Here at SnoozeShade HQ we know how important it is to keep naps on track, and we’re proud that our products help parents all over the world when it comes to keeping their little ones well rested and happy. During the summer holidays, it can be hard to keep the usual nap routine going, especially when there are older kids and a disrupted timetable to take into consideration. With this in mind, this week we’re looking at the best ways to achieve sleep on the go in summer.

 

Use a SnoozeShade!

The SnoozeShade is your friend for more than one reason this summer. If you’re out and about with the kids, you might not want to cut things short to get home for nap time. Likewise, you might want to eliminate distractions if you’re out with other kids or in busier places. Your SnoozeShade will create a dim environment free from distractions so that your baby can sleep peacefully when they need to. Not only that, but you can keep your baby protected from the sun’s UV rays too.

Keep your SnoozeShade handy at all times

Your SnoozeShade comes with a handy storage pouch which  means that you can keep it handy for the next time whenever you pack it away. We recommend you keep this either under the pram in the basket, or in your changing bag so you know exactly where it is when you need it.  Over the summer you’re more likely to be out of your usual routine, so knowing where your SnoozeShade is when you need it is vital.

Stick to your nap routine

Don’t be tempted to skip naps because your routine is out of whack or because you’re busy doing different things. If you skip naps, your baby will become over tired and find it harder to sleep at night- nobody wants that!

Seek as much shade as possible

The SnoozeShade provides protection against up to 99% of the sun’s harmful rays, but it might not always be possible to use it. If you forget to bring it, or you’ve not got around to buying one yet (tut, tut!) then the best thing to do is to seek as much shade as possible this summer. In fact, we recommend this even if you do have a SnoozeShade. By seeking shade, you are ensuring that your baby is as cool as possible at all times, and this will no doubt help with achieving better baby sleep. Always check on your baby as they’re sleeping.

Stay hydrated

It’s so important that you keep your little one as hydrated as possible during the summer. offer plenty of feeds, or drinks of water throughout the day.

Avoid busy areas if you’re out and about

If you take your baby out and about and you want to stick to your usual nap routine, it makes sense to avoid crowded and busy areas when it comes to sleep time. Use the SnoozeShade for added ‘distraction protection’ too/

Plan journeys around nap times

If you’re going a little further afield this summer, it makes sense to plan your journey around nap times. If you can get your baby to sleep on the way to wherever you’re going, it’s going to make like a lot easier all round!

I am known by friends and family as someone who speaks my mind; who takes action on things I am passionate about and for being curious (tell me something I don’t know and I will hunt it down and learn all about it).

Since inventing SnoozeShade I’ve been given another title – that of ‘safety nerd’.  I am obsessed with it.  Because I am the mother of one amazingly precious miracle baby I know how important it is to keep our little ones safe with the products we use.

One of the first things I did when I thought about launching a product was to consult safety laboratories on what I had to do to make my products super safe, what extra testing could I do and how could I design them to be the safest on the market.

I even approached the UK’s leading thermo-physicist to ask about how dark colours and heat work (as I was worried about what I now know is a misconception that ‘anything black’ absorbs heat). I admit I was never good at physics at school (sorry Mr Crewe).  My knowledge on fabrics, heat transmission, UV protection etc has grown immensely over the last 8 years.

As my business has grown I have become a bit more careful of what I say and how I say it. I know it reflects on the brand and I can be quite outspoken so I’ve railed it in a bit – something I am reconsidering.

So what has brought about this post?

Simply put I am cross about a couple of irresponsible news stories that are being shared widely on social media that could

a) potentially put a generation of babies in danger of increased risk of skin cancer

b) scare parents into leaving their baby exposed to the sun

c) encourage parents to go up to other parents and berate them for covering their pram

Four years ago in 2014, a Swedish newspaper published an article dramatically called “Swedes risk infants’ lives by covering up prams“

The story stated that covering a pram with anything, even a thin muslin, could be very dangerous to babies – mentioning the potential of SIDS and death. Scary stuff indeed!

So what are the origins of this immense danger? What intensive medical and scientific  research study was done? The answer is –  NONE.

The newspaper put a stationary pram (with its winter cover on) out in the midday sun (we don’t know what the temperature was or what humidity levels were or how it was measured), left it (we don’t know for how long), then put a blanket on and measured the temperature.

Unsurprisingly, the temperature rose and a paediatrician was asked to comment who did so quite dramatically “It would quickly become uncomfortable and potentially dangerous for the child… if a child gets too hot then the child may think that it is back in the womb, which is why breathing may stop,” said Svante. This from someone who was not even involved in this so-called study.

Subsequently, pretty much every time the sun comes out over the last four years, every major national and regional newspaper and parenting website has featured a story with titles including: “Dangerous mistake parents make with prams during hot weather” (The Sun) “Why covering your baby’s pram with a blanket could put their life at risk”(MadeForMums) “Prams can be dangerous if you do THIS” (The Express).

And the huge scientific research study they referred to when scaring parents like this was…. yes .. you guessed it.. a Swedish study (which is what it is now referred to as if it had scientific validity).

Recently a Scandinavian baby product retailer called BabyBanden ran a video on its Facebook page showing two prams sitting in blazing sun with digital thermometers to ‘prove’ how dangerous it was to place a blanket over one of them.  Again there was no methodology or details of how this experiment was carried out.  Most of their normal videos get between 1,000 and 20,000 views. This video currently stands at 11 million views. They knew exactly what they were doing when they did this video and their only intention was to scare and so be shared or else they would have put in helpful sun protection advice.

When you create a baby product, in order to make a claim for its safety you have to have it properly tested.  Putting my daughter under a SnoozeShade, waiting to see if she burns and then, if she doesn’t, claiming it has UV protection wouldn’t get me very far in court if I was ever to have a customer complaint.

In order to be able to make a claim of safety for my product that it has a UPF rating I have to have it tested in a laboratory who follow certain standardised protocols that ensure that the test results are scientific,  reliable and importantly – repeatable.  This reliability of results should also apply for claims of danger.

In addition, there are teams of people out there who are interested in spotting patterns of danger in order to prevent it.  and, if covering a pram was so dangerous that it was causing many fatalities and injuries (which these stories would suggest is likely) then surely it would have been spotted by now.

When there was a scare about cot bumpers it originated from a research study done by a team from Washington University School of Medicine who had noted a number of infant deaths due to cot bumpers. 47 deaths were reported over a period of 28 years before this investigation was undertaken (this is less than 2 a year). There had also been several hundred incidents of babies injured (but fortunately not fatally) by cot bumpers and so there was a solid reason for the research to be done and for dangers to be highlighted.

When medical professionals recommend that babies are not left in car seats for any long period of time (due to the danger of suffocation because of weak necks) they do so because a team from Penn State Medical Centre, Pennsylvania had noted a pattern and investigated it.

To this day, there has not been a single case of a baby’s death in a pram due to being covered by a muslin or blanket or towel.

I know this is not a nice subject to be discussing but, the facts are, that if a muslin was a direct cause of a baby’s death then a coroner would legally have to state this. If this became a common occurrence (as these stories claim it is so dangerous after all surely there must be many many examples) then there would be a research team who, with the widespread social media sharing of this article, would research it and then reinforce that this was genuine risk.

In four years this hasn’t happened. And that is simply because there are safe ways of covering and protecting a baby from the elements and most parents would naturally do this.

I love social media and I use most forms of it regularly, both personally and professionally, however one of the downsides is that information gets shared very quickly and not always responsibly.

The reason I have written this article is because my local NHS Maternity Unit shared this post on Facebook
“Enjoy this glorious weather, but please don’t cover your baby’s pram or car seats (even with a thin muslin) – under the cover becomes 15 degrees hotter than a pram left uncovered. “

I saw red. Where is the countering sensible advice on how you can safely protect your child from the sun? Where is the science behind this 15 degree increase?  All this is is a massive ‘share and scare’ story.

To date this page’s post (which has just 500 fans) has been shared 4,417 times. On this Facebook page, parents were berating themselves for being bad parents because they had used a muslin over their child – and they would never risk their child’s life like this again! Don’t parents have enough genuine things to feel worried about? Why should there be this story that is genuinely scaring people?

STOP!

Just one instance of sunburn as a baby increases the risk of developing skin cancer by 50% and five instances increase it to 80%. Yes I have invented a safe sunshade – but this is not about sunshades. This is about the reality of parenting and the fact that our fears that we are not doing the best for our babies are being exploited to no good end.

What are the parents who can’t afford a parasol or sunshade;  just haven’t thought about it;  have left it at home or have been caught out by a suddenly sunny day supposed to do?

What this story (and subsequent video) was encouraging was just downright stupid! It was basically saying that it is safer to leave baby exposed to the UV than loosely attach some sort of shield to the pram while the parent tries to get out of the sun.

FACT: Medical professionals world-wide say to keep babies aged under 6 months out of direct sunlight completely. The American Academy of Dermatology say that sunscreen in infants should be considered “the last layer of protection,” used only on exposed areas when adequate clothing and shade are not available. So slathering your under 6 month old in suncream is not the best course of action. So keeping them shaded is the first line of defence.

FACT: Muslins are generally made of cotton which, although not as air permeable as a synthetic mesh, have air-permeable qualities. So hot air cannot be trapped by a muslin. It is not the same as being in a car with closed windows; a greenhouse effect cannot be created with a muslin and it cannot cut off oxygen in a pram (all these have been used as reasons why it’s dangerous). There are many ways of draping the muslin over the pram and attaching it to the handles so it acts as an overhead shade without compromising air flow.

The best analogy I can come up with is – imagine a hot air balloon.  Air balloon fabric is made from a tightly woven and air-impermeable fabric so that it can trap hot air. That is its whole purpose. It traps hot air and hot air wants to rise so it can’t go anywhere so takes the balloon with it.

Now imagine a hot air balloon made of a muslin – let me tell you that it couldn’t inflate in the first place and would just be a mess around the base of the balloon basket. The fabric is just not capable of trapping hot air.

So I won’t say much more as the article in The Mirror spells out my practical advice on what to do if you are a parent caught out on a sunny day.

The key thing with all these things is the application of common sense (which I know is not always common) and also the parental responsibility to check in on your child, learn about the symptoms of heat stroke and learn what to do if your child has it.

What I will say is please, if you are a health professional – check out the validity of these so-called ‘babies in danger stories”. Don’t rely on the volume of social media sharing as proof of validity. Just because something is shared a million times does not mean that not is true.

I am very disappointed to see that The Lullaby Trust is causing further confusion by stating that it is unsafe to cover a pram with a blanket or cloth or any cover (without clearly specifying that it would equally dangerous to leave a baby uncovered and stating ways in which you can do it safely) they had a note added to The Mirror piece

The note from SIDS charity The Lullaby Trust says: “There are very strong reasons why medical professionals recommend that babies’ prams and buggies should not be covered with blankets, cloths or any cover that prevents the air circulating.”

I just wish that they had stated that there are safe ways to cover with air circulating – as parents might believe that any kind of cover at all might be dangerous and there are definitely ways to cover safely with a muslin or equivalent with plenty of air circulating but safely shading baby from the sun. Certainly I have seen this confusion where parents just worry about doing the best thing and, in the absence of guidance from experts, may choose to just do what is suggested as they see fit ie just not cover the baby at all.

There are many medical professionals who agree that there are safe ways to shade a baby (and many midwives and doctors that I have spoken to have been concerned about the potential increase in numbers of sunburned babies with these stories circulating).

Dr Rahul Chodhari from the Royal College of Paediatrics was recently quoted as giving what seems to be sensible advice:

“It is OK to cover them because most prams have enough ventilation,” he told The Sun Online. “The highest risk of overheating is between 11am and 3pm, which is when the sun is at it’s strongest.  When NHS England has declared a heat wave warning, and there are three levels of this, a level three warning is when we expect significant dehydration. That is the time I would say parents need to be careful and avoid going out between 11am and 3pm. Woollen materials will get considerable warm, but generally a cover is not a risk if it is a mesh material.  Dark synthetic meshes are slighter better than lighter colours. Darker shades don’t absorb most of the heat and reflect it back in some ways.”

This is the reality and the science – prams are not the same as a car which is a closed metal and glass structure which will absolutely trap hot air and increase temperatures. A pram (particularly a moving one) will have air flowing around it.

So, if you are a parent and you hear a scary story and worry about whether you are doing the right thing for your child – please go ahead and do some research and feel free to question the sources of these scare stories. If it’s a genuine story it will be easy to see where it has originated from and if there is a valid cause of concern.

Rant over (and I genuinely hope you’ve found it helpful).

Help your trip go as smoothly as possible

The summer break is just around the corner, so many of us are preparing to go away for a couple of weeks in the sunshine. Hoorah! This is truly our favourite time; we all work so hard during the year, so those two weeks of sun and sand are definitely well-earned by the time we get there! When you’re a parent though, vacations can take on a whole different vibe.

We love travelling with children and there are so many positives, so we thought we’d offer a few tips and tricks on how to make the most of a family vacation.

Here is our quick guide on tips for your first family vacation abroad.

Plan, Plan, Plan!

It’s all in the planning. When you’re taking small children away with you, it really does pay to be as prepared as possible. Make lists, use the calendar on your phone to schedule in important ‘must do’ tasks before you travel, get a guidebook and scour it for details about where you’re staying. Get organised and you stand a much better chance of getting the most out of your vacation.

A few things that need planning and should not be left to chance:

• Where you’re staying; is the accommodation child friendly, do you need to bring anything to make it so, and are there on-site activities to keep everyone happy? How far are you from shops and restaurants? Do you need a hire car to get around? Is there a pool or beach nearby? Where will you all be sleeping? Make sure you’re clear on all of this before you go.
• How you’re getting there; tickets and passport! Make sure you have times and locations written down and kept safely so that you can access them easily. For the kids, it’s a good idea to pack plenty of activities and snacks to make the journey as easy as possible, so add that to your planning list too. Read this post for tips on flying with babies and toddlers.
• Money; how much will you need to spend on your vacation, and how much will you spend while you’re there? Write down your budget and use this to plan your activities and daily spends.

Pack Wisely

Nobody wants to be trekking through the airport with kids and way too much luggage. Pack wisely and use those lists to help you. Roll clothes instead of folding them so you have more room in your case and split items across all your cases so that if one goes missing, you don’t have one person left with no clothes. Don’t forget to pack activities and snacks for the kids!

Sun Protection

Just as it is here at home, sun protection for the whole family is a must on vacation, so don’t leave home without it. Don’t forget to pack SnoozeShade for your stroller and pack-n-play, too.

Spend Wisely 

If you’ve planned your budget, stick to it. When you’re away with kids it’s so easy to fall into the habit of spending way more than you need to but it doesn’t have to be that way! Older kids can have their own spending money each day and there are other ways to save money with little ones.

Take Lots of Photos!

Vacations with the family really can be hard work – but nothing in life is easy if it’s worth doing. You’re going to make lots of happy memories, so make sure you document them. Older kids can also keep notes in a vacation diary, which is a fantastic way to remember your amazing Summer travels.

Further Reading:

The Essentials You Need for Travelling with Kids
Tips for Travelling with a Newborn
How To Use SnoozeShade On a Plane 

 

Every single SnoozeShade we produce is subjected to rigorous testing that goes above and beyond nursery industry standards- and we are more than happy to let you know exactly which standards we meet and exceed if you’re interested to know. The point is that we take safety very seriously and we’re committed to ensuring that our customers are aware of how to use our products safely too. We’ve previously  written a guide on how to use your SnoozeShade and this week we’d like to delve further into the best ways to use the SnoozeShade for infant car seats in particular. Do get in touch if you have any questions at all.

SnoozeShade for Infant car seats/ Deluxe

There are two designs for infant car seats, the original is £24.99 and suitable for group 0/0+ car seats. It protects your baby from up to 99% of UV rays (UPF50+) and fits all popular Group 0 and 0+ infant carriers with a rigid carry handle. As a baby car seat sun shade, SnoozeShade has one of the highest levels of sun protection of any product on the market blocking up to 99% of UVA & UVB (UPF50+). There is also a  large soft mesh window which means that baby is protected from 80% of UV and can enjoy the sights.

The Deluxe version is also suitable for group 0/0+ infant car seats and protects baby from 97.5% of UV rays (UPF40+). Similar to the original, the deluxe will fit all popular Group 0 and 0+ infant carriers which have rigid carry handles. The difference between the two is that the deluxe comes in a lustrous grey/silver colour that works with the dark inner layer to block 97.5% of UV rays, and has two zips on the fully opening soft mesh window so that it can be opened partially or fully.

How to use them

It’s easy to fit your SnoozeShade for infant car seats. Simply put the carry handle in the upright position and attach the velcro straps. Pull the car seat canopy around the base of the car seat. Lower the outer sleep panel, unzip the shade panel and you can then leave on the car seat and pop baby in and out as needed. Store the panels in the front pocket provided when not in use.

Safety considerations

• Medical professionals recommend that young babies spend as little time as possible in infant carriers as the healthiest and optimal position is lying horizontal. This is crucial for child development, relieves pressure on your little one’s back and allows oxygen to be more easily exchanged.
• It is very important that you read our safety advice about babies being in cars during hot weather. A child should never be left unattended (even for a moment) in a car at any time, in any weather conditions. Please also always ensure that there is air movement in the car – a car with closed windows heats up very quickly.
• SnoozeShade for Infant Car Seats is not designed for use with infant car seat sleeper models.

 

 

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again and again and again. Sun protection is essential. Your baby cannot wear sun screen until at least the age of six months, so it’s recommended that younger babies are kept away from direct sun altogether. Older babies can use sun screen, which is vital, but still benefit from plenty of shade too. The thing is that as busy parents, we tend to focus primarily on our little ones and ensure that they are safe and protected during the summer months- but our own protection is just as important! Mums and dads, don’t forget to apply your own sunscreen this summer! Here are just three reasons why sun protection is essential for the whole family.

Lead by example

First of all, educating young children on the importance of sun protection is vital if you want them to understand how to take care of their own health, and if you want to avoid daily arguments about it all too! One of the best ways that we can do this is to lead by example. If your children see you applying sunscreen to your own skin, they are more likely to understand it as a process we all go through during the summer months. They will also see you taking care of your own health and wellbeing and are then more likely to consider their own wellbeing as important as a result. Ultimately, we want to avoid the struggle of applying sunscreen to a wriggling toddler as much as we can- and perhaps allowing them to apply it to you first could be the answer!

Your skin is delicate too

Experts advise that just one incidence of sun burn in childhood can significantly increase the risk of developing skin cancer later in life. Your baby’s skin is super delicate because it’s thinner than adult skin, and therefore more susceptible to damage. This is also the reason why sunscreen isn’t recommended for very young babies. All of that said, your skin is also delicate. As is your partner’s, and any older children in the family too. What happens to your skin when it burns in the sun is pretty horrific if you think about it. And yes, a sun tan is the result of burning- so not really a great look after all, unless it comes from a bottle.

Aside from the physical pain of burning your skin, the sun’s harmful rays contributes towards premature ageing of the skin too- which results in more wrinkles, freckles and other skin blemishes. Applying sunscreen and seeking shade wherever you go will prevent this from happening.

Heat stroke can be dangerous whatever the age

While it’s true that the very young are at higher risk when it comes to heatstroke or heat exhaustion, that doesn’t mean that you are not at just as much risk too. Dehydration can have pretty nasty side effects that make parenting young children pretty miserable, and that’s just one symptom of heat stroke. By sitting out in the sun without protection, you are increasing the risks of becoming quite poorly (see this post for more information) and the results can be quite scary.

It’s a no brainer. Make sun protection a priority for the whole family. Make applying sun screen part of your daily routine, as you do brushing your teeth. And educate your kids so that they grow into adults who take sun protection just as seriously too.

Read The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night

 

With the recent heatwave, it was inevitable that one particular news story would once more start to circulate online and in the media.

Since a Swedish newspaper first published the warning about covering babies in prams in 2014, it’s been shared SO MANY times and has resulted in nothing more than making parents feel judged, scared and confused.

Here at SnoozeShade HQ we believe in facts. We believe that parents have a tough enough job as it is, so we do not judge.

We believe that sun safety is infinitely more important than sales. And this is why we took to Facebook live to argue against the Swedish scaremongering story once and for all. The video has been viewed many, many times, and picked up by The Mirror too- which is fantastic!  It means that at last parents are being told the truth, and urged to follow common sense instead.

Even The Sun followed up with a story about how to shade babies safely complete with a quote from expert Dr Rahul Chodhari, from the Royal College of Paediatrics who gave some common sense advice.

The story created by a Swedish journalist who conducted an experiment with one pram on a hot and sunny day has single-handedly frightened parents the world over, but it’s time to hear the truth.

It is more dangerous to expose your baby to the sun than it is to cover their pram with a thin blanket or muslin. Read on to find out why.

Babies under the age of 6 months cannot wear sun screen and doctors advise that they completely AVOID direct exposure to the sun.

This means that if your baby is sleeping in a pram on a sunny day, they must be shaded from the sun completely. Babies do not have enough melanin in their skin, and the skin also has fewer layers compared to adults. This means that not only is the skin much thinner, but it can also burn in seconds. Just five instances of sunburn in childhood can increase the risk of skin cancer by 80%. These are all known facts, and cannot be ignored by parents.

Heatstroke is a very real danger to babies and children on hot days.  It’s caused by three things – humidity (70%), UV rays (20%) and temperature (10%).

To counteract humidity you can use a pram fan to move the air around. To counteract UV rays you use a shade. To counteract the high temperature you move to a cooler area. This is all common sense advice that all parents should be aware of.

So how do parents know if the Swedish story regarding the ‘danger’ of covering prams with thin blankets or muslins is right or wrong?

FACT:  Parents have been using muslins to cover their prams for years and a quick google search will tell you that not one case of a baby death has been reported due to this. The only information you will find is the Swedish story, which we know now is not based on fact and, even more recently, a Scandinavian baby product retailer conducted a similar ‘experiment’ on video (which has now been watched 11 million times).

FACT: Doctors and experts agree that babies should NOT be exposed to dangerous UV rays. You cannot protect them if you do not cover the pram.

FACT: If you do not wish to cover your baby’s pram, your only option is to stay at home away from the sunshine. It’s recommended that the sun is avoided during the hours of 11am and 3pm anyway, but for younger babies you will need to stay home all day to be safe.

FACT: There are lots of sunshades on the market, many of which follow criteria set out by SunSmart Cancer, who say: “For the best protection, pram shade covers should completely cover the pram and be made of densely woven fabric that combines a mesh section – so the baby can see and air can circulate – and a shade fabric section. The fabric section should block close to 100% of UV radiation (UPF50+) and the mesh section should block at least 70% of UV radiation (UPF3.3).”

FACT: If you do not have a sunshade, or you leave it at home, and you’re out and about you have two options. Firstly, you could allow your baby to be exposed to UV rays and risk sunburn, heat exhaustion and heatstroke. OR you can use a muslin or thin blanket to cover the pram and provide shade. Attach it loosely to the pram handles and it will block more UV than nothing. The average muslin blocks around 80% of UV (that’s scientific fact for white cotton). There are safe ways of doing everything.

Parents, it really is a case of using common sense. The SnoozeShade has been subjected to rigorous testing against safety standards, above and beyond what is required. We have been working with experts for the last eight years to ensure that the product is not only 100% safe, but practical to use and sufficient to offer protection against up to 99% of the sun’s harmful rays.

We always advise that parents check regularly on their babies while they’re sleeping beneath a SnoozeShade, or any other pram shade. We advocate common sense and safety always comes first. If you’re not sure, check on your baby- but please, please do not allow them to be exposed to UV rays.

When the weather is hot, keep babies and small children hydrated, cool and as shaded as possible. Always seek medical attention if you think that your child is suffering from heat exhaustion or heat stroke, and apply sunscreen to children older than six months.

And parents? Don’t forget that YOU can burn too. Set a good example – wear sunscreen, stay shaded and drink lots of water. Stay safe this summer.

Bringing a new baby into the family is such a special time, and especially when there are toddlers and older children in the mix. More often than not though, we parents tend to over think such situations, and there are often threads in parenting forums asking for advice and help on how to ease the transition for siblings. With the help from our wonderful blogger community, we’ve put together a few tips that might help you out a little- here’s a very quick guide to introducing a new baby to siblings.

Don’t over think it

It’s so easy to ‘over prepare’ and to worry about a potential situation that might not occur. Ok, so some children may find the new addition a little difficult, but many won’t. It doesn’t help matters if you spend the entire pregnancy worrying over something that might or might not happen, so taking a relaxed approach is definitely a good idea.

Sarah at Toby Goes Bananas told us, “Toby wasn’t that fussed about having a new brother and we found it best to let him get used to the idea in his own time, so we would ask if he wanted to hold him, or kiss or cuddle and didn’t push it if he didn’t want to,” which seems like perfect advice to us.

Give a small welcome gift

Gifts are always a lovely idea, and if they come from the new baby they can often cement a new sibling relationship very quickly! This is an approach many families make and it can really help to ease the transition for many children. Kate at Counting to Ten and Rachel at The Little Pip both presented gifts from the new baby to the sibling and Rachel says, “I made sure when my daughter came to the hospital to meet my son that he was in his cot not my arms so I could give her a hug straight away. She was also pleased her brother had brought her a present.”

Involve your child in discussions 

If you know that your child is going to need lots of reassurance and time to get used to the idea of a new baby, it’s a really good idea to keep communication open and involve them as much as you can.

Emma at Life According to Mrs Shilts told us: “We involved Olly a lot throughout my pregnancy and spoke to him about his role as a big brother. I’m not sure he grasped the concept until Freddie arrived but he’s brilliant with him.”

Take your time, and let your child feel as involved as they are comfortable with. It could be a good idea to bring them along to hospital appointments, but do check the policies as sometimes parents are asked to keep children away. Another option could be to ask your child to help with other tasks, such as helping to choose a name, choosing baby essentials and sorting through toys that they’re happy to share. As always, you know your child better than anyone so take your lead from them and don’t sweat it.

For more tips, take a read of this post from Kerry at Lived With Love, this post from Amy at The Smallest of Things and for those who want to know how it all actually went, Amy has written an update on her toddler’s reaction to the new baby too- read this post to find out more.

It’s amazing how quickly your baby grows in the first year of life- these developmental milestones are amazing! All babies are different and develop at different rates, ut as we know, most parents like to be reassured their baby is doing their thing as expected. Today’s post is simply a guide as to when you can expect your baby to achieve certain milestones, and certainly not a certain timeline. Do get in touch with your doctor or health visitor if you’re concerned in any way about your baby’s developmental milestones.

1 to 6 months

Life with a newborn baby can be an endless cycle of nappies, feeds and broken sleep. But while you’re shuffling around in a sleep deprived haze, your baby is doing some pretty amazing things! The achievements of those first first few weeks alone are just awesome.

During the early weeks your baby cannot focus on much more than around 8-12 inches, but as she grows this develops so that she can focus on your face. So smile! Her hearing will be fully developed, and at this stage sensory play is a fantastic way to help her learn about the world around her. Spend time talking and singing to soothe and relax. At this stage simple black and white images and toys are great too.

Most babies in the first month can lift their head during tummy time, but they still need lots of support, especially when being carried. Most can bring their hands to their mouth but their hand to eye co-ordination is still in the early stages, so grabbing a rattle is a mean feat!

At around three months old, playtime suddenly evolves. Your baby can do so much more now! Tummy time is a great activity now so your baby can get ready rolling over- you’ll notice she can support her own head a lot better now too. Hand to eye co-ordination is improving, and no doubt she has that rattle firmly within her grasp now!

From around  4 months your baby will start to make noises, babble, and want to interact in her world a lot more. She’ll be rolling, laughing, and playing.

7 to 12 months

By the age of around seven months, your baby is fully engaging in her world, and probably crawling at break neck speed! She will be babbling and communicating with you to let you know what she wants- suddenly a new world has opened up! At this age, babies are more likely to experience separation anxiety, which can make bedtimes and sleep a little ore tricky than they once were. If you start sleep training at this age, a gentle approach is vital so that you can reassure and soothe your baby as she grows and develops.

By around 12 months, your baby will be either walking, or getting ready to walk by using furniture to ‘cruise’ around the house. Now is the time to baby proof every room if you haven’t already- read this post for information. Up until around 12 months it’s perfectly normal for your baby to be waking during the night- most of her nutrition will still come from milk. Don’t worry if your baby seems to be waking more than others. Now is the time to start gently training your baby to sleep for longer periods, but rest assured that not every baby is sleeping through at this age!

Developmental milestones can affect how your baby sleeps as she grows- read this post for more information.

Many parents will tell you that their babies have had their own unique personalities from the moment they were born. And it’s true! Each and every baby is unique and that’s what makes them so wonderful! But did you know that your baby’s personality affects the way that they sleep? More so, it’s the temperament of your baby that has the main affect on how your baby sleeps- and that’s what we’re focusing on today. Here’s a really quick guide, with a few pointers on how to address sleep issues with your little one.

 

There are three temperament types

Your baby’s temperament is a part of their personality that is innate. This means that it cannot be changed, or influenced. Your baby’s temperament is here to stay, and plays a huge part in many aspects of their development- how they respond to changes, how they adapt to new situations and how likely they are to learn independent sleep habits. The three temperament types are Easy, Difficult and Slow to Warm Up.

The Easy baby

As you might expect, the easy baby is relatively easy going and relaxed. This baby will respond well to any changes you introduce, and generally feeds and sleeps well. If you introduce sleep training to the easy baby they will adapt quickly and are more likely to handle new social situations with ease too.

The Difficult baby

Again, as you might expect, the difficult baby is a whole different story! Difficult babies often find changes very hard to handle and respond negatively to new situations on a  whole. They often display irregular feeding and sleep patterns and seem very reluctant to take on changes. These babies may be more difficult to sleep train, should you want to, and often respond to new social situations with negativity and/ or aggression.

The Slow to Warm Up baby

These babies are a little different to the rest. They often respond well to changes, but they need to a lot of time to be able to do this. They can adopt regular feeding and sleeping patterns but they need a lot of encouragement, patience and time. Similarly, new social situations and changes of any kind need to be introduced slowly and carefully, and over time will be accepted. Slow to warm up babies can be sleep trained, but will take a little longer and require commitment to see it through.

Your baby’s temperament

You probably know straight away which of the temperament types your baby has. And while it certainly plays a huge role in how they sleep, you should remember that every baby is still unique and different. Your baby may display certain aspects of more than one temperament, for example. So it’s a good idea to take this as a guide, and use it to inform how you approach sleep issues in general with your baby.

If your baby shows most signs of being a difficult baby, it’s important to remember that they are not doing this on purpose! This is their temperament, and it’s up to us as parents to adapt our approaches accordingly. That said though, don’t be afraid to ask for help and support as it can be hard work! As with anything, only you know your baby best so don’t be afraid to challenge the books, manuals and forums if you feel you need to!