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5 Tips to Helping Your Baby Get On A Sleep Schedule

When your baby sleeps, she becomes more tolerant, happier and engaging. This is the time that you can rest.
But it can be much better if the baby sleeps on a schedule. That way, your day’s patterns will be predictable and you can accomplish much more. On the other hand, your baby will know what to expect at any given time. It will also be easier to leave her with a caretaker as you can provide specific instructions on how to care for the baby.
But how do you get your baby to sleep on a schedule? Here are helpful tips.

When to start
There is controversy over the best time to start putting your baby on a sleep schedule. Some experts suggest between 2 and 4 months while others advocate for 5 or 6 months. You will also come across those suggesting you start at birth or at one week.

Whatever you decide, it is important to keep in mind that babies start to develop a natural sleep rhythm and feeding habits at about four months old. When you see your baby get into predictable patterns, encourage him to follow the schedule.

Start small. Begin by planning the morning nap which happens not long after the baby wakes up. The nap may take only 45 minutes when you start. However, don’t assume the nap is over. You can give your infant a few more minutes to fall back asleep after they wake up from the nap.

Create a favorable atmosphere for sleep
Provide the baby with an environment that encourages sleep. Make sure the baby sleeps in a crib where the room is cool, dark and quiet. You can also have a bedtime routine that prepares her to sleep such as singing or changing the diaper.

Mommyhood101 gives you reviews of various products that your baby will need such as diapers, cribs, baby bottles, and others. These will help you to prepare your little one for their sleep schedule.

Keep Track
Your baby is likely to fall into a sleeping and feeding pattern as time goes by. Keep track of when the baby sleeps, wakes up, poops and eats. When you understand the natural rhythm, you can base the sleep schedule on it.
To help you log the daily routine, you can use apps, a computer spreadsheet or a simple pen and paper.

Rely on timing
Your baby’s sleep schedule will be successful if you employ proper timing. Let your 4 to 6 month old baby have a nap in the morning, another in the afternoon and then late afternoon. By the eighth month, the baby can take two longer naps in the morning and afternoon each going for 1 to 1½ hours. Your infant should be asleep by 6pm, wake up by 7 am and take the first nap by 9 am.

Keep going
It may take a while before your baby gets used to the sleep schedule. One day she sleeps just fine and the next she doesn’t. However, don’t give up. Just like any other milestone, you will experience progress and setbacks. Remember, babies are different so don’t compare yours with your neighbor’s.

Note, that in as much as you are following a schedule, the needs of the baby should come first. Just because its sleep time, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t comfort a fussy baby. If you think the baby is hungry, don’t withhold food simply because it is not feeding time or he ate an hour ago. Use your instincts to know what the baby needs.

Five Best Lightweight Strollers for Parents Traveling with Kids

A stroller is a new baby’s easy form of transportation, making the world of strollers deep and wide. There are many factors to consider when setting out to buy a stroller. It should recline fully and flat or feature a bassinet attachment so your baby can lull to sleep in it.

Also must read: Fun Time with Kinder Joy

If you’re planning to use your stroller for errands and travelling, get a travel system with a car seat. Alternatively, get a lightweight stroller that fits well in your car or public means of transport.

Top 5 lightweight Traveling Strollers for Parents on the Go

1. Baby Jogger 2016 Mini 3W Single Stroller

This is a lightweight stroller that best suits suburban and urban riding; it’s like a city mini. This stroller can be folded flat to fit in the back of the car. It makes an excellent single, double, and it can handle the rough city streets very well.

2. UPPAbaby 2017 CRUZ Stroller

It is advisable to choose a stroller according to where you live and what you need the stroller for. UPPAbaby CRUZ is good because of the one-hand push. Use two hands most of the time when dealing with an umbrella stroller. With the large bar that the stroller have, you can push with one hand and use the other hand holding on to your coffee.

The Cruz is slightly smaller which makes it easy to navigate the small isles of stores. It also reclines, meaning the baby can catch a nap later in the stroller.

3. Cybex Priam Grape Juice Denim 2-in-1 Light Seat

This is the best stroller for a girl living in a city. It moves smoothly in the city despite people, traffic and sidewalks being bumpy. It is easy to switch hands and still manage to control it. This makes it so easy for multi-tasking like texting or drinking coffee in one hand and still texting.

The cloud Q Car seats reclines and it is the best when looking into safety. It is also easy to fold and get in and out of the car.

4. Doona Infant Car Seat/ Stroller

Before becoming a mother, you will not notice the big strollers around the streets. A Doona is so easy to move around the streets, you can push it using one hand and take sharp turns. The handle bar can be lowered to make it even more compact.

It is lightweight and low profile, you press a button and kick the legs in and out and it instantly changes from one to another.

5. BabyZen 2016 Yoyo+ Stroller

This is one of the top picks for every situation. This stroller is compact and versatile, weighing only 15 pounds. It also has enough capacity to hold some car seats. It folds as small as a carry-on bag for an airplane, and it can then be taken and stored overhead.

It can hold a newborn because of the bassinet attachment. It also has a ride along the scatter board an older child can use.

Visit LittleBabyGear.com to find out more about the best lightweight strollers and other baby gear.

5 Tips to Getting Sleep With a Newborn

Becoming a parent is one of the most beautiful and rewarding experiences that one can go through in a lifetime. However, the reality of it is usually much more different than what you had in mind. Sure, you love your newborn baby more than anything in the world. But when will you ever get a good night’s sleep again?

how much sleep does a toddler actually need?

It’s not easy to take care of an infant – as well as the rest of your family – when you’re battling sleep deprivation. More than that, it could be potentially dangerous by increasing your risk of accidents and postpartum depression. So, what can you do about it? Here are 5 expert tips to help you improve your sleep while taking care of your newborn:

1. Focus on Sleep Sharing
Sleep sharing is just a fancy term for a foolproof strategy. All you have to do is to keep baby close to you while you get some sleep too. You could keep baby in the bassinet and nurse them until they fell back to sleep. But that doesn’t work quite as well as actually taking baby into bed with you. In the latter scenario, your newborn will sleep better and only wake up briefly to nurse.

2. Work with Your Partner
Before you even bring your newborn home, it’s important to set some ground rules with your partner. The first thing you have to explore early on is your ability to handle sleep deprivation. If both of you find that you can’t handle it well, you might have to enlist the help of a babysitter or night nurse.

However, an easier way to work around this is by working out a schedule with your partner. You could opt to take care of baby in shifts throughout the night. Alternatively, you could settle on taking turns with your newborn every other night for the first few months. Either way, this type of shift work is the best way to protect your sleep and make sure that you and your partner are functional for work.

3. Sleep When Baby Sleeps
Any professional will tell you that the best way to stay well-rested is to sleep whenever your newborn does. In many cases, people often use baby’s nap time to do chores or take care of any pending work. But this is counterproductive; once baby is up, you will have to be up too.

4. Accept the Help
It is exceedingly important for new parents to accept any help that they can get. Most times, people are resistant to this because of various reasons like guilt or sheer stubbornness. But whether it’s a friend, family member, or babysitter, accept their help so that you can catch a few hours of sleep every now and then.

It’s also vital that you and your partner work as a cohesive team. If you’re pumping, ask your partner to handle the feedings. Avoid taking on any new responsibilities when you have a newborn at home. Also, divvy up all the household chores as best you can to give yourself some free time.

5. Rule Out Sleep Disorders
Short naps throughout the day should be enough to revive you and keep your energy levels high. But, if they don’t, it might be time to seek the advice of a professional. Research has shown that sleep deprivation can lead to mood changes or even the more serious postpartum depression. So, if all else fails, it’s incredibly important to consult your doctor and address the symptoms. That’s the only way to keep baby healthy and happy, especially in the first few months.