Secret to Good Night’s Sleep
At last, the secret to a good night’s sleep is revealed!
One language that is quite hard to decipher is baby language! Though most of the time they accompany their messages with facial expressions, decoding every word is similar to learning a new language and every kid is unique so if you have 5 children… congratulations! It’s like you’ve been mastering 5 different languages, KUDOS TO YOU!
It would’ve been far different if we only knew how to understand their messages immediately, especially when they’re in pain – where it hurt, how to make them feel better, how they felt about the things that we gave them such as toys, food and diapers. If they could just give their two cents on all of these things, we wouldn’t be clueless most of the time.
A great deal of discomfort experienced by the parents and babies is sleepless nights. We end up having nasty eye bags in the morning to pacify a little human who went berserk in the wee hours!
Could it be the mattress? The milk? Tummy ache? Headache? Constipation? Nappy Rash? The possibilities are endless and we go through the “trial-and-error” phase to find out which position works, which lullaby puts her to sleep longer or which tone of voice she responds to positively.
So, let’s TRY to solve the “sleepless night” mystery based on the common reasons most parents have shared.
Decoding Sleepless Nights
Babies who take the graveyard shift must have real big issues that deprive them from catching those zzzzzz’s.
Please note that we’re not claiming that all these will work, but the point is to give you common solutions to the big issue.
1. Some would just want to be simply cuddled
They want to feel our warmth, hear our voices or smell us. We’ve heard stories where some dads have had problems putting their babies to sleep but as soon as they cover themselves with their wife’s clothes or anything that gives off the mother’s scent, it’s like magic – the crying stops, the baby gets relaxed.
2. Insect bite
This is something that we may not be able to notice right away. An adult can just scratch the affected area but the baby can’t do that and it gets worse when the bite is on a part that the parents won’t notice right away! It is difficult to know unless you check your baby thoroughly.
The key here is to check your baby thoroughly – it could be in between their fingers, on the butt cheek, neck folds, back of the ear, etc.
3. The weather or the room’s temperature
Babies are more sensitive than adults in more ways than one. This means they need to be in a place that exudes the right temperature otherwise they will feel uncomfortable. They immediately feel when the temperature drops or increases and this makes them feel uneasy and sometimes, sick!
Experts recommend that the room’s temperature be kept between 20 and 22C. There are affordable and reliable room thermometers in the market if you don’t have one installed in your house.
4. Diaper Worries
Some infants easily get irritated with rough diapers because not all diapers are created equal! There are diapers that use rough materials that irritate and hurt the baby’s sensitive skin, which results in abrasion.
Aside from that, another thing that gives babies sleepless nights is wetness. Of course, parents should always be mindful of when to change the diaper especially at night and we should know that we should only purchase diapers that are absorbent as this avoids another terrible issue… NAPPY RASH!
Parents, it is NOT OKAY to just settle for what’s popular and common, but offers discomfort sleepless nights in the long run.
Using the right diaper is a big matter as this resolves a string of problems because,
- It keeps them dry
Wetness results in painful and irritating rashes.
- It offers comfort beyond words
Right material. Right size. Right fit.
- It’s cost efficient
Diaper-related skin problems will force you to buy tubes of nappy rash cream and see the pedia for consultation. When the diaper has absorption issues, you’ll have to change them often… now, where do your savings go?
Your baby’s happiness is of the utmost importance and it sometimes starts when your little one wakes up with a smile on her face and when you go through the day not having to worry about another sleepless night later on.