4 Weeks

Bodhi is now 4 weeks old!! It has gone by so fast already. I can tell he has definitely grown but is still small. We get stopped every where and asked how old he is and told how cute he is. It is nice to know our baby is so cute but Eddy and I are not the type of people that like being stopped by strangers and getting a lot of attention. It is especially awkward when they touch him. So Bodhi is still struggling with sleeping at night. The longest he will usually sleep for is about 2 hours at a time. We have decided that he has his days and nights mixed up. I decided to look up how to help your baby sleep through the night and I found this site, http://parenting.ivillage.com/baby/bsleep/0,,40rf,00.html, that has 8 tips for helping your baby sleep through the night. They are:
1. Keep to a Routine- Help your baby realize that night is for sleeping and day is for being awake. This means waking your baby up if they like to sleep more during the day.

2. When your baby is napping during the day keep him in a well lit area- This encourages your baby to take shorter naps and will help him sleep better at night.

3. During the day nurse in a quiet darkened room- This causes less destractions so the baby will eat longer and get all the nutrients he needs during the day.

4. If your baby uses a pacifer allow him to meet his sucking needs at your breast instead- Regular nursing sessions during the day may help to reduce his middle of the night waking.

5. When nursing, feed your baby off of one breast- This will provide him with more of your rich hindmilk, which may also help to space out his nighttime feeds.

6. Carry your baby- Especially in the evening to help him transition to sleep, carrying him around in a swing or just in your arms helps him relax.

7. Keep the evening calm- Try to do calming activities in the evening. For example if your baby finds baths calming do those in the evening. If your baby finds them stimulating and it wakes them up do them in the mornings.

8. Nurse in a darkened room at night- Try to keep him calm and relaxed when he wakes up to eat at night. Try to avoid changing diapers at night so that he can learn night time is for sleeping.

I have been trying to use these tips for the last couple of days and so far they seem to have helped a little bit. Bodhi may not be sleeping very long at night but he has been falling back to sleep after eating a lot easier and faster than he was before.