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For the first few months of a baby’s life your baby has three basic needs - feeding, sleeping and love.  A well fed baby is generally a happy baby.  ‘Nutrition’ then is the first and most important need of a baby, for without it you will not succeed in accomplishing the second which is ‘sleep’.  Right from the beginning we need to put into place good eating habits. 

Some Facts

• If your baby feeds well, they will generally sleep well.  
• Feeding a baby to sleep is not a good idea, as they begin to associate feeding as a technique to get them to sleep. It is also a very hard habit to break when they are older.
• You may also find that your baby will fall asleep on the breast or bottle and not complete a feed.  This will cause them to be hungry quicker and usually leads to catnapping and snacking.  Try to keep baby awake during and after the day feeds as this encourages baby to sleep for longer periods between feeds and feed well when it is feed-time this in turn leaves time to play before going back to bed.  Keep to the guidelines of – feed, play then sleep.
• ‘demand-feed’ Many mothers fall into a trap with demand-feeding because they believe demand-feeding means feeding their child every time they cry.  A well-fed baby will, of its own accord, begin to ‘demand-feed’ every 3½ - 4 hours within the first few weeks of birth.

Ask Yourself the Following

• Is my baby crying because they are hungry or is there some other reason for their cry?
• Is he/she unsettled because they are over tired, over stimulated, uncomfortable or in pain, or have they woken and just needs to be resettled?
• When was the last feed?  Even breastfed babies will go 3 - 4 hours between feeds.  Calculated the time from the beginning of the last feed to the start of the next feed.   If your baby wakes after having less than an hour’s sleep, it is advisable to resettle him/her.  
• How long did baby nutritively feed for?  A breastfed newborn may take up to 45 mins to feed well.  If baby falls asleep on the breast, wake them up by tickling the toes, undressing them, or using a wet cloth on their face.  As baby gets older, they will become more efficient and quicker to feed.   Bottle-fed babies usually take a shorter time to feed, but they too should not be given small feeds regularly but should be fed their full quota every four hours.   (The amount baby is needing goes on their weight not on their age as indicated on many of the formula tins)

Baby’s Sleep Cycle

Understanding baby’s sleep cycle will help you understand why they wake and when to resettle.  The sleep cycle of a baby is usually thirty to forty-five minutes.  During each sleep cycle we have Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep, which is when we enter our deep sleep.  Every baby’s progression Non-REM is different, with some it takes as long as twenty minutes to enter a deep sleep.  Others reach their deep sleep quickly and stir after twenty minutes.  We all wake briefly after our deep sleep; this is where many of the difficulties of resettling begin.   Most of us do not even remember waking; others such as light sleepers, will wake and resettle themselves.  A baby may stir, and even cry, as he/she wakes.  If parents are not aware that their baby needs to be resettled at this time, they are often picked up, offered a feed or encouraged to have time up.  This pattern repeated day after day will reinforce to the child the need to wake up and stay awake after only a short nap instead of learning to self settle. 

Why is Sleep so Important?

Sleep is a basic physiological need.  It is crucial for our health because when we sleep, our body repair and restore themself.   Lack of sleep for babies therefore hinder growth, robbing their body of the vital rest needed for energy to grow.  More than at any other period of our lives the first five years is crucial for physically development therefore the need for large blocks of solid sleep.  This growth is also seen in the development of our brains.  Consequently sleep deprivation in children may hinder physical and mental development.  Not only does sleep effect baby’s growth and development but a child who sleeps well tends to be happier, more settled, healthier and easier to manage both day and night.  

Parental sleep is also important.  During the night, if your child sleeps soundly in between feeds, you are more likely to be able to cope with waking to feed them.  A rested parent has a happier frame of mind and can manage the challenges of parenthood.  An unsettled child, who wakes several times during the night to be settled or fed, can cause sleep deprivation which affects the whole family.  Older children in the family may also be affected either directly through disturbed sleep, or indirectly through lack of attention and irritable parents.   Parents who are up during the night may need to sleep or rest during the day to catch up on their sleep.  This can be difficult if you have more than one child. 

Some Myths Regarding Sleep for Babies

During my practice as a mothercraft nurse I have heard of many beliefs and myths surrounding sleep for babies and toddlers.  Here are some of them.
Myth:  Not all babies and toddlers need to sleep during the day.  
All babies and toddlers need daytime sleep but amounts of sleep vary depending on their age

• Myth:  Babies that sleep well at night don’t need long sleeps during the day.
• Some babies catnap during the day and fall asleep exhausted at night sleeping sometimes six to eight hours.  This often changes.  A baby who has not learnt to self-settle during the day often begin to wake several times during the night and demand assistance to resettle.  
• Myth:  Catnaps and night waking are just ‘phases’ babies/toddlers outgrow.
• Some babies and toddlers need to learn how to sleep.  If they develop a bad sleeping pattern, it may become a lifetime habit which can affect them even as adults in the form of insomnia.  
• Myth: Changing from breast to formula or starting your baby on solids will help them to sleep better and longer.  
• There is no guarantee or evidence that either will work if a child has never learnt to self settle.    
• Myth:  Babies need to be picked up in they are unsettled as they may need their nappy changed or to be burped.  
• Babies were born out of a wet environment are not disturbed by wet or dirty nappies.   Wind doesn’t disturb a baby. It is not wind that causes discomfort otherwise why is it that a baby, who isn’t crying, can have a huge burp after being picked up from a sound sleep? It is usually something more than just wind that unsettles a baby.
• Myth:   All babies have an unsettled period ‘the witching hour’ or ‘arsenic hour’.  
• I disagree with this as parents who have kept their babies to a good sleep routine do not have an unsettled period unless there is something upsetting the baby such as over handling, poor feed, reflux, teething, an infection or they have never learnt how to self settle.

Signs of a Possible Sleep Problem

• Sleeping for less than an hour or “catnapping” during the day.
• Frequent night waking.
• Needing external assistance to go to sleep - nursing, cuddling, rocking or feeding to sleep or a dependency on a dummy or pacifier is often a sign of a sleep problem.
• Frequent waking with small feeds - often just snacking or comfort sucking.

So wrapped up in our doting love for our baby is the understanding that they need to feed well and be encouraged to sleep well.  When you have these elements right you are on the right track to having a contented baby.

This article was written by mothercraft nurse Sally Hall from Cradle 2 Kindy Parenting Solutions.  If you would like more information on this and other similar topics our E-books are packed full of practical parenting tips.  Down load an E-Book specifically related to your child's age group through Publications at Our Shop.

Disclaimer: Article on our website are for education purposes only.  Please consult with your doctor to make sure this information is right for your child.

All articles on this website have a copyright the use of any material must have permission from Cradle 2 Kindy Parenting Solutions.

Australian Standards

In the past Australia followed the World Health Authorities when giving advice on when to start a baby on solids.  WHA suggests not to starting solids before six months of age due to the childhood mortality in third world countries often caused by unhygienic conditions.  Australian health professionals have recently recommended changing the age for starting solids between four and six months although they are still encouraging those who breastfeed to continue till at least six month or longer.  

The increase of all types of allergies, especially food related allergies, which has greatly increased in the past few years, has cause great concern.  Immunologists, doctors and dieticians specialising in allergies have recently recommended starting solids between 4-6 months as delaying the introduction of solids may be interfering with the normal immune development reducing food tolerance and increasing allergies.  (see article: The Solids Controversy written by Karen Simmer PHD FRACP. Professor of Newborn Medicine, University of Western Australia).    This recent research concludes that delaying the introduction of foods may not only be to the child’s determent but also may have long-term effect on their food preferences.  
 

Guide Lines

Before introducing solids there are some things to take into consideration; the reason why you want to introduce solids, what is the best time to feed your child and how and what foods to introduce first.

One of the guides we look for when starting solids is the child’s readiness, is he/she looking interested in food?  Does he/she watch you while you are eating? or are they reaching out for your food?   Your instincts will often help you decide.  If in doubt try a small spoon of baby cereal and watch the reaction.  Remember never force a child and avoid giving large amounts.  Start with small amounts.  One to two teaspoons for the first month is sufficient.  Offer solids about twenty minutes after a milk feed until baby is nine months.   Milk is a feed not just a snack and at this age contains all a babies nutritional requirements.  By nine months a baby will be eating about one cup of solids before every milk feed except the morning feed when solids usually come after the milk feed.  By this age a child should be having from 3-4 milk feeds per day with not feeds over night.

At the beginning, when starting your baby on solids, it is an introduction to food not a meal; this is a taste of things to come.  It is a learning experience to encourage baby to develop their tongue and mouth muscles to thrust food backwards. This also helps develop the muscles for speech.  For the same reason dummies should be limited only to sleep time and by the age of 9 months eliminated all together otherwise it may hamper speech or cause speech impediments such as a lisp.  

From the beginning give your child a spoon to help them learn how to feed themselves.  Be prepared for lot of mess, this is part of learning.  

Introducing solids or a formula feed before baby’s night sleep to help them sleep through the night is no guarantee for a good night sleep.  If a child has never really learn to self settle during the day (sleeping blocks of 2 -2 ½hours) then giving more food at night is not going to help with self settling.  Babies generally sleep eight hours at night (without a feed) from three months old and 12 hours from nine to ten months old.  There are of course exceptions to the rule when babies sleep through at an earlier age. 

What Foods to Introduce First?  

Iron enriched rice cereal is commonly the first solid to be introduced due to babies dwindling stores of iron.  Cereal can be mixed with breastmilk, cooled boiled water or formula.   Cow’s milk and honey should not be given to a child under 12 months.  Seasoned food includes salt and sugar should be avoided. Try starting your baby on vegetables to avoid the vegetable aversion that some babies develop when introduces to fruit first.        
 
Don’t be too hasty try new foods. The rule to thumb is to try only one new food every 5 days.  Introduce the new food in the morning when you have all day to see if there is an adverse reaction.  If baby doesn't like it try again a few days later and keep trying.   Babies sometimes need to try up to ten times before they acquire a taste for some foods.  Avoid your child becoming a fussy eater by introducing a variety of tastes and textures over the first year of their life. This will also help them to develop a preference for healthy foods.  

Baby may gag on the spoon or the food even when it is highly pureed; this is expected as they haven't experienced swallowing solids before.  She/he is also learning how to move food from the front to the back of her/his mouth.  Proceed with caution while baby learns this new skill and expect a lot of mess.

How Much?

Do not be tempted to over feed your baby; some babies don’t know when to stop.  Offer one teaspoon and at the most two for the first month, once a day, then slowly increase to half a cup by six months, twice a day, and one cup three times a day by nine months.

Never force a baby to eat as this can often cause feeding problems and unpleasant mealtimes.  When baby shows signs that she/he has had sufficient don’t push her/him to take more just to finish the bowl.  If baby begins to spit, throw or play with their food it is time to remove it.  This will also encourage baby to eat when it is mealtimes and not play.  Have a cup of cooled boiled water on hand to offer baby, encourage the use of a cup.   Start to introduce a cup around six months when you are starting her/him on forked mashed solids.

Preparation

If you are using a microwave to heat food make sure you stir the food well to disperse the hot spots.  Don’t over heat food or reheat half eaten food.  Always take out of the storage container what you need for one meal, and then add more if necessary.  Never re-use half eaten food.  Freshly prepared food which can be frozen in ice cubes is preferable to processed baby food.   Many babies become fussy if only given processed foods and will refuse other types of food including those which are not highly pureed.  When you cook your own vegetables take some out to prepare for baby.  This will save you time.  

This article was written by mothercraft nurse Sally Hall from Cradle 2 Kindy Parenting Solutions.  If you would like more information on this and other similar topics our E-books are packed full of practical parenting tips.  Down load an E-Book specifically related to your child's age group through Publications at Our Shop.

All articles on this website have a copyright the use of any material must have permission from Cradle 2 Kindy Parenting Solutions.