LilSugar

Do You Ever Pull an All-Nighter?

LilSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:00:18 -0700

The term "all-nighter" takes on a new meaning during parenthood. Once reserved for studying or partying, all-nighters are now made up of crying, diapering, rocking, shushing, and more. Those fortunate enough to have tots sleep soundly through the night may even opt for tackling their to-do list by the light of the moon when everyone else is fast asleep (and can't interrupt). It truly is amazing how much parents are able to accomplish on such little sleep, and a lot of coffee. Whether it's by your own choice, or your child's choice, do you ever pull all-nighters?

Overwhelmed by a crying baby, fighting tots, overbearing in-laws and sleepless nights? Join our A Place to Vent group over in our LilSugar Community and share your stress with fellow moms who understand your plight.

Sleeping Bags For Sleepy Babies

LilSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 04:00:41 -0700

Want to keep tots warm on chilly nights without worrying about SIDS? Check out these cozy sleeping bags. They can replace loose bedding in the crib, which means baby will snooze safer (and hopefully longer). These are just a few of our favorite sleep sacks for sleepy babies.

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How Strict Are You With Bedtime?

LilSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:00:52 -0700

Good night, sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite! If only getting lil ones down to dreamland was that easy! Children have a way of pushing their bedtime to the limits by thirsting for another drink, saying they need the bathroom and sweetly asking us to read "just one more book."

New research shows that providing tots with strict bedtimes can improve the quality and quantity of the shut-eye they receive and their overall health. According to the study, families with lower levels of income and education were less likely to enforce a strict end of the day (this was attributed to stress levels and fewer routines), and their children's health and sleep patterns suffered. The authors of the study also emphasized the importance of a nightly bedtime routine to help the tots fall asleep faster. Most parents dream their children would nod off to sleep without putting up a fight, but that rarely happens. How do you enforce bedtime in your home?

Got a few pointers you've picked up along the way for getting your tot into bed at an early time? Join our Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me? group over in our LilSugar community and share your tips!

Mommy Dearest: When It's Time to Put a Cap on the Nap

LilSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:00:39 -0700

Mommy Dearest,

When is it time to give up or cut down on a nap? My three-year-old son has always been a great snoozer and stills takes a two-to-three hour nap every day. My issue is that every evening he fights us so hard when it is time to go to bed that he ends up staying up well-past a reasonable bedtime. On the one or two occasions that we have had to skip his nap (due to birthday parties or the like) he is so overtired that he becomes a nightmare in the early evening hours. How would you handle this situation?

– Tired of Fighting About Sleep

To see the response from Mommy Dearest, read more.

Tired of Fighting About Sleep,

While children's sleep habits are as individual as they themselves, it sounds like your lil one is giving you all of the signs that he might be ready to modify his schedule. If your son isn't ready to give up his nap completely, consider shortening it and putting some parameters around it. Try a one-and-a-half hour nap that can't start after a certain hour each day. In doing so, you will give him a longer stretch of awake time before night rolls around. On days you have to forgo the nap, try for an earlier bedtime to alleviate the moonlit meltdowns.

– Mommy Dearest

Submit a question for this feature at the Mommy Dearest Group on our new Community page.

Did You Sleep in Separate Beds During Pregnancy?

babysugar — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 10:45:37 -0700

Lucy and Ricky may have been onto something when they kissed each other good night and then got into their own beds. Nearly every expectant woman agrees that sleepless nights are part of the pregnancy journey. From relieving herself on an hourly basis to shifting sides, a mama-to-be can make a ruckus between the sheets as she tries to get comfortable. Unfortunately, it can make for a tired lady and often a grumpy pop. Men who have nothing stirring in their bellies also have to deal with the restless nights and sometimes find solace on the couch or in the guest room. Did your man move when you were large and in charge of the bed?

More Magazines Showcase Belly-Sleeping Babies

LilSugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:00:33 -0700

Does the "back-to-sleep" campaign only apply to real-life parenting and not the magazines aimed at moms and dads? A study appearing in the September issue of Pediatrics took a look at 28 women's and parenting magazines – from which many mamas learn about new products and techniques – and found that more than one-third of the photos depicting babies showed them in unsafe sleeping positions, while two-thirds showed them in unsafe sleep conditions. The researchers, who looked at photos to determine if the baby was placed on its side or stomach rather than on its back, as well as the presence of bumpers, loose blankets and strings, are nervous that the images will have greater influence over new parents' actions than their doctors' orders. We've seen set designers place tots in some precariously decorated cribs, both with Brooke Burke's ribbon-filled nursery and Jennifer Lopez's extremely plush one, and say the photos were rooms not designed for use, but photos. Do magazine readers make that distinction?

Lolaloo Stroller Rocker: Ga Ga or Gag

LilSugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:00:35 -0700

Baby likes to rock, but mama needs to roll? The Lolaloo ($183) is a battery-operated device that attaches directly to a carriage's handlebars to soothe a baby to sleep so mama can be hands-free while her small fry slumbers. Currently only available in Europe, the quiet product can be adjusted to rock at your baby's preferred speed. Would you invest in this lulling gadget?

Parents to Be Prosecuted For Accidental Co-Sleeping Deaths?

LilSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:32:32 -0700

Lawmakers discuss a wake-up call for co-sleeping parents. Prosecutors around the country are weighing the possibility of charging parents who accidentally "roll-over" their tots while drunk or high with child-neglect. According to the Wall Street Journal, an Oregon district attorney "has drawn a fairly hard line on bed-sharing death cases: He will prosecute them when they involve alcohol or drugs."

An Indiana father was charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death and faces up to 50 years in jail after smothering his son when the man fell sleep on a sofa after using methamphetamine and smoking marijuana. Fifty-four percent of lilsugar readers said that though studies showed a marked increase in infant suffocation tied to bed sharing, it didn't change their minds about the practice. Do you think there should be legal consequences for moms and dads who accidentally injure their children while co-sleeping under the influence?

Catch Some ZZZs to Lose the Baby Weight

LilSugar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 05:00:00 -0700

Is getting shut-eye a form of exercise? Your newborn may not be the only one to benefit from a good night's sleep. Studies show that postpartum women getting less than seven hours of sleep each night have a harder time losing their baby weight than those who do.

According to one of the studies:

Sleep deprivation can cause changes in the levels of hormones involved in appetite regulation. Keep in mind, though, that there are multiple factors involved in causing postpartum women to sleep less. These include just having a newborn, having other small children at home, possible postpartum depression, illness of the newborns, if any, work, etcetera.

Most every mother would love to hit the hay for a bit longer, but making it happen isn't necessarily a matter of choice. What's your take on the issue?

A Sleep Doctor's War of Words

LilSugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite. If only those phrases were all it took to put baby down. Getting a newborn to sleep through the night is one of the most talked about issues in infant care. Parents become fiercely supportive of their chosen sleep training method and its guru. Marc Weissbluth, one of the nation's most popular pediatricians and author of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child that advocates a modified "cry-it-out" philosophy, is using his blog to take on Dr. William Sears, author of The Attachment Parenting Book: A Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Baby, which calls for soothing baby until it falls asleep.

On his blog, Dr. Weissbluth discredits several studies Dr. Sears uses to prove that "crying-it-out" actually harms a child. According to Dr. Weissbluth, the studies show that allowing a tot to "cry-it-out" does not affect self-esteem, relationships with parents or the bond between parent and child. What's your opinion on cry it out?