Here is an interesting piece from the Independent on boosting our children’s immune systems before they go back to school. It is written by Brian Higgins who is a GP at Galway Primary Care. The original article can be downloaded here https://www.independent.ie/life/family/parenting/how-to-boost-your-kids-immune-system-39432060.html
Some more sleep tips from MyChild.ie
By 3 to 4 months of age, babies begin to settle into a sleep and wake routine.
Between 3 to 6 months, your baby needs between 12 to 14 hours sleep across the day and night. They will usually nap for around 3 to 4 hours. There should be 2 to 2.5 hours between naps – see below for more information.
Your baby may still go straight to sleep after a feed. They’ll then wake for a while before the next feed is due. By about 6 months your baby will stay awake for longer and be more alert between feeds.
It is normal for your baby to wake briefly during the night. Avoid stimulating your baby if this happens. For example, by talking loudly or playing with them.
They may drift back to sleep or cry. Settle and soothe them if they are crying by talking softly and holding them. Feed them if hungry.
At this stage they are starting to identify the difference between day and night. A bedtime routine can help show your baby that sleep time is approaching.
You can build a sleep routine by:
It is important for your baby or toddler to take naps during the day. Children who are well rested find it easier to get to sleep at night. Children will usually continue to take naps until around age 3.
Naps can help their:
Babies nap for between 3 to 4 hours per day. At 2 months of age, your baby will take around 4 naps a day. They will reduce this to 1 in the middle of the day at around 12 to 15 months of age.
You should space out the length of time between your baby or toddler’s naps.
A baby or toddler who naps frequently will not get the same benefit as one who has solid naps. Look at how long they have been awake and judge when they’re due to sleep.
Babies over 9 months of age should not sleep after 3.30 pm in the day. This is because it will cause difficulties with bedtime and may also cause early morning waking.
Older children should not have naps in the late afternoon. This is because it may also make it hard for them to go to sleep at bedtime.
Your child will find it easier to nap during the day if you:
It is better to let your child wake up on their own, as they will be in a better mood.
For more information on all aspects of your child’s health, well being and development see https://www2.hse.ie/my-child/
If you need some support on sleep issues with your child please contact your Public Health Nurse who has been specially trained. You can find contact details for your PHN on the Parent Hub Donegal Services page by clicking this link http://parenthubdonegal.ie/services/job-listings/?search_keywords=public+health+nurse&search_region=0&search_categories%5B%5D=147 Put in the region of Donegal you are in (http://parenthubdonegal.ie/donegal-regions/ will help you) and click update.
The website MyChild.ie is a great source of information about all aspects of your child’s well being and development. Here is what they say about sleep in those early months.
Newborn babies spend most of their time asleep. They haven’t yet developed a set sleep pattern.
Your newborn baby will wake up regularly to be fed. It doesn’t matter if it’s day time or night time.
This can be very hard to cope with. It will get easier. Try to sleep when your baby is asleep.
From birth, some babies need more or less sleep than other babies.
Newborn babies are too young to follow strict routines. You can start to introduce changes to bedtime at around 3 months of age. For example, changing into pyjamas, bath time, stories or singing time.
It often takes several months for a baby’s day to night pattern of waking and sleeping to become settled.
Your baby will need about 9 to 18 hours of sleep until they are 3 months old. The average they will sleep is about 14.5 hours.
Your baby is unique and may sleep differently to other babies. Some babies sleep for long periods, others for short bursts. They will sleep during the day and night. They might sleep for anything between a few minutes to a few hours at a time.
Newborn babies don’t know the difference between day and night. Their sleep is more likely controlled by their tummies.
Newborn babies will wake up to be fed. Your baby will sleep for 1 to 3 hours until their next feed. Their sleep time gets longer as they get older. Their tummy influences their body clock.
If their tummy is full, they will sleep. If they are hungry, they will wake.
If you are worried that your baby is not getting the right amount of sleep, talk to your GP or public health nurse
Your baby may go straight to sleep after a feed.
When possible, put your baby down to sleep drowsy but awake. This might help them fall asleep where they will be waking up.
Your baby will be awake for 1 to 2 hours between sleeps.
A newborn baby will probably be tired if they have been awake for 1 to 1.5 hours.
There are signs that will tell you when they’re ready to sleep. Avoid stimulating your baby, such as talking loudly or playing with them.
Some of the signs are:
Keeping your baby awake during the day will not help them sleep better at night.
If your baby is overtired it is much harder for them to get to sleep.
Cot death or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden and unexpected death of a baby who seems healthy during sleep.
It can happen in a cot, pram, bed, car seat, baby seat or anywhere a baby is sleeping.
The safest place for your baby to sleep is in a cot in the same room as you.
Background noises such as music or children playing may not wake them but a sudden loud noise might.
Always put your baby to sleep on their back with their feet touching the end of the cot.
Do not let your baby sleep while lying on their tummy. Babies who sleep on their tummies have a higher risk of cot death. You can give your baby some ‘tummy time’ when they are awake.
If your baby always lies with their head in the same position they might develop a ‘flat head’. This is called plagiocephaly.
You can help prevent this when putting your baby down to sleep on their back. When they are lying flat, you can alternate their head position so that sometimes they face left and sometimes they face right.
Related topic
Your baby’s sleep pattern is probably not going to fit in with your sleep pattern. Try to sleep when your baby sleeps.
Some things that may help:
If you are breastfeeding, caffeine may affect your baby’s sleep. The recommended limit for breastfeeding mothers is 6 cups of tea or 2 cups of coffee a day. For filtered coffee, you should only have one cup a day.
For lots more information on all aspects of your child’s health, well being and development see https://www2.hse.ie/my-child/
If you need some support on sleep issues with your child please contact your Public Health Nurse who has been specially trained. You can find contact details for your PHN on the Parent Hub Donegal Services page by clicking this link http://parenthubdonegal.ie/services/job-listings/?search_keywords=public+health+nurse&search_region=0&search_categories%5B%5D=147 Put in the region of Donegal you are in (http://parenthubdonegal.ie/donegal-regions/ will help you) and click update.
A recent large study looking at sleep in Irish children found that substantial proportions of mothers report children’s sleep patterns are at least a small problem for them (30% in infancy; 22% at 3 years and 12% at five years). This study highlights the need for parents to have information on how to develop positive sleep patterns.
Most sleep problems involve children having difficulty getting to sleep or difficulty staying asleep. The most common type of sleep problem is a sleep association which requires physical contact from a parent or feeding during the night.
This is the phrase used to provide an environment conducive to sleep. This will make it easier for the child to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Babies by 3-4 months of age begin to settle in to a bedtime routine. You can help this by:
The following are ways to promote satisfactory sleep in all ages (Stores 2009; p.27)
| Principle | Routine |
| Sleeping Environment conducive to sleep |
|
| Encourage |
|
| Avoid |
|
It is natural for children to test boundaries and many children do this at bedtime. Some children resist going to bed whilst others go to bed but get up repeatedly. Children are most likely to test limits between 3-6 years.
As a parent you need to set clear limits and boundaries at bedtime, even if your child objects. Here’s how you can make this easier.
Night wakenings are one of the most common problems parents report and are mostly seen in babies and toddlers.
To understand night wakenings it is important to realize that we all waken briefly during the night. There are two different types of sleep. Deep sleep (called non rapid eye movement sleep) and the lighter stages of sleep (called rapid eye movement sleep). We all have sleep cycles during the night were we transition between deep and light sleep.
For small children they typically fall in to a deep sleep within 5 minutes of going to sleep. This first sleep cycle lasts about 3-4 hours and is mostly deep sleep. As the child transitions to lighter sleep they stir and move around and may open their eyes. If everything is the same as when they first went to sleep they will fall asleep again quickly. However if there is something missing then the child will try to recreate the conditions they had to initially fall asleep.
In order to avoid night wakenings the child needs to learn to fall asleep in his own bed without props or a parent present. Common props or sleep associations are physical contact from a parent; rocking or feeding.
You can help your child sleep well by:
Your local Public health Nurse can provide more information and support relating to behavioural sleep difficulties if you need it.
References:
Mindell JA & Owens JA (2015) A Clinical Guide to Pediatric Sleep: Diagnosis and Management of Sleep Problems, 3nd edition.
Hanafin S. Sleep patterns and problems in infants and young children in Ireland. Child Care Health Dev. 2017: 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12539
