These aren't totally redundant and can be very useful
sleep cues if used during a bed time routine instead of the main light - the lower light level helps to signal baby's brain that it is time for bed.
They'll soon learn
the sleep cues if you do the same thing every day.
Not exact matches
During the day, keep him in a darkened area,
if possible, to try to
cue his brain / body that it will be a
sleep time.
Picking up on tired
cues is important, says Kim West, author of The
Sleep Lady's Good Night,
Sleep Tight, because
if you miss them, «[your baby's] body won't be pumping out calming melatonin.
If you pay attention to your baby's feeding
cues instead of putting your child on a schedule, you may find that the baby is hungry every hour or so for a few hours, and then he
sleeps for a longer stretch.
For instance,
if you rock or breastfeed your baby to
sleep but want to change this, start by introducing a more easily discarded
cue as you rock or feed, such as gentle music and «sleepy words».
If you think that babies sleep a certain way, based either on culture or past experience or something you read in a book (please PLEASE either read no sleep books or all of them) or what your mother - in - law says about how your partner slept as a baby or whatever, then if your child doesn't sleep that way, it may take you a long time to be able to identify cues from your child about what s / he needs because you'll be fighting with your expectation
If you think that babies
sleep a certain way, based either on culture or past experience or something you read in a book (please PLEASE either read no
sleep books or all of them) or what your mother - in - law says about how your partner
slept as a baby or whatever, then
if your child doesn't sleep that way, it may take you a long time to be able to identify cues from your child about what s / he needs because you'll be fighting with your expectation
if your child doesn't
sleep that way, it may take you a long time to be able to identify
cues from your child about what s / he needs because you'll be fighting with your expectations.
If you are co-sleeping, you may notice that baby starts to move, kick legs, roll, or generally become restless after a period of sound, peaceful
sleep — this is your
cue to offer the potty.
If you miss the
cues, they can get over-tired and seem hyper - alert when in fact they're craving
sleep.
I allow her
sleep cues even
if that means she naps right after she eats (this usually happens at least once s day).
This is due to hormones released while your baby feeds but
if you are concerned about it becoming a habit, alternate feeding with other
sleep cues.
Taking a car seat is a great way to establish familiarity
cues for your infant / toddler - they will already associate the car seat with traveling and know that it means sitting in one place — it is also especially useful on long - haul flights
if your child is used to
sleeping in their car seat.
I'm still pretty much going off of her
cues for eating and
sleeping at this point, except I wake her up during the day
if it's been 4 hours since she ate last so she eats enough during the day and possibly stays awake enough to realize the difference between day and night.
Listening to this pleasant hypnosis track every night at bedtime guides any pregnant women who is experiencing insomnia into a deep, restful
sleep, and trains her inner mind to create and respond immediately to a specific
cue to easily fall asleep, get back to
sleep if awakened, to
sleep deeply and well, and to wake up refreshed.
If you regularly nurse your baby to
sleep, however, he'll need that same
cue to help him fall back to
sleep during the night.
I have tried putting him down for naps when he shows
sleep cues, I have tried putting him down for a nap after he's been up for 90 minutes even
if he isn't showing
sleep cues, but either way he just won't
sleep for nap times during the day!
If you introduce certain sensory
cues such as soothing scents or relaxing music, these can become
sleep cues that help little ones eventually, over time, learn to settle themselves with less parent assistance.
As children grow with a safe and loving
sleep routine, even
if it needs to be changed later for whatever reason, they have already learned that you are a source of security and love so they will trust your lead and follow your
cues to establish that new
sleep routine when the time is right.
If you see a
sleep cue, such as yawning or a lull in energy, it's time to go into the room and begin your normal 10 - 15 minute soothing routine.
«
If the bed means it's time to watch TV, it stops being a
cue that it's
sleep time,» explains Findley.
McGinn recommends you pay close attention to
sleep cues, including drowsy eyes, yawning and fussiness; they're how your baby communicates that she's ready to go back to
sleep, even
if she hasn't been awake for very long.
Even
if you don't regularly decide what play to run after a snap, take a
cue from the pros and prioritize
sleeping six to eight hours each night.