Sleeping Through The Night

Almost all parents run into problems with babies that will not sleep through the night. Some babies do this early on and some never do. You have to work with what is going on with your child to up the chances of them sleeping through the night. There could be some really simple reasons why they won't sleep or keep waking up, and some of them may be of your own doing. Do not worry, however, as you are the parent and you will figure it out. Remember, as long as you are loving your child, anything is possible and any misstep can be fixed.

Newborns rarely sleep all night. This is because when they are small, all they can do is eat, sleep, and grow. They have to eat every so often or they will not thrive. Some babies sleep longer, and you may find that after the first month or so, they sleep six hours. That is not a whole night, but it is better than getting up every two hours. As they get older, sleeping through the night is something they will do when their bodies allow them to do so. If they need to eat, they are going to wake up.

A one year old should be sleeping through the night at least once in a while, if not every night. They are old enough so that they do not need to eat every few hours but they should be sleeping well as this is when they do the most growing. This is a great time to wean them from the bottle, as they should not be waking up for one any longer. If they do, see if you can introduce the sippy cup at night. Don't have them take it into the crib with them though. Offer them a drink and then put them back to bed.

Toddlers may have to get up at night for a few things, but for the most part, they should be sleeping through the night. If they are not, you may be giving them too much to drink before bed, or you could have started some bad sleeping habits. Some children will wake up for a sippy cup, but they should have a regular cup at this age. Wean them from the sippy and watch how much they drink before bedtime. If they have been accustomed to being in your bed, getting them into their own may be your challenge, but expect this to take a while to accomplish.

Older children, like those that are already in school, should be sleeping through the night. If they are not, you may want to find out why. If they are having bad dreams or are afraid to sleep alone, there are plenty of interesting and creative things that you can do to help them with this. Talk to your doctor if they never sleep through, as this can cause problems for them in regards to growth and performance at school. Kids, even teenagers, need more sleep than you do, so make sure you do all you can to see that they get the hours in their bed that they need.

Reading Aloud to Children

Did you know that babies that play with books, even just to chew on them, end up being better readers when they are older? Some kids do not sit still enough or want to pay attention when you read to them, but give it some time. Reading aloud to children is the gift that gives for a lifetime. Children that love to read will do better in school and throughout life. They learn to see books at a world of imagination and adventure rather than something they have to read to get through school. Instill a love of reading as early as you can.

You should start reading aloud to children as early on as you can. Most babies will like to hear your voice, which is a great start. When they get a little older, they are going to want to explore the books with their hands and by putting them into their mouth. When this happens, you want to have block books or books with thick pages that are made for babies. They won't ruin the pages that way but they can explore to their heart's content. If they won't let you read, don't stress too much. They will soon enough.

Toddlers do not have much of an attention span, so choose your books carefully when you want to read aloud to children. Use different voices when you read, make silly faces, and keep the books short. Also, pick a time each day for reading so that they know this is a part of their day. Many parents like to do this right before bed, which is a great time, but you can do it any other time of the day if that works out better for you. If they bring you a book, stop and read to them. This shows them that reading is important and that they are important too.

As children advance past toddler stage, reading aloud to children is going to be even more fun. At this time, you are going to find that they are going to sit still a little longer and they are going to get into any story that you read to them. You may also find that they want to hear the same one over and over again. Keep using funny voices and have fun with the stories for their enjoyment. Take it slowly so that you can talk about the story and even look at the pictures for a better understanding of what is going on in the book. They may even take the book from you and read it back to you, using their own story, of course.

Children will outgrow story time eventually, but you may be surprised how old they are before they do not want story time any longer. Reading aloud to children should be something you do as long as they are willing to listen. Some kids as old as twelve will sit with you and read as long as you have chosen books that are for their age level and of interest to them. The more you read to them the more they are going to read on their own. There are no downsides to reading with your kids, and you get some great snuggles and cuddles in the process.

Games for Babies

You may think that your infant does not have much interest in doing anything other than sleeping, eating, and playing with a few toys. The fact is that babies learn more than you think and you can play some fun games for babies with them. With any luck you will have smiling and giggling at you in no time. These games are often simple and work with how a baby sees and learns. The same games will not thrill a toddler too much, so enjoy these while your baby is still small enough to be amazed by just about everything that you do.

Babies are easy to please when it comes to entertainment. Everything is new to them so very simple games for babies are going to be just what your baby will love. One thing that babies seem to love is to see someone make a face. You can make a game out of this any way that you wish. Remember that they are learning about emotion from your facial expressions and tone of voice. This means that if you hit yourself over the head with a pillow and make a funny face, they are going to respond with laughter if you show happiness. This a game some never tire of playing.

Babies also have no idea that something that disappears has no really gone forever. They do not know object permanence. If something is out of eye sight it no longer exists. This is where some fun games for babies come from. If you hold up something and then it disappears, they will not expect it to reappear. You can then hold it up again so that they can see it. They will think that you are doing some type of magic. They would love this game when they are infants and may grow out of it when the realize that things and people come back.

Some games for babies do not have to be games. If you want them to like something, this is a good time to get them interested. Babies that play with books are more likely to read them and enjoy stories when they get older. It is never too early to start playing with books with them and reading to them. They may not pay much attention, but you should do it anyway. Give them books they can chew on and you will (or should) have a good reader that loves stories and books when they get older.

Quite honestly, you can make games for babies out of just about anything. Babies are clean slates and they are going to learn from you quickly. You can show them colors and letters and numbers if you wish. Don't expect them to read back to you at this age, but they are going to be more comfortable with letters and numbers when they get older. They also learn a lot just from what you say, as they are learning words, language skills, and sounds each time you speak.