Last week I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to chat to a Pampers expert and sleep expert Jo Tantum.For those of you who have been living under a rock and don’t know who Jo is, she is the baby sleep expert who has a routine that works – she believes in compassionate and understanding alongside a sleep and feeding routine. If you have a baby with a sleep issue, you can find out more about Jo here.I had the opportunity to ask Jo a couple of sleep related questions:
” Max often wakes at around 4am and seems wide awake. He doesn’t cry but will chatter away to himself for a while. If you go into him he smiles and laughs. Should I go in to try and settle him, or should I leave him to settle himself?”
Jo pointed out that between 4 and 5am is the coldest part of the night, and a time when babies naturally come into a lighter stage of the sleep cycle. She recommended ensuring Max’s room was warm enough – ideally around 21 degrees – and making sure he had enough layers on. She also spoke about Max’s naps, and making sure that he was getting the right amount of sleep during the day to ensure a good sleep at night. Jo told me it is fine to leave Max to settle himself as long as he is not distressed – so we have been giving it a try, and 9 times out of 10 Max has settled himself back to sleep.
” Max currently sleeps with a dummy – do you recommend them, or should we try to get rid? “
Jo suggested trying to replace the dummy with a muslin comforter. Muslin is a breathable material, so even if Max puts it over his face, he will be able to breathe through it. We chose a lovely soft muslin and made a comforter as Jo described, by knotting it in the middle.
That same night we popped Max into his cot with no dummy, and handed him the comforter. We expected some crying – there was none. None at all. Max went to sleep happily holding his muslin and we didn’t hear a peep from him until the morning. What a success!
I also had the opportunity to watch a demonstration of the new Pampers Baby Dry nappy. Offering up to 12 hours of leak free protection, it can help your baby to have a full and comfortable nights sleep.
The demo was very interesting. A quantity of liquid was poured onto both a Pampers nappy and another leading brand, and left for 3 minutes. A piece of paper was then pressed into each nappy, and the results were clear – the other brand nappy still left liquid on the paper, whereas the Pampers nappy had already wicked all the moisture away. This is thanks to the Double-Dry zones – a soft absorbing layer and the core, which locks in the wetness. I am fairly sure that the Pampers nappy that Max wore that night also helped him sleep through, along with Jo’s advice and his new comforter.
Do you have a sleep routine?
I have always been very lucky that my children have slept generally 12 hours at night time, Layla has differed slightly in that when she is teething she just wants to sleep in my bed, but she is my last so I’m making the most of mummy cuddles x
Mummy cuddles are the best. I am sure I am a bit softer with Max as I know he is my last baby!