Not too long ago the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a recommendation for parents to use a pacifier during naps and night sleep until the child is one as a preventative to SIDS. There was an uproar among lactation professionals as to the effects of pacifier use on breastfeeding. AAP did clarify that breasfead babies should not be given a pacifier until breastfeeding is well established. However, there is another "side effect" that has not been addressed by the AAP--dependency on a pacifier to sleep and crying out frequently at night to have the pacifier put back in. The AAP states that pacifiers only need to be in the child's mouth while falling asleep; parents do not need to keep reinserting the pacifier. The problem lies in the fact that babies are using the pacifier to fall asleep. If they are not developmentally able to put the pacifier back in by themselves then they wake and cry out for a parent to come and help put the pacifiers back in order to fall back asleep. This drastically reduces the quality of sleep for the baby and leaves parents exhausted. We recommend our clients discuss this issue with their pediatrician before deciding to introduce or discontinue a pacifier. To read the full article go to:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/116/5/e716
Please share what your pediatrician had to say on the subject!
Rachel Steinberg
Category(s): Parenting News
Posted by Child Works at 02:46 PM | Comments (409)
A client who looked to us for help with her sons sleep recently came back to discuss potty training. Like many of us, she received lots of well intentioned advice and in the end felt discouraged and unhappy with how she handled it all. Her two year old son showed a clear interest in leaving diapers behind and using the potty. Normally this is an ideal time to shop for spiderman underwear and happily give away any unused pull ups! However, it's important to look at the big picture. In this case, her son was learning to sleep in a big kid bed and recently stopped using a bottle to sleep. Due to all the other new skills he was having to incorporate into his world, potty training was best left for a little while longer. By all means, if he asked to use the potty he should be encouraged, but nothing beyond that. It is good to let your child to be the leader at first. Many times when parents try too much at once or try to go too fast, potty training turns into a behavioral battle ground motivated by asserting control instead of learning a new skill.
Category(s): Toddlers
Posted by Child Works at 01:48 PM | Comments (308)
Recently a parent of a 7-month-old son surprised me with her interpretation of all the recent news on Dr. Richard Ferber and his new book due out this spring. A few months ago she and her husband successfully taught their son to go to sleep on his own (she previously had to nurse him to sleep each time). I provided moral and professional support through the process, which did involve some tears on everyone’s part. Their son did really well with the night sleep and after some time adjusted to a healthy daytime sleep routine.
When speaking the other day she asked, “Can you believe Ferber has completely gone back on his methods? I feel so guilty now!" She was of course referring to the recent reports that famed sleep expert, Dr. Richard Ferber, has revised his best selling book, “Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems”.
(SEE http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05319/606752.stm for the complete WallStreet Journal article)
Most people now know his method simply as “Ferberizing”, a system whereby parents are instructed to leave the child alone in a crib for gradually longer periods of time (checking on him at each interval but not picking them up) until the baby falls asleep on his own.
Category(s): Parenting News
Posted by Child Works at 10:30 AM | Comments (84)
