Health And Wellness Center: Your baby sleep

All parents yearn to sleep all night long run, as they did before the arrival of your little one. However, that dream becomes almost impossible for the first months. The important thing is to know what is normal and what to do when night time sleep becomes a nightmare.

At 5 or 6 months, your baby should sleep through the night or waking up occasionally. The important thing is to stay asleep again without help from mom or dad. If they pass the days, weeks, months and still waking up and crying, perhaps it is good idea to try the Ferber method, which many parents say it is very effective.

Others critics say they can not stand to let your baby mourn over 5 minutes that this method is traumatic for parents and children. The decision is yours and your partner. Good luck!

The Ferber method

According to Dr. Ferber, there is a progressive method for children to learn to fall asleep without the help of an adult. Every time the baby wakes up or cries, parents should wait a few minutes before entering the bedroom of the infant to be sure it's right. The important thing is to be between 2 to 3 minutes in the room, soothing, but avoid holding the baby, rocking or feeding. The method can also be applied to naptime. However, if the child is still awake after an hour, you should desist from trying to do nap.

Here is a table with the number of minutes you should wait before going to see your baby:

The Ferber method
No	Minutes you should stop mourn the baby	If still crying, before going a second time, wait	If still crying, before going a third time, wait	If still crying, before going more times, wait
1	5	10	15	15
2	10	15	20	20
3	15	20	25	25
4	20	25	30	30
5	25	30	35	35
6	30	35	40	40
7	35	40	45	45

Adapted from the book Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems, Ferber, R. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1985 Figure 5, p.78

When to seek medical

Sometimes children who have medical problems that justify their problems when sleep. For example, they may have skin irritation that produce them itchy. Infants with asthma may have difficulty breathing. In these cases, parents should consult their pediatrician to make sure the child is well and figure out how to deal with the problems that have to fall asleep. Sometimes changing any medication is the solution. Other times, it comes to diagnosing allergies or illness. The most important thing is not to lose patience. Your baby sleep through the night is not just a dream, but it can be a reality. Any questions, consult your pediatrician as it can be very useful suggestions given the frequency of sleep disorders in infants.