Sleep: a faraway memory!

Has anybody seen the film 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose'? Quite scary wasn't it?  I forget some of the details now because it's been a long time now since we watched it. One thing I remember is that it established 3am as the demonic hour. The characters wake up at 3am all the time and experience strange things. It seems that we are having a remake of it here in the Foodie Household. Except that we know the name of the demon: Noelie.

She has been waking up every night around 3 am since last Saturday and has been quite a little demon for the past few days. She has been quite unwell because of her kidney infection and , as we do when she is not well, we took her into our bed. So, on top of my own kidney infection that has brought with it indescribable back pain, my ever growing bump and intermitent sciatica and Mr Foodie's snoring (I know, dear, there is nothing you can do about it), I have had to put up with a wriggling, unwell, and recently snoring toddler too. Try sleeping with a foot stuck near your head, or worse a bum lifted up in the air (how she can sleep in that position is beyond me)! We have been very lucky so far and she has always loved sleeping in her cot and slept well through the night so we shouldn't complain that, from time to time, she gives us a little challenge to deal with. And I suppose we better get used to interrupted sleep with the new baby coming soon. The only comforting thing is that I we are not alone in this (hopefully temporary) situation as Pampers let me know a while ago by sending me this press release.

Research Shows 94% of Irish parents walk up to 2 miles per day to get their baby to sleep while  90% of mums are doing the night shift

RESEARCH RESULTS

• 94.7% of parents walk between 0.5 and 2 miles with their baby to help them sleep
• 64% of parents think that getting baby to sleep is one of the most stressful things about becoming a parent
• 32.2% of babies wake once each night and 24% of babies wake twice each night
• 58.1% of parents spend up to 15 minutes soothing baby back to sleep
• 90.9% of respondents feel that mothers attend to babies more in the night
• 33.3% of parents feel that they averaged 6 hours of sleep per night in the first 0-36 months of their babies life

As any new parent can confirm, a night of interrupted sleep can be the norm for a newborn baby and his parents.  New research by Pampers has found that some Irish parents can walk up to 2 miles/3.2 kilometres per day in an effort to lull their baby back to sleep, clocking up over 60 miles/ 96 kilometres miles a month – a distance equivalent of Dublin to Holyhead.

Pampers® understands that a good night’s sleep for baby is top of any parent’s wish list. This is what Pampers calls golden sleep.  To find out more Pampers spoke to almost 500 parents from throughout the country to learn about their baby’s sleep patterns with some of the findings proving very interesting.

64% of Irish parents have cited the lack of sleep as the most stressful part of becoming a new parent with over 70% stating their baby wakes between one and three times each night.  Naps can also prove difficult with 42% of parents bringing their baby out in a buggy to get them to sleep, and 94% of these parents walking up to 2 miles per day to get their baby to sleep.

 There are enough reasons why your baby can wake up during the night and so Pampers understands that parents certainly don’t want their baby’s wet nappy to be one of them!  For Pampers, the land of golden sleep is a place where babies sleep soundly and can stay comfortable for up to 12 hours.

While your baby sleeps they can wee up to 12 times a night. Until now the link between weeing and baby’s sleep has not been fully understood. However, the results of new research*, pioneered by Pampers, offers interesting findings.

The study has discovered that the actual motion of having a wee can potentially wake your baby up (what Pampers calls the pesky Invisible Alarm Clock in the land of golden sleep). Then as your little one wees more and more throughout the night the wetness can build and may disturb his sleep.  

That’s why the new Pampers Baby-Dry nappy now features Extra Absorbent Zones. Specially created to provide faster absorption, the Extra Absorbent Zones are 14% wider than on previous Pampers Baby-Dry nappies, so this super absorbent nappy speeds wetness away faster, helping keep your baby dry and comfortable for up to 12 hours.

 To help parents get their baby to drift off into the land of golden sleep, Pampers has created four new age-related bedtime routines, called the Pampers Soothology™ routines with its sleep expert Wendy Dean. The routines aim to help ease families through their baby’s ever changing night time needs: from 0-3 months; 4-6 months; 7-12 months; and 12+ months.

Pampers sleep expert Wendy Dean says: “Sleep is important for your baby to process all that they have learnt during the day. Following a sleep routine, such as the Soothology routines will help your baby to get into a regular pattern of sleeping through the night, something all parents want for their babies.”

 Thanks to Pampers Baby-Dry you can help ensure that your baby’s much-needed sleep will not be disturbed because of a wet and bulky nappy. Following a night of golden sleep your baby will wake refreshed so you can enjoy brighter mornings together – ready to embrace the day ahead.

 To visit the Pampers land of golden sleep, go to the Pampers Village website www.pampers.ie. The land of golden sleep contains the four Soothology™ routines, plus lots of other useful items and tips to help your baby sleep through the night, including a sleep diary, lullabies, bedtime stories and a Frequently Asked Questions factsheet.

So I think I'll pop over and check it out, they might have a miracle cure for a toddler that was sleeping well and now isn't. After I get a nap that is.