If you have children like me, you’ve probably used up all your sick days and haven’t left your house in weeks…cue cabin fever, frustration and exhaustion.
Daycare & school is a germ invested hole that has you imagining the worse virus’ on your children’s hands and wait..don’t pick your nose! DONE. The flu.
If this is your life too, you are not alone! Tis the season and no matter how much we bathe in anti-bacterial, germs WILL find us.
So on top of having a sick child, now another worry at the back of many parents minds is…how will this affect their sleep?! I just got them on a great schedule and sleeping independently! (if you haven’t then you should talk to me to do that first).
Don’t fret mamas, I promise it will be okay. A good sleeper will bounce back, yes they will likely wake up more during naps and at night but we have to understand that just like us when we’re sick, they will feel like crap too.
So here are some do’s and don’ts to guide you during sickness!
DO follow your instincts, go to them if they need comforting. Cuddle them, help them, hold them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this and it won’t screw up their sleep forever.
DO allow them to sleep as much as they like (within reason). A sick baby will likely want to sleep more. Their little bodies NEED sleep to recover, so don’t worry if they have longer naps or don’t follow the regular nap schedule. Giving them an extra 30 minutes won’t hurt. This is actually a really good thing! Sleep will help them heal.
DON’T completely take them out of their sleep environment if it’s not necessary. We all sleep better in our own beds, this is also true for babies (it’s scientifically proven). This may mean that mom or dad move in to baby’s room on the floor for a night (not the most comfortable, I know) but this allows your baby to stay in their familiar environment while you keep an eye on them. AND it’s MUCH easier for you to move out of their room than it is for baby to move out of yours!
DON’T stress, it’s just temporary and what your baby needs is your hugs, patience and calm energy..and well..meds.
DO go right back to your regular schedule once they are feeling better. Like nothing happened, do everything like you did before they got sick (respond consistently). If the way they fall asleep has been changed a lot, then it might take them a day or two to adjust but they will, as long as you’re consistent. It will come back to them fast!
DO limit naps if your baby is sleeping too much during the day and it’s affecting your nights -causing early mornings, unsettled sleep or parties for hours in the middle of the night (split nights). You never want to replace naps with night sleep.
DO go with your gut. If baby has a sniffle but doesn’t seem uncomfortable or is not crying and is still sleeping well, then instead of jumping in right away in panic. Maybe just watch them from the monitor instead.
DON’T assume it’s teething. Teething believe it or not will NOT cause major sleep disruptions past one night, high fevers over 38 celsius, diarrhea (loose stools but not diarrhea) or discomfort just at night time. If you’re baby has a high fever, seems in pain and won’t settle. Take them to the doctors, many illness’ are overlooked because they are considered “teething”. Read my teething blog for more information on this.
If your baby was having trouble sleeping, wasn’t fully rested, woke up and needed to be put to sleep in a certain way at night or had short naps BEFORE sickness, then you can totally make changes. AFTER they are all better :)
Book a call with me to talk more about how you can start to do that. During sickness is really not a great time to start changing anything on them but afterwards, it’s definitely a GO!
Remember wiping runny noses is temporary…at least that’s what I keep telling myself.
***This is NOT medical advice. Please visit your family doctor is your baby is sick.
