Brenda's Blog

How To Keep Children Cool In The Hot Weather

While it does not get hot too often in the UK, we need to know how to help keep babies and children cool as well as ourselves.

Try to go out early morning or late afternoon when the sun's rays are less powerful. Put a hat and light clothing on your child and keep them under the shade as much as possible. Use sun protection cream which is suitsble for young babies and children. It should be kind to sensitive skins and high in protection. Make sure your child is drinking well, lots of water but not sugery drinks. Babies can have sips of cooled boiled water from a non spill cup or from a bottle between breast and bottle feeds. Reduce active activities like the park to a minimum if possible with plenty of shade and rest in between. The garden is a great place to be in the summer with a paddling pool as you have all you need at home.

At night keep your child's room cool with a fan. They don't mind the continuous sound if you leave it on when they are sleeping, its like white noise. Close the curtains in the day time and make sure night wear is light. You can buy very light gro bags for your child to sleep in. If your child wears only a nappy and a light gro bag this would be acceptable. Keep the room ventilated with the window and door open to create a flow of air.

Moving Your Child From A Cot To A Bed

When is the best time to move your child from the cot to a bed?

Leave this transition as late as possible. The cot contains the child so whats the hurry? I normally suggest around 3 years of age. If you need the cot for a new baby buy a small cheap one for the intermediate period. Reasons for leaving it as late as possible are:

Your child will have a better understanding of language and will be talking more. This means you can explain the transition better and they can express their thoughts. Make the transition more gradual by buying a 'cot bed.'
Explanation discussion and reason means they are less likely to want to get out of bed, although this may change further down the line. Make it more exciting and buy a lovely duvet, pillow or bedroom furniture.
At the age of 3 years there may well be other changes in your childs life like starting nursery or potty training. All this will increase your child's independance so moving to a bed compliment's and coincides with other changes in their life.
Your child should enjoy their new independance.

When can you start sleep training?

When is the best time to start sleep training? Sleep training is not just a matter of leaving your baby to cry. Its implementing good sleeping habits from a few weeks of age so your baby learns not to rely on you to put them to sleep. If you start sleep training early it will help you with feeding and some simple structure through the day which is crucial if you are juggling with the needs of your other children. All this is not easy if you are not getting a lot of sleep but if you make the effort it will pay off in the long term.

So the answer is when baby is a few weeks. If you are already in a situation whereby baby is not sleeping well, at any age you can make changes to better the situation. Sleep training just means making the current situation better or creating good habits from the start!

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Sleep Training

A Happy Customer!

SLEEP TRAINING

......another happy baby after just two days of sleep training.

Baby's Umbilical Cord

The clamp and the remainder of baby’s umbilical cord falls off an average of 8/9 days after birth, but it can vary from one baby to another. The baby’s tummy button can leave an unpleasant smell and occasionally not all of the umbilical cord falls away. Wash your baby’s tummy button regularly with a mild soap. I am a great believer in the elements before rushing to medical intervention. Just washing and exposing the tummy button area to air will help.

A good tip is to fold the top of the nappy down so the germs do not harbour in a moist warm environment. If symptoms persist seek the advice of the doctor.

"GIFT WRAP SLEEP"

Gift wrap sleep to somebody you know this Christmas. Why not help somebody out this Christmas and give them some sleep advice. It can cost as little as £45 and bring them that much needed good nights sleep.

Changing the Clock from BST

I am often asked by parents, 'how can they adjust their child's routine to fit into the new time change.' When BST ends and the clocks go BACK an hour, your child will be super tired at the end of the day because they have had an extra hour to fill. Keep them going to reach the new time change. This is easier than when the clocks go forward as then your child's day is one hour shorter. When the clocks go FORWARD in the Spring, your child looses an hour in the day so they will have to go to bed an hour later to compensate for the loss of the hour in the day. As long as the next day starts at the usual consistent time before you made the clock change it will reset your child's body clock. The following 48 hours after the change maybe a struggle if your child is tired, but if you make the effort they will gradually move into a consistent routine in their day on the new time.

.....within only a few days we have all adjusted to the timings and the clock change is usually forgotten.

Meet George the Tortoise

George is a Macedonian tortoise. On a recent holiday to northern Greece, with my son, I was lucky enough to meet some of George's relations living in the wild.

George, as with young children, has his own daily routine. He wakes-up at the same time everyday, has lunch at 12 noon, and goes to bed at the same time every evening. He also explores the garden following the same route in a ritualistic way.

Animals, like humans, prefer a predictable life style to avoid stress and to be happy.

Hands On Help for Parents, Babies And Children