Having a baby is an exciting time for a family but it can also be tiring and confusing. Parents often have lots of questions about how they are caring for their baby and if they are doing things ‘right’. Here are a few tips and tricks that were shared with us during Baby Week Leeds. Please note, these are just for guidance and we recommend you check with your health professionals for up to date guidance and support.
Leeds Community Healthcare Support & Guidance
During the course of each day your baby will move through different levels of sleepiness and wakefulness that are called ‘states’. Learning to read your baby’s states will help you to know how best to respond to her at different times.After the first few months of a baby’s life it is a good idea to start a ‘bedtime routine’. Babies need to learn sleep routines. It is not something they are born with. Some learn the skills more easily than others but all babies can learn.
The 0-19 Public Health Integrated Nursing Service provides support and information to help you and your family stay as healthy as possible. They have fantastic resources on their website for your family and to provide the best start for your baby. They also have a fantastic booklet with guidance on sleep states, crying and soothing your baby and developing a bed time routine which can be downloaded on their website from the useful links section.
Baby Buddy App
The free app by Best Beginnings who have supported Baby Week Leeds for many years and have many users in the city of this fantastic interactive pregnancy and parenting app. Baby Buddy provides trusted, evidence-based information and self-care tools, based on the latest research and is NHS-approved. The app contains many videos and guidance for you whilst pregnant and during the first few years of life. From sleep to diet, crawling to wellbeing – there is useful information for absolutely everything and a place to record all those important details and special moments.
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- Fun, engaging interactive features to ‘learn without the burn’
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- A huge video library – including tips on breastfeeding
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- Out of the Blue – videos promoting mental health
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- Support and advice particularly tailored to dads
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- ‘Today’s information’ – personalised, bite-size daily updates
Little Dreamers Sleep Tips and Tricks
Little Dreamers contacted us during Baby Week and have found some of their simple tricks and tips have helped new parents. Have a little read what the founder had to say…
“Sleep can be so tricky to get right. I have been there and the feeling of sleep deprivation is horrendous. When you are so sleep deprived it can be difficult to find the right way to make sleep more successful. Timing of naps can be crucial for getting the night sleep just right! It can all be just about making the slightest of adjustments to the length of naps and timings to make night-time successful.
Bedtime routines are such an important part for helping your little one unwind and become settled for night-time sleep. It doesn’t need to be too strict, but the same each night so your little one respects the boundaries and understand that it is sleep time. Awake windows are the time your little one is awake between naps and bedtime. Bonding time is an important part of getting sleep right and I have shared tips on my social media here. Setting aside ten minutes a day to play a special game with your little one, can help them feel safe and secure.”
Safe sleep for babies
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Help to reduce the chance of SIDS by using this checklist for all naps, not just the night time sleep. Safe sleep includes the babies position, the room temperature and the surroundings. Leeds Safeguarding Children’s Partnership has shared all the guidance you need for safe sleeping here.
The Lullaby Trust wants to stop all unexpected deaths of babies and young children. Safer Sleep Week is The Lullaby Trust’s national awareness campaign targeting anyone looking after a young baby. It aims to raise awareness of sudden infant death syndrome and the safer sleep advice that reduces the risk of it occurring.
