Many overtired parents wonder the same thing – when should my baby be sleeping through the night?
Unfortunately there is no easy answer to this question. It really depends which definition of sleeping through the night you are trying to achieve as sleeping through the night means different things to different people. A baby can sleep longer stretches of sleep based on their age and weight.
Q – My baby is 10 months old and I am still up every 3 hours all night. I think I need to get some sleep in order to function properly during the day. How can I get my baby to sleep?
A – The way that your baby falls asleep is probably the way that your baby has to return to sleep during their night wakings. So you would want to start making changes at bedtime and then again do the same thing at all night wakings. You will have to teach your baby to fall asleep without props so that they can learn to return to sleep when they next wake up. The type of method that you could use would depend on a couple of factors but the underlying key in any method is for them to go into their crib aware – sleepy but awake.
Q – What are some gentle methods I can use to encourage sleep if I don’t feel comfortable letting the baby cry?
A – It’s very hard to train a baby to fall asleep by themselves without some crying as very often you are changing what the baby knows. As an example if the baby is used to being nursed to sleep and you would like to teach them how to fall asleep by themselves they will cry on the first night whether you are in or out of the room as they are naturally responding to the changes that you have made of not nursing them.
Influenza virus probably originated in birds, and moved to people thousands of years ago when people began to domesticate fowl. Influenza, in other words, was an “emerging disease”, much like SARS today. Over the centuries, influenza epidemics have had dramatic effects on human populations. For example, the 1918 pandemic, is estimated to have caused some 50 to 100 million deaths, and influenza (and smallpox) devastated the first nations peoples of North America with the arrival of Europeans.
Between the weeks of 28 – 32 of your pregnancy, most babies turn into the head down position. Once they have turned, they usually stay in this position because their head is the heaviest part of their body. However, some babies want to be close to their mommy’s heart so we find them in the breech presentation. Can acupuncture help turn a breech baby?
Early speech and language skills help your child to tell others about their ideas and feelings, wants and needs. Difficulties in communicating can lead to frustration and social or behaviour problems. Learning to communicate is the foundation for learning at school. Research has also shown that early development of language is important for academic success, for understanding the teacher, learning to read, write and do math, and for developing relationships with teachers, peers, and others that come to be a part of the lives of our children. One in ten children in Ontario will need help developing their speech and language skills to get ready for school.
Ever head to the dollar store and think you’ve hit the jackpot? A whole bag of plastic toys for only 20 bucks! Woo hoo! But, sadly, these toys may just not be safe. Many items that have been banned in the US and Europe are allowed to be sold in Canada. Huh? That’s pretty strange. What should you do? Who can you trust?
For all of you interested parents, British Columbia creates an annual list of the most popular baby names to help identify current trends that may assist you in choosing a name for your baby. Somehow, the list never makes our choice easier, but it’s a good start. These lists are compiled each year from birth registrations, with names given five or more times. The BC Vital Statistics Agency website is also an excellent resource for instructions on obtaining a birth certificate and SIN for your baby.
Here are the most popular baby names for 2008:
Boys Girls
1. Ethan 1. Ava
2. Jacob 2. Chloe
3. James 3. Emma
4. Logan 4. Emily
5. Nathan 5. Hannah
6. Noah 6. Olivia
7. Joshua 7. Ella
8. Matthew 8. Sophie
9. Benjamin 9. Abigail
10. Liam 10. Isabella
11. Lucas 11. Madison
12. Daniel 12. Sarah
13. Ryan 13. Lily
14. Owen 14. Sophia
15. Alexander 15. Elizabeth
16. Jack 16. Maya
17. Aiden 17. Taylor
18. Evan 18. Brooklyn
19. Samuel 19. Julia
20. Nicholas 20. Hailey
See also the UrbanMommies article on Unique Baby Names.
Having a baby who is only a few weeks old cry, inconsolably, on and off for hours at a time is a dramatic challenge. Parents are exhausted, and often feel conflicting emotions that cause them to question themselves and the health of their baby. Parents of colicky babies can become isolated and confused at a time when being connected and calm would be so much more helpful. There are more lay theories about colic than virtually any other paediatric disease, and while some of these may have some truth to them, none of them have been proven, and some are just wrong.
Autism refers to a group of neurological disorders that unfortunately—and for unconfirmed and unknown reasons—are affecting more and more children. It has received a lot of publicity in the last several years resulting in a lot of confusing and conflicting information being circulated. What are the facts?