A Positive
Attitude:
Better Sleep For Baby And You
A relaxed and positive attitude
towards sleep actually helps
your baby sleep better. Teach your baby to 'love sleep' and simmer down
yourself with simple relaxation techniques.
Building a positive attitude towards sleep for
your baby and yourself is a great idea. It is the best start
for a lifetime of good sleep.
And right now, it will help your baby
sleep
through the night, sleep well at nap times, go to bed with
pleasure,
... not only now, but also as a toddler, growing up child and later as
an adult.
Being positive about sleep is all about teaching
your baby that sleeping is good. Not only good because it is healthy
and necessary, but because sleeping can be a very pleasant
experience.
And of course baby's positive attitude starts with
yours. Also, if you manage to relax in your baby's sleep matters, you
will find that it works wonders: you feel much better and your
baby feels that ...
... and sleeps better.
Two top tips for a positive attitude towards
sleep
One crucial lesson for your baby is that sleeping
is a good thing. Tiny as she is, even a newborn will feel
your positive, or negative, feelings toward sleep.
Think of a baby, hearing either one of the next
two sentences, several times each day:
"O no, time for bed! I'm so sorry but
you need to go to sleep now. Poor thing ..."
- or -
"Time for bed little one. Time to
cuddle up nice and warm and have a nice nap, enjoy ..."
It is so simple, but using the second sentence
is a great way to build a positive attitude towards sleep. One that
baby will keep for the rest of her life.
This may be the best advice I once received as a
new mum myself. It is good to realise that it is OK for a baby not to
sleep through the night, yet. It is OK as a new mum or dad to be tired.
It's not a race as in 'whose baby is the first to sleep through the
night'.
Of course you really want a good night's sleep
yourself too. But if that doesn't happen, really, try to relax.
Do not worry about it. You will feel better. Try some of these simple
relaxation techniques. They are very easy to do, fun and
effective.
One related tip from my own experience:
hide
that clock! At first I spent many nights calculating how
much (ehm, little) I had
slept. At each feeding I was checking my alarm clock and made my
calculations.
How little hours had I had, how little still to
go ...
The numbers made me worry more about the lack of
sleep and the sleep deprivation I was compiling.
Then one night, I just hid the clock. I did not
calculate anymore, and just let things happen. Suddenly, I slept more
and better. Just because I was not worrying anymore. My daughter also
seemed to feel this. Even if she didn't magically start sleeping
through for 12 hours, there was a clear improvement.
In any case, the less you worry about "my baby has
to sleep through the night", the easier it becomes to get there.
Simple as they are, these positive attitude tips
are quite valuable. Try to incorporate them in your routines and you
may soon feel the benefits ...
