It never ceases to worry me when I meet parents who use sleeping pills for getting baby to sleep I’m not only concerned about the baby but I’m also worried about the parent’s wellbeing. Sleeping pills are completely unsuitable for babies and can do them a lot of harm in later life.

A sleeping babyis the family’s main goal when they’re tired which is why some choose to giving their baby “something to help him sleep”. But your baby could be in for a lifetime of sleeping pill dependence. In later life he may find his sleep is of poor quality.

No tests have ever been done on the effects of sleep medication on infants. In the case of some over-the-counter medications containing histamines (For example Sominex) the effects can be reversed and they can act as a stimulant. As you can imagine, getting baby to sleep using these types of meds would, without doubt backfire.

I’m not trying to pass judgment on these poor parents as they’ve probably tried everything else and failed Every parent with a restless baby is incessantly searching for ways to help that baby sleep. They will spend hundreds of dollars to find out just one thing – getting baby to sleep.

The main challenges in this area are:

• Baby sleeps all day and stays awake all night.
• Their baby .
• Baby becomes very distraught when put to bed at night and cries loudly.

If you’re a stay at home mom, you may be able to catch up with some sleep during the day. However if you’re trying to hold down a full time job, you may find the situation unbearable.

And if you’re one of these parents then this will really help so don’t despair, because there is a way out of the sleeping pill trap and it probably isn’t as traumatic as you think.

Here’s some baby sleep tips that actually work…

The”cry it out” method This one’s not for the faint hearted! This method requires you to ignore your baby’s crying for an arranged amount of time before attending to him. As time goes on, slowly increase the time between visits. This may sound hard hearted but it definitely works.

I know the above won’t appeal to everyone. However, realize that you’re setting baby up with good sleep habits for life.

Create a sleep schedule – It doesn’t have to be complicated. Give baby a bath, a cuddle and a bedtime story and he will associate this with sleep. It’s best not to include any games or stimulating activities in the sleep routine and be sure to do it every night in the same order.

Herbal or homeopathic remedies – If you’re a busy mom or dad this can be the best option. Natural and alternative remedies are a safer and more efficient choice for getting baby to sleep.

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Filed under: Baby Tips

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