Baby Whisperer advice on helping your toddlers and babies sleep
The Carousel Guest Parenting Editor Jacinta Tynan speaks to ‘Baby Whisperer’ Jo Ryan who runs one of Australia’s most well-known “parenting support services”, mainly around teaching parents how to get their babies and toddlers to sleep.
Jacinta attended a talk of hers and was pleasantly surprised to find she is, thank goodness, anti ‘controlled-crying’ and very much on the path of attending to our baby’s needs.
Jo thinks mothers make it harder on themselves when they try to coerce their baby into strict routines. “There are a whole lot more pressures on mothers today than there used to be,” said Jo.
Among the pressures mums place on themselves is the expectation for their babies to sleep through the night earlier. But the problem is they are not really designed to sleep through the night early on. “My big thing is for parents to adjust their expectations and learn about their babies needs,” adds Jo.
Control crying, what are the alternatives? Jo says there are other methods and says that it could be ‘traumatic’. “There are gentle alternatives,” she adds. “Babies develop sleep habits really early. We remove all the associations and soothe them back to sleep but you must be consistent.
“Don’t do something that doesn’t feel right. If you are down then your baby is going to respond to that. But you made a decision to have a baby and your baby’s needs to be understood and as well look after yourself in there and then everyone is happy. Enjoy that time and try not to overthink it.”
Top Tips for Newborn Babies
Knowing how long newborn babies need to be awake for.
knowing how long they should sleep for.
Understanding how to settle them.
Try to relax. That first 12 months is gone in a blink.
Try not to do too much.
If people offer help, take it.
And finally, enjoy it. It’s all gone so quickly.
