Hey Lucy Shrimpton here and in this episode i'm going to share with you how you can help your
teething baby or unwell child to get the best sleep possible as well as the biggest mistake
so many of us make when our little ones are ill babies and young children are unwell quite often
of course there is teething which might feel endless and the common coughs and colds and runny
noses which may be more prevalent in children who attend daycare is totally fine and in some ways
beneficial to them as it will help develop their immune systems and make them stronger
but a teething or poorly little one can struggle to sleep for a number of reasons
firstly teething pain comes from the build up of blood pressure in the gums and during the day time
they tend to alleviate this pain by chewing on things and biting on things which releases some of
that pressure at night time when they're resting the pressure can build up to a point that the pain
disturbs their sleep also sucking draws blood to the gums and can increase the pressure too so
bottle feeding breastfeeding and dummies pacifiers can
all add to the pain similar ones will reject or fuss over feeds because
they want the milk and they want something in the mouth where they're painless but it also hurts so
they may feel a bit confused and conflicted about it have patience with this and if you have any
favorite teething pain relievers it might be a good idea to use them about 10 minutes before
that last feed at bedtime just to ensure that they take a good feed before they go down for the night
it might help to have a teething toy that is safe of course close by during the night your little
one might seek some extra comfort when teething so consider how you can offer this without completely
changing your routine or throwing out the rule book the same goes for illness and typically the
common cold congestion is the worst for sleep as it makes it harder for us to breathe and it
always tends to be worse at bedtime when we first lay down depending on the age of your little one
you may be able to safely alleviate uh sorry elevate one and one end of the cot or the crib
or use an extra pillow for an older child just to ease the congestion only do this if it's safe so
like with a crib that has elevating feature and make sure it's age-appropriate humidifiers can
help with congestion as well as a steamy bathroom experience right before bedtime if you're in the
middle of sleep training with your little one when when an illness strikes you may decide to pause
until they're over the worst of it if you do try to maintain the stage you've got to so don't try
to progress with your plan but also don't go backwards by totally stopping what you're doing
see how you can best keep going as you are perhaps with a little extra reassurance and assistance but
without a total throw out of all the hard work you've been doing i like to say alleviate don't
deviate as a helpful little reminder as parents we often overcompensate when our young ones are
under the weather because we feel helpless and want to make things better for them in fact
it's probably more for you than for your child and that's something worth asking yourself
am i doing this for my baby or am i doing this for me who is this going to help to feel better ask
yourself that question so stick to your routine because the routine itself doesn't need to change
add in some extra comfort as needed but without overdoing it or undoing your rules and boundaries
if your little one sleeps in their own cot or bed sleeping in your bed is not going to take
away the pain or discomfort if you feel worried and want them close by set up camp in their room
and change your sleep location rather than theirs as soon as your little one is over the worst of it
try to get back on track or continue on with your sleep training plan if you're following one
you don't need to wait for a full recovery just on the mend and feeling brighter and you're good to
get back on with things the less you change the easier it will be to get back on track
and lastly what if they're sick or you have a clean up operation to do in the night
deal with the mess as calmly quietly and swiftly as possible with the least amount of light you can
manage in if you can get enough light from outside the room coming in you won't need to turn full
lights on in the room and then more deeply disrupt your little one's ability to get back to sleep
have spare sheets and clean up materials at the ready if you suspect vomiting or soiling is likely
and make things as clean as you can in the night even if something like carpet might need that
extra scrub in the morning of course you'll want to soothe and reassure your child and
if there are two of you on hand one can clean up while the other comforts the child but if you're
dealing with it alone softly use a low level almost whisper voice to reassure your little one
while you clean up swiftly and then you can offer a little more comfort to settle them back to sleep
it's going to happen to all of us babies and young children all go through teething and sickness
multiple times so being prepared can really help remember it doesn't need to
be something that completely throws off their sleep for months on end
just follow the tips i've shared and you can be back on track pretty quickly
if you found this helpful please let us know in the comments and share this with a friend because
you know someone who needs this today until next time stay happy and healthy and sleep soundly
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