When my daughter was born, all sleep was thrown out of the window. She would wake up when she wanted, slept for hours on one day but took only half-hour naps on other days. It was an extremely stressful time in my life. I know most new moms will agree with me.
Then as she grew older I thought it would get better, but then there were other things that interfered with our sleep routine. Of course, you love your baby more than you could have ever imagined. But you will always hear a new mom talk about sleep struggles and deprivation! After all, a well-rested baby is half the parenting battle won.
I do wish I had had someone to guide me when she was growing up.
Enter Kerry Bajaj – a baby and child sleep expert. She has answers to questions that most parents have. Her tips and tricks could change the way parents lead their lives. A few months ago we did an excellent podcast exclusively with Kerry Bajaj where she shares her secrets with us:
- She speaks to us about a schedule the baby should follow
- How should you react to changes on a holiday and after
- About co-sleeping
- What happens to a child if they don't get adequate sleep
- About how to avoid night feeds
and more.
You can watch a clip of it below and you can listen to the full Kerry Bajaj podcast on How To Get Your Kids To Sleep From 7 PM To 7 AM here.
This is what a few new moms asked her and you can check out the advice she shares.
A mom asked what she should do about her 3-month-old baby who fights and kicks when she's swaddled but can't sleep without it either?
Kerry's advice:
Keep swaddling till he/she starts to roll over. Then switch to sleep sack. Give lots of floor time during the day to get the wiggles out
This is definitely a question every new mom who wants to start sleep training wants to know.
Many a time I have given in to this temptation when my arms are hurt from rocking her to sleep
It never gets easier right? We think it will as they grow older
This is a concept that I was not familiar with at all – Chair Method of Sleep Training. What is that? The process involves putting your child down, sitting in a chair close to the crib, comforting your baby if necessary and then gradually moving the chair toward the door each night until you’re finally out of the room.
Wondering when you can start using a sound machine/white noise machine around your baby? White-noise machines create a comfortable, womb-like environment that calms anxious infants, encouraging them to stop crying and fall asleep faster. White-noise machines also help babies stay asleep longer.
Kerry recommendation to a new mom of a 12-day old baby:
You can start right away!
For parents with older kids, if you are wondering how to get your kids to settle in for the night without a fight or frequent trips outside the bedroom, she has a few suggestions that worked for her with her kids
Rushita Sheth
Uurmi Bhatia
Shruti Guha Thakurta
Mansi Zaveri
