Navigating baby sleep and illness.

I feel like we are most definitely still fully in the winter season of bugs and illness in our house, there seems to be a constant cycle of one of us being unwell… and I am starting to question if we will ever just feel well again? 🤧 #dramatic

But in all seriousness, it can be super tough navigating back to back illness, especially if you are also unwell and need rest to recover too. 💤

Parents often worry that if sleep regresses during illness and you need to go back to your old way of doing things e.g. co-sleeping, that all is lost and you are back to square one with your little ones sleep.

I get it- it can be super frustrating if good sleep is your new norm or you are currently sleep teaching and making huge progress with sleep when illness hits. 😫

Unfortunately this is unavoidable and there will be lots of things such as teething, illness and developmental milestones to derail sleep, especially in the first year.

However, I am here to tell you that if good sleep is your norm then don’t worry if you need to temporarily increase the comfort and do sleep a bit differently whilst your little one is under the weather.

This might look like:
🤍Co-sleeping
🤍Feeding to sleep
🤍Rocking to sleep
🤍Bringing your baby into your bed in the middle of the night (following Lullaby trust safe sleep guidelines)
🤍Giving them a dummy
🤍Contact naps
🤍More day sleep than usual
🤍Increased night feeds (if your little one is bunged up they may get a dry mouth from mouth breathing and need more fluids in the night, or if they have taken less calories overall during the day they may need more at night).

Sleep needs

Your little ones sleep needs may change when they are unwell, they may need a lot more sleep (after all sleep is mother natures healer), or they may struggle to take their normal sleep. Either way don’t fret about their usual routine and go with the flow, allowing them to sleep when needed.
You know your little one best so follow your gut and you won’t go far wrong 🥰

Appetite

Babies will often go off their food when unwell, just like us, don’t worry too much about this and instead concentrate on making sure they are having enough fluids, if they aren’t yet weaning they may not take their usual amount of milk, so be mindful of their urine output and that they are still having wet nappies.

Medicine

If your little one is really struggling, has a temperature or seems uncomfortable, then liquid analgesia’s such as paracetamol and ibuprofen can help ease this, saline nasal drops or olbas oil for children can also be useful if your baby is congested. Be sure to follow instructions for use and ensure any medication used is appropriate for the age of your child, seek advice from your GP or pharmacist if needed.

So in summary, increase the comfort you give, try not to worry about sleep when illness strikes and remember things will soon get back on track when your little one is feeling well again, often once babies can sleep well in their own sleep space, they want to return to this when they have fully recovered, and if they do resist it a little then be consistent and sleep will soon be back on track- you know they can do it ❤

If illness is just ANOTHER thing on top of an already unsustainable sleep situation then you are in the right place.

All of ‘The Snooze Nurse’ sleep plans are written by myself, a practising health visitor and certified OCN level 5 infant sleep consultant, they include all of the information needed to transform your baby’s sleep, giving you step by step guidance on how to introduce independent sleep, they also include a sleep needs table to help you fully understand and keep on top of your baby’s ever changing sleep needs.

So if you are ready to:
💫Feel confident and in control when it comes to your baby’s sleep
💫Reclaim some time for yourself
💫Have the time and energy to do the things you love
💫and most importantly get the sleep you need to THRIVE not just survive…

then grab a “life changing” sleep plan and let’s get going 💥

Lots of Love

Jade x 

P.s. If you are at all concerned about your little ones health then be sure to contact your GP or out of hours in your area.