It's not always at the forefront of our minds when we start to wean our baby and as they grow into toddlers and beyond, but what baby's and children eat and when they eat can impact thier sleep and the quality of their sleep and naps.
HOW DOES WEANING AFFECT SLEEP?
You may find as you start your weaning journey, that your baby may become a little unsettled at night and it may cause short term sleep disburtabnaces. The reason for this is that your baby's digestive system needs to adjust from an all milk diet to processing a variety of solid foods. It is working much harder and the digestive system is at its busiest during the night time. Rest assured this will pass soon once they have adjusted.
WHAT THEY EAT
What baby's and children eat can affect how quickly they fall asleep and how well they sleep. It is advised to avoid excess sugar before bed time as sugar provides alot of instant energy which isn't conducive to sleep. If baby's or children eat something they're not used to which is particularly hard to digest close to bed time it can cause discomfort also. Very spicy food or fatty can also cause discomfort for some baby's and children.
Some foods can also help with sleep, foods such as kiwi, banana, oats, cherries, milk, fatty fish, nuts, nut butters and rice have been found to aid in relaxation and sleep.
WHEN THEY EAT
Creating a predictable day time routine is really conducive to achieving good sleep and this includes meal and snack timings. As well as avoiding bigger and heavy meals right before bed time. A pre bed time snack should be light, low in sugar and fat and ideally higher in protein and slow release carbohydrates - for example nut butter with an oat cake.
NEED HELP?
Working out your baby or child's sleep needs can be daunting and it can also cause worry that you may disrupt them or make their sleep more unbalanced that it currently is.
This is where working with a professional can help you look at your little one's current schedule, the issues you're facing and where they are in their development and whats going on in their home life and help you to build a schedule that works for your individual.
Help!
If you would like more help with your child's sleep I can help create a tailor made plan for your family based on your individual needs. Explore my packages for something that suit you
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