Newborns
Who Confuse Night and Day
by Selene Mize, St. Kilda, Dunedin,
New Zealand
Edited by Alicia Clemens Booksh, Kenner, Louisiana,
USA
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 12 No. 1, January-February
1995, pp. 14-15
Few things are as challenging to new parents
as being awakened every half hour or so all
night long by a baby who finally settles in
at 5:00 or 6:00 AM, then sleeps solidly (or
at least with minimal interruption) until
noon. The first question that must be asked
is whether there is really a problem. First-time
parents who hear stories told by friends and
family or consult popular "how to"
child-rearing books often believe that their
baby will sleep round-the-clock in the early
weeks, waking after 8:00 PM for feeds only.
Babies, though, have not read the same books
or heard the same stories. Midnight is often
their preferred bedtime--not the 7:00 PM many
a parent might prefer.
There is also great variability in babies.
At one month of age, some normal babies sleep
as much as nineteen hours total, while others
sleep as few as twelve. If the problem is
one of unrealistic expectations, the simple
answer is to revise them. Good-natured acceptance
of this situation goes a long way.
A problem exists only if the baby needs continual
attention during the mother's usual sleep
period (continual attention being more than
frequent breastfeeds, an occasional nappy
change, and some quiet cuddling. A baby needing
these things at night is normal and not confusing
night and day). An awake baby may not require
much attention if placed in a secure and interesting
place (e.g., in bed between sleeping parents
with a low light on and a few soft toys or
an interesting ceiling). So long as the baby
is safe and happy, there is no reason for
the parents to remain awake.
Even when the baby needs continual attention
during the mother's usual sleep period, it
may be easier for the mother to adjust her
sleeping habits than to attempt to change
the baby's. If the baby is an only child,
the mother might be able to take the phone
off the hook, put a sign on the front door,
and sleep blissfully until noon or whenever
the baby decides to wake. However, sometimes
a change in the mother's schedule is not possible.
For example, an older sibling who wakes at
6:30 AM each morning will make a long lie-in
for the mother difficult. A working mother
whose maternity leave expires before baby
is sleeping more soundly may find it impossible
to nap.
The next step then, is to consider whether
any reason for the baby's schedule can be
identified. Is the mother drinking too much
coffee, tea, cola, or other substances containing
caffeine? Caffeine is a stimulant that passes
into breast milk. The easiest way to test
the possibility that caffeine is affecting
the baby is for the mother to cut down on
(or better yet, totally avoid) caffeine for
several days and see if any changes occur.
If caffeine seems to be the cause of the problem,
it may not be  necessary
to abstain totally. Experiment--avoiding caffeine
after about 4 PM may be enough to do the trick.
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Food
allergies also may be involved. Evening is the
most painful time and morning the most comfortable
for many infants with colic. Perhaps this is because
the mother does not eat during the night. If food
allergies are suspected, talk to your MSG Leader
about eliminating some of the most likely allergens
from your diet. Supplements such as vitamins or
fluoride may also interfere with a baby's ability
to sleep.
Another possible cause of a troublesome sleeping
pattern may be the parents' schedule. Children
quickly learn to adjust their schedules to maximize
time with their loved ones. If the mother is absent
during part of the day, or present but preoccupied
with other concerns (such as getting older children
off to school), the baby may decide that this
is an excellent time for a nap. More focused attention
on the baby during the day may help to change
the pattern. Over-stimulation is another possible
cause to consider. Some sensitive babies may shut
out a loud and boisterous daytime atmosphere by
sleeping through it. If this is the case, create
a predictable, low-stress environment for the
infant during the day. A parent or day care provider
who allows an infant to sleep the day away can
expect a baby who has not much interest in sleeping
at night.
If no cause for the pattern can be found and remedied,
try easing the baby into a new schedule. The basic
approach is to clearly distinguish between night
and day; make day as interesting as possible and
night as peaceful and relaxing as possible. To
clearly distinguish between night and day, parents
may need to exaggerate their normal behavior.
Clothing, sleeping place, lighting, and noise
level can be altered. At nighttime, for example,
baby may always be dressed in a nightgown and
nursed lying down in a dark or dimly lit room
(use towels over the windows if necessary when
days are longer). Be sure that baby is not overdressed
or the environment too warm. One study indicated
that babies that disturbed their parents in the
middle of the night were significantly more heavily
wrapped in significantly warmer rooms. This suggests
that an above-normal body temperature may lead
to wakefulness.
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During the day, the baby might wear a one-piece
stretch suit and be nursed in a chair in a brightly
lit and noisy living room.
Even more important than these physical factors
is the parents' behavior. During the day, the
parents might talk directly to the baby and
play with him or her. At night, there could
be lullaby singing and quiet cuddling rather
than direct eye contact, chatting, or vigorous
play. (This might be difficult to manage: Helen
smiled for the first time in the middle of the
night, and my determination to be low-key disappeared.)
Nighttime parenting books give advice that may
be helpful in making a baby sleepy, such as
a consistent bedtime routine.
The goal during the day is to stimulate the
baby so that he or she does not want to sleep,
rather than trying to force the baby to stay
awake. In addition to play, cool air on the
face (as in a walk outside) may discourage sleep,
as may frequent nursing or a bath. Tine Thevenin,
author of The Family Bed, suggests that carrying
the baby around a lot during the day may stimulate
and keep him or her awake. This approach may
work for some babies, but others may be lulled
to sleep by being carried. (If so, it might
be a strategy to try at night.) Babies are very
different, and an approach must be tailor-made
to the individual baby.
If the baby is upset by attempts to change
his or her sleeping schedule, re-evaluate your
desire to do so. Most children will settle down
dramatically by the age of three months regardless
of what parents do or do not do. The most important
thing is to accept babies as they are. It may
help to remember that a significant number of
adults
love to stay up at night and sleep in late the
next morning. Why should babies be any different?
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