Is Your Baby Having Sleep Problems?

It Could Be Your Feeding! 

 by Bruce Dinger

Is Your Baby Having Sleep Problems? It Could Be Your Feeding!

New Moms and Dads (and even experienced ones) often find that their little baby may not be sleeping as well as  he or she should. So they start looking for the underlying cause of the problem, hoping to find a simple answer.

One area that often bears investigating is feeding.

The intent of this article is to investigate the different aspects of feeding and examine the affects that it could have on a baby's sleeping routine and habits.

The following points will be discussed: * Combining breast-feeding with bottle feedings * Feeding your baby until he/she falls asleep * How your eating can affect your baby's sleeping pattern? * Can solid foods help your baby sleep?

1.) Combining Breast-feeding and Bottle Feedings

It is believed that a mixture of bottle and breast feedings could potentially lead to sleeping problems. There are a couple of different reasons for this. When you are breast-feeding, after each feeding the breast signals the brain that more milk needs to be produced for the next feeding. But if you alternate breast feeding with bottle feeding, you interfere with the natural processes of your body and less breast milk will be produced because less beast milk is needed.

Then the next time you breast feed your baby, he or she will not get as much breast milk because not as much is being produced. Your baby will consequently not be 'filled up' and will thus require more feedings, which means he will wake up more often during the night

2.) Feeding your baby until he/she falls asleep

 Feeding your baby until he or she goes to sleep may be causing a problem with their sleep patterns. By doing so, your baby will soon begin to realize that you feed him or her at bedtime and will depend, and even, expect this. After this happens a number of times, your baby will be falling into a routine which he/she will expect at each feeding.

To break this habit, you can do one of two things:

First, change the time, or length of time, that you feed your baby at bedtime. Doing so will gradually remove the association of bedtime with feeding.

Second, feed your baby earlier in the evening instead of at bedtime.

When you do these things your baby will not associate feeding with bedtime which will help your baby to learn to go to sleep on his or her own accord.

3.) How your eating can affect your baby's sleeping pattern?

As a breast-feeding mom, everything that you drink or eat will affect your breast milk. If you do not eat the correct amount of foods and calories daily, your breast milk is greatly affected so it is important that you eat the recommended three meals daily and maybe a few snacks in between. Your milk needs to have adequate calories in it in order for your baby to feel nicely full and satisfied. If it does not, your baby will continue to feed longer until full.

You also need to eat healthier foods, eat them more regularly and drink plenty of milk through out the day. These things will help your milk supply, which in turn will help your baby his/her sleep patterns. Remember, the fuller your baby feels, the better he or she will sleep and the happier you will be.

4.) Can solid foods help your baby sleep?

Many people believe solid foods help your baby sleep better, but studies have not shown any change in sleep patterns between babies who were fed by the breast (and / or bottle) and those who are fed solids. So this theory still remains an "old-wife's-tail". Additionally, most doctors do not recommend adding solid foods prior to six months of age.

********************************************** You probably know that many parents dread the task of getting their baby to sleep through the night? It doesn't have to be this way. If you know a few basic things about raising your baby, you won't have any problems getting your baby to sleep.

Read more:Reducing the Risk of SIDS

Click here to learn these basics of getting your baby to sleep. You will be glad you did because now you can get a full night's sleep too. http://www.lomist.com/BabySleep.html

About the Author
You probably know that many parents dread the task of getting their baby to sleep through the night? It doesn't have to be this way. Click here ( http://www.lomist.com/BabySleep.html ) to learn more. You will be glad you did because now you can get a full night's sleep too. http://www.lomist.com/BabySleep.html