For a day-to-day Quite Sleep

Hello Tanya, 

Congrats for the Baby Girl. Heard from Rajiv that you wanted to know some details on how to make your princes go to sleep. I can understand, as I too had faced this challenge in-spite of  being a doctor myself. Ria was very arrogant when it was about sleep. At times, it can be dreadful. Even many of my patients asked me for Tips. Recently I wrote my experience in a form of an article in a leading magazine and would like to share it with you. 

In a sentence, if you want me to convey then it is that, 'always follow a routine before going to bed & use Diapers for soundless sleep'.

PS: In my below article, I have pen down my experience with Ria too, just for fun. Read one, hope it helps. 

Take care
Vibha ( Pediatrician )

For a day-to-day Quite Sleep 

by Vibha

Welcoming the world by giving a birth is an amazing feeling. For 9 months you have preserved the precious in your tummy and when able to see it in front of you creates goosebumps all over your body. 

But this newborn is very delicate & innocent. At-least for first one year of its wonderful life in this world, we as a parent, should ensure we take good care & make its day & night pleasant; with less cry & more happy. This can ensure that when he/she grows up, it has an energetic and positive attitude towards life.

 Nap time is very important during the primary years. If due to any circumstance babies are disturbed during their sleep it can be a devastating result. Scientists say that if we follow a routine during bedtime, baby sleeping disorders can be avoided.

What are the routines we should follow?

Preliminary set ups:

1. Baby should be made to go to bed when it is feeling sleepy and not when it is fast asleep. It would be difficult for us to identify the sleepy behavior of our baby, at the beginning. But with constant watch out, we can identify some behavior like rubbing the eyes, constant yawning which conveys that 'Please let me sleep'. It's better to take these orders.

" When Ria was born, lots of relatives visited to see her. On greeting our guests, we usually neglect sleepy behaviors of her. Later, it would be a nightmare for me & Rajath. So always keep a track of it and obey those signs :)"


2.Few a times, Baby sleeps at day & not at night. Making an awareness, that night time is for sleeping and day is for fun is a must for parents, otherwise we would have to stay awake during nights.

Make your baby sleep in a calm & quite place at night & well lighted place during the day.  Don't rush to turn off phones or television or neighbor aunties noise at day. Ensure such precautions only if it didn't have a soundless sleep at night. This makes the baby know that day time is no nap time.

"I had her room filled with stars & moons which you get in the market.It will shine brightly when lights are turned off. Ria used to sleep quickly by gazing at it. You can also arrange for some playtime mats for the day part so that it is active throughout the day" 

3.We should also ensure that we are not constantly talking or show active signs when baby are sleepy. This can turn them on and make them think that it is not the time to sleep, even if it is.

"Once I was super active to see her after I was back from 2 day official trip. That excitement led to her being awake the whole time. I was really exhausted as I had done lots of travelling and wanted to spend only an hour or so. But my smile, chattering and eye contact led to her staying awake for almost 4-5 hrs. So be careful during nap hours"

Bedtime practice:

1.Swing/Cradle: Utilization of swings or cradles for baby to sleep is common in India. It sets up a drowsy feeling and makes your sweet one to sleep easily. During summer, swing can also help them to get that extra wind or air, which makes them cool & have a good warm rest.

As there is pros so is the cons that, after few months, when our baby is all grown up, it can be difficult for them to escape from this routine. Hence, during the mid of 3-4 month, it's better to make them sleep in the cradle without swinging and gently pat him/her to sleep. You can also shift them to bed/crib once they are fast asleep, to experience sleeping in beds. 

"2nd Paragraph solely explains my difficult times where I used to juggle it out, making Ria sleep in Bed/Crib rather than Cradle"

2.Singing Lullaby/Story telling: These are age old technique, where we sing in a melodious song for the newborn, so it gets used to mom's voice & also the melody can make it drowsy & sleepy. Now a days there are some music CD's available which can make the room, sleepy and avoid your singing, if you feel your voice is not appealing.

"I used baby rhymes , my voice is pathetic. You get them in online portal easily. And when it came to stories, my father used to narrate Mahabharata, Ramayana & Akbar & Birbal stories."

You can also make the room, night friendly by adding a dim lamp in green/blue color, which creates a sleepy mood. Telling stories can make them sleepy too, but be aware; If the story is more interesting than the sleep, this can turn them on.

Altogether both stories & singing can create dreams which can help them to have a soundless sleep.

3.Use Diapers: Pee & Potty is a horror for parents. Keeping a track of it, is a must otherwise it can result in rashes & other skin problems. Also, its presence can make your little one uncomfortable. At night this is challenging as its rest time for both you and baby. Nappies or Diapers are a must during these times. Make sure you have clean diapers worn before your baby goes to sleep.

Cloth diapers are hugely recommended during the first 3 months of baby's life. But this can be tedious as we need to remove it as and when it gets wet. This might also wake the babies. And, if you are a working woman, this can add as a extra load on you. To avoid these circumstances, diapers are available starting from the age of zero. Old diapers used to create rashes very quickly. But nowadays we have 24 hrs protective dryness control diapers in the market from Pampers which can help us get through. Basically, using these protective diapers, can help the baby irradiate that irritation & also the rashes. Hence it results in plenty of good sleep to your baby & you too. 

" Use Pampers Active baby diapers - While other diapers only focus on keeping dry on the outside, the new Pampers Baby Dry Pants promises dryness on the inside too. It is also recommended by many doctors and Pediatricians. It is also easy to make them wear. Ria used to love to wear it, as it was comfortable. "

Baby is all happy & active after that complete rest & as a parent, this is what you would love to see; "A glowing happy face of the sweet little one". Hence always have a bedtime routine & follow it.

Active Baby, Active You

This Blog is written as a part of a Happy Hours campaign held by Indiblogger & Pampers (https://www.rewardme.in/tag/Pampers) on topic " Fun bedtime rituals you share with your little one, and how they help give your baby a good night’s rest."

*Image source is from the campaign page itself.