This has been recommended by Georgie Bateman from our Hampshire branch. Georgie says: ‘I have met a wonderful woman called Sioban Boyce who teaches a 2 hour course called Not Just Talking. It is based on the premise that up to 90% of our communication (particularly for babies) is non-verbal, and that due to changes in our society, many babies aren't getting the opportunities to learn from face-to-face interaction. This leads to an inability to interpret situations and a misunderstanding of socially acceptable behaviour which can ultimately become autism or Aspergers. She has had a fantastic success rate in helping such children and has turned her research into this course.’
BBC Health website on lack of sleep:
www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_the_doctor/sleepdeprivation.shtml
A new healthy eating government grant for mums-to-be:
http://campaigns2.direct.gov.uk/money4mum2be
Sleep problems and babies who don't sleep:
www.insomniacs.co.uk/babies-who-dont-sleep.html
Understanding your baby's sleep by Dr Olwen Wilson, consultant child psychologist at Royal Surrey County Hospital:
www.babycenter.ca/baby/sleep/understanding/
Mother & Baby 'Ask A Mum' page on sleep deprivation:
www.askamum.co.uk/Mum/Search-Results/Health/Cope-with-sleep-deprivation-/
American scientific research on Baby's First Dreams:
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090413185734.htm
When is the right time to wean (NetMums):
www.netmums.com/food/Weaning_When_is_the_right_time_to_wean.429/
Sex life after a baby:
www.essentialbaby.com.au/parenting/baby/sex-after-baby-20090112-7f0b.html
Ulrika Jonsson talking about pelvic floor muscles and incontinence after birth:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7925964.stm
Probiotic drinks and pregnancy weight:
Quick make-up advice for new mums:
Web MD advice about baby poo:
www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/diapering-a-baby-9/baby-bowel-movements
"You are highly recommended not just by my friends, but the local Health Visitors team praises you too."
MM, Hampshire
Want to switch from breast to bottle?
It sounds straight forward unless your baby decides otherwise. We can send you someone who can help him make the change swiftly and painlessly.