Sleeping Patterns
Until a routine has been established and your baby is of an age to
differentiate between day and night, you may be surprised to notice
that the age-old saying of 'babies sleep all the time', certainly
doesn't apply to yours. In the early months, your baby will probably
succumb to erratic feeding and sleeping, and just when you thought
your baby had established a suitable routine of eating every four
hours and sleeping for the average 16½ hours, the pattern changes.
Babies, like adults have differing sleep requirements, and while
some may need 20 hours of rest, others may flourish with only half
that time. So in this instance, it is very important not to judge
your baby 'by-the-book', as whatever pattern your baby falls into,
will be normal according to his needs.
As your child nears her first birthday, she will need more
stimulation and less sleep, and you may even find that she drops her
mid-morning nap. Some babies on the other hand will still relish at
the idea of napping twice a day well into their second year - this
is quite normal as long as it is not interfering with her night-time
sleeping patterns. The main thing to remember here is that, it is
not really the amount of time she spends asleep, but rather, how
well she functions on the amount she receives. If for example, she
seems irritable and over-tired at dinner time, it may mean that she
is not getting adequate rest during the day. If this is the case,
you will have to make a special effort in encouraging day-time
resting, even if this means an outdoor stroll in her pram to induce
sleep.
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