Winter Illnesses in Babies and Toddlers

 

Winter illnesses – Judy Clark’s Personal Experience

As a parent, it is heartbreaking to see your child unwell, every winter I experience it first hand as my now, 3-year-old suffers from Croup! She has had it every year since she was born. It breaks my heart to hear her cough through the night, sometimes lasting hours on end. A few days ago, I decided to time how long she had been coughing…one episode lasted 37 seconds. This experience was traumatic for me and my daughter. I am sure other parents have gone through the same thing, so I decided to blog about it.

What is Croup?

Probably the most common form of illness in very young children during winter months is a distinctive barking cough along with rough-sounding breathing and a hoarse voice. It is a viral infection and can be serious enough to need a hospital visit for treatment.  It goes without saying, of course, that such a condition has a significant effect on a child’s sleep patterns.  It is quite possible that they will get very little sleep, so measures need to be taken to alleviate this problem.

Being commonly found amongst children aged six months to three years, especially boys, the illness can last for several days if caused by something like the parainfluenza virus.  However allergic reactions which can lead to a bout of croup, tend to last for much shorter periods but come around more often.

Overall though the Croup illness is thought to be mild and can usually be treated at home using simple methods :

1. Obviously having restricted breathing is likely to frighten a young child so it is essential to comfort them to prevent undue distress.
2. Keeping them upright is best so building up the pillows in their cot or bed would be a sensible plan.
3. If they can be prevented from crying it will help a great deal as crying can actually aggravate the condition.
4. Moist air in the room is a big help and this can be provided by cool-mist humidifiers or, if not available, sitting with the child in a steamy bathroom will be beneficial.
5. With toddlers, rubbing a bit of Vicks on the soles of their feet and putting socks on them works wonders!

The key thing with croup is that it is a short-lived illness in most cases and the constant presence of a caring parent can work wonders, even during the night.  If possible being in the room to monitor their sleep is a good course of action, providing both reassurance and the occasional drink of water.  Hydration is very important and certainly alleviates the barking cough which some have likened to the sound that a seal makes.

If symptoms are severe and/or you are unsure please seek medical advise. Along with the care described above, plenty of sleep is essential if you are to get on top of this problem quickly.

Ultimately prevention is the best cure and good hygiene helps – sterile surfaces, clean hands etc all contribute to a healthy environment for a young child.  Establish good habits and there is a good chance that this type of ailment will not affect your child at all and their sleep will remain undisturbed.

5 Top Tips for Planning A Family Holiday With Your Baby

 

When you’re planning a family holiday with a baby or toddler, an important thing to consider is how your travel plans are going to affect your child’s sleep routine. You’ll have a much more enjoyable holiday if you organise your trip in a way that allows for as little disruption as possible to your little one’s sleep pattern.

This will help ensure she gets the rest she needs to be happy, healthy, and alert during your trip—which is bound to make your holiday more enjoyable for everyone!

Here are some tips to help ensure your baby gets the sleep she needs during your travels:

Tip 1: Don’t Over-schedule

One of the biggest mistakes parents make is to try to pack in all the fun and adventure they might have had back in their “child-free” days. The fact is, when you travel with a baby you can’t plan to go souvenir shopping in the morning, swim with dolphins in the early afternoon, go parasailing in the late afternoon, and go on to dinner and hotel entertainment in the evening.

It’s better to slow down the pace and make sure you schedule regular naps and early bedtimes, just like you would at home.

Tip 2: Be Consistent with Naps and Bedtime

An occasional nap in the car seat or a later-than-usual bedtime probably won’t do too much harm, but if your baby’s naps are all over the place and she goes to bed much later than usual several days in a row, your baby will become so overtired and cranky that a complete meltdown will be inevitable.

For children who no longer nap during the day, it would be beneficial to encourage them to have a little siesta especially if you have evening activities planned.

Tip 3: Be patient as your Baby adjusts to the New Environment

Even if your baby is the best little sleeper in the world at home, when you’re in a strange environment things might be very different. It’s normal for babies and toddlers to test boundaries around sleep when they’re someone new.

Just because you have certain rules at home, they won’t automatically understand that the same rules apply at an auntie’s house.

In a strange place, your baby might cry for a while at bedtime or wake up at odd times during the night. The best way to handle this kind of behaviour is to react the same way you would at home. Go into the room every five minutes or so to offer a bit of reassurance, but other than that, don’t bend your rules. If you hang on tight to your consistency, within the first night or two, your child will be used to the new environment and will be sleeping well again.

Tip 4. Make sure you bring your Child’s Comfort Blanket and/or Favourite Cuddly Toy

If your child has a treasured comfort item, it will go a long way to helping her feel safe and secure enough to fall asleep in a strange environment.

Forget it and you’re FINISHED…

Tip 5. If you’re not a Co-sleeping Family, don’t start now

Another big mistake parents make is to start sharing a bed with their baby or toddler while traveling. Even if it’s only for a few nights, if your baby decides this is her new preferred way to sleep, you could find yourself dealing with a big problem when you get home and put her back in her cot.

The good news is, most hotels have a cot you can use or rent. If this is not an option invest in a travel cot and take it with you.

How To Best Deal With Separation Anxiety?

 

Today I want to talk a little bit about Separation Anxiety.

I get a lot of letters and emails from people saying that they’re not sure if it’s the right time to start the Sleep Sense Program because their child is going through separation anxiety. That is a very common phenomenon that most children go through at one point in their lives. Some experience it a little more often and severely than others. I do find that there tends to be a correlation between sleep and separation anxiety.

Good Naps During the Day

I find that children who sleep well and take proper naps and get a solid night's sleep are less prone to bouts of separation anxiety because they’re rested. We all know, if we’re not feeling rested, we tend to be a little quick to anger, we might be a little low on attention, all the things if you’re running on a sleep debt that you’re going to feel, so do your children. So, it makes sense that a baby who is not sleeping well might be a little clingier through the day, and might be quick to tear over the littlest things at certain points in the day.

Play Games

The first step is to have a good look at your child’s sleep schedule and are there ways that you can make some improvements there. Another thing to do is to practice peek-a-boo. I know it sounds silly but when babies are learning, they don’t always understand that when things leave their vision, they don’t disappear from the earth. That’s why they tend to cry as soon as you walk out of the room because they don’t yet understand that just because they can’t see you doesn’t mean you don’t exist anymore. By practicing peek-a-boo, even if you just walk out of the room, come back in, “Peek-a-boo. See? Mummy is still here,” will teach your child that just because you’re gone doesn’t mean you’ve left the building. That’s a good thing to practice at any age.

Another thing to think about too is that this is a common phenomenon. As I said, most children go through it at some point in their lives and it’s not the end of the world. I think we get a little too emotional around it because we worry so much as parents.

Relax, You Are Doing Fine…

But if you need to go to the bathroom or you have to answer the telephone, it is not the end of the world if your child has a breakdown when you do that. Because the more you cater to this, potentially the more it might occur. If every time you take a step to leave, he starts to have a meltdown and you come back, the danger is that he might start to understand that, “All I have to do to keep her in the room is start to cry or throw a fit and she’ll never leave.” That’s definitely not the behaviour you want to try to encourage.

Sleep Sense Program

Now, if you’re about to start the program and you’re worried or your baby is going through a little phase where they’re very upset when you leave or they don’t want to be helped by anyone else, then they stay in the room option that’s outlined in the program is a fabulous solution to that problem because you’re not going anywhere. You’re staying right there by the baby’s side. You don’t have to worry about causing any problems for your child or overly upsetting them. Not that they won’t be upset, but they most likely will be very upset at first because you’ve changed their strategy and you’re making some big changes to their sleep habits, but you haven’t gone anywhere. So that can be comforting to a lot of parents.

I guess my big piece of advice here is to try to relax around this like everything else in your child’s life. It’s a phase. You’ll get through it. She’ll get through it and she’ll be fine. OK?

Napping & Sleep: When and How Much for Infants, Toddlers & Preschoolers

 

Everyone knows that the older a child gets, the fewer naps he or she needs. Yet, few are aware of how much sleep a child needs. Additionally, as parents, we aim to have our children sleep to our own schedule, which may or may not fit your child’s. Here is some guidance for parents on napping and sleep requirements for children of various ages.

Newborn Sleep (1-2 months)

Newborns seem to sleep more than they are awake. And it seems they like to wake up in the middle of the night. This is because unlike adults and older children, a newborn’s sleep cycle operates not on daylight, but on their internal needs: feeding, changing, and love. Newborns actually sleep between 10 ½ and 18 hours per day. They wake for short periods of 1-3 hours only. As parents, we can begin to hope for a more regular sleep routine by exposing our newborns to light, activity, and noise during the daytime, and then providing a dimmer, quieter environment during the evenings. However, don’t get your hopes up that they will sleep through the night by the end of two months.

Infant Sleep (3-11 months)

Infants sleep between 9 and 12 hours at night and take two naps during the day lasting around and hour to two hours. This is an exciting time for parents, as they finally get some much-deserved sleep!

But don’t enable bad infant sleeping habits. A baby needs to learn how to fall asleep on their own, so put them to bed awake. This reduces the incidents of crying at night, as they learn to self-soothe and fall asleep on their own. It is also important that you develop and adhere to consistent sleeping and napping schedules over this period of time, especially at bedtime. Whether it’s a warm lavender bath or music before bed, you want to develop triggers that cue the baby to sleep.

Toddler Sleep (1-3 years)

Just when you thought you had the whole sleep issue conquered, suddenly your infant becomes a toddler and the schedule starts breaking down. Toddlers need 12-14 hours of sleep per day, but their nap times will decrease from 2 nap periods to one at around 18 months. This is the time when children begin to develop a resistance to going to bed or taking naps. Nightmares and night terrors may also develop during this time.

Again, consistency and routine are key. As a parent, you will have to set behavioural limits and enforce them. Communication is important, as toddlers develop these skills quickly at this age. Reassure your child without giving in to their insecurities. A blanket or a stuffed animal can help them feel secure when you’re not in the room.

Preschooler's Sleep (3-5 years)

By this time, children need much less sleep: 11-13 hours each night and no naps after they reach five years old. Preschoolers have many of the same problems as toddlers: resistance to sleeping, nightmares and may even develop sleepwalking habits. Keep a regular preschool sleep routine, especially as they approach school age. Keep in mind they may need to get up earlier and experience a need to nap again if they enter preschool. A return to naps should be temporary and many preschools incorporate ‘quiet time’ into the daily schedule.