5 Tips About Why Your Baby Is Sleeping So Much And Not Eating

The sleeping and eating habits of your babies is a constant source of  worry for new parents. Though grandparents and doctors will reassure you over and over again that everything is normal, you'll probably still be pretty concerned more often than you'd like. One of the reasons the eating and sleeping cycles of your little one are so hard to feel comfortable with is because over the first five years they will change pretty often, and quite drastically.

There are a few reasons these changes are happening, and simply understanding what is going on can go a long way toward soothing your frazzled parental nerves. The following are the top five reasons your baby is having such dramatic shifts in her sleeping and eating patterns.

1. Body Plumping = Less Sleep, More Eating

Your baby will from time to time suddenly develop a huge appetite, while at the same time he seems to stop sleeping all together. This is caused by his need to stock up on baby fat. Baby fat is a basic building block for growing every part of your little muscle man's new body. However, baby fat is stored energy, so in order to store some of it, your little bunny will need to take in quite a bit more than he is using. Eating as much as he can hold means he has a whole bunch of energy, kind of like drinking several energy boosts, and it makes sleeping very difficult. In those brief periods where he does sleep though, his body will be converting any unused energy into baby fat, so those naps, even though they are hard, are still extremely important.

2. Body Stretching = More Sleep, Less Eating

Then suddenly just when you think your little cuddle monkey must be allergic to sleep, and she seems just about as plump as a cherub, she starts sleeping all the time, and hardly eating a drop! Some parents mistakenly think it is a sign that their rolly-polly bug has gotten lazy from gaining too much weight, but that is just not the case. What is most likely happening is that your sweetheart has stored up plenty of energy and now her body is using it to help her grow. The best source for building strong bones, healthy muscles, and efficient internal organs is that adorable baby fat. But turning the baby fat into new, bigger, better, body parts takes a lot of energy, so your little princess spunky-butt will be catching as much sleep as she can, even if it means skipping a meal here or there.

3. Brain Plumping = Less Sleep, Less Eating

Now, brains don't get fat, so "plumping" is a bit of an odd term. But what I mean is that during this part of the ongoing cycle of growth and development, your baby will be gathering information. He'll be fascinated by everything, looking around, grabbing, smelling, tasting, and generally absorbing everything around him. He's too busy to eat, too curious to sleep, and basically driving you crazy with wanting to play at 3 am. This phase is a hard one, because it takes a lot of energy from you and there seems to be no way to slow him down. Generally you'll see this behavior pop up around the time your little Sherlock passes a developmental milestone. The world will seem to change a lot when he learns to roll over, or figures out how to sit up. There are lot's of new things he'll need to learn very quickly! Don't worry though, this cycle will eventually take a break and let you catch a little much needed sleep too.

4. Brain Stretching = More Sleep, More Suddenly

All of that new information your little one has been gathering eventually needs to be processed into her rapidly growing brain, and nervous system. You'll notice a sudden change of pace, and your frenetic little huggy buggy will suddenly fall into a pattern of falling asleep in the middle of a big meal, and then needing a nap afterwards. This might look just like the Body Stretching part, but it is characterized by the suddenness of the need for sleep. Ever see a picture of a baby falling asleep mid meal? That baby probably is growing some important new brain cells, and translating direct experience into memory and cognitive function. Now, for babies that are still very little, you might notice that they fall asleep while eating extremely often, maybe even every time. Yes, that is in part because of how fast their brian is learning. It will slow down and eventually be much more rare for your infant to fall asleep while eating, but it is a very good sign when it happens, especially early on.

5. Immunity Boosting = More Sleep, More fussy

Sometimes your little button nose will have just had a nice long nap, much longer than normal, and yet when she wakes up starts fussing and crying as if she is exhausted! This is usually a good indication that your baby-cake is trying to fight off a cold. Your baby doesn't always catch every illness that she is exposed to, and the reason why is a healthy immune system. But the immune system needs a boost of it's own from time to time to keep running smoothly. This basically means that her body is going to need a lot more nutrients like vitamin C, Carotenoids, B Vitamins, Vitamin E, and Zinc among others. These nutrients are stored in your baby's body, in muscles, fat, and organs. So when she needs to process them into her immune system, she will not feel great, and need a lot of sleep. Usually there is no need to worry, but if you ever have the feeling that there is something more seriously wrong, you should talk to your pediatrician.

Just like us grown ups, our babies will sometimes have changing sleep patterns and appetites. It is important to remember that almost everything your baby does is completely natural, and normal. However, if you ever find that you cannot wake your baby easily with a little jostle and noise or notice that he is refusing to eat for more than 12 hours, you should bring it to the attention of your little one's doctor right away. There are few things our little squishy britches will keep doing from one day to the next, being cute is really the only thing that doesn't change. So relax and enjoy the roller coaster, your baby is just waiting for you to get used to this new pattern so he can change it on you again. Happy parenting!

Also, please check out my current work over at YummyShapes.com where I blog about once a week these days.

5 Tips For Baby Milestones 0-3 Months

The sheer volume of developmentally significant moments in the first three months is a bit overwhelming. It can be hard to know which milestones are more important to watch for than others. The tricky thing when looking at milestones at any point in your baby's development is becoming too focused on when your baby should be able to start doing something. Milestones are developmental moments that we watch for to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary. For example, infants can start laughing as early as 3-4 months old. But if your baby doesn't start laughing until she is 5-6 months old there is still nothing out of the ordinary. This milestone is only important when the normal span of time for it to occur has passed. So if your baby still hasn't laughed by 9-12 months, there might be something wrong. There are very few things that must happen in the first three months in order to be sure that your baby is developing on schedule. Five of them are listed here.


1. Turns head toward sounds.
The acknowledgement of hearing sound and expressing curiosity about where the sound came from are very important. Your baby can start to show this interest right away, or it may take a few weeks. However, if your little Sherlock is showing no interest in sudden sounds that are coming from outside their range of vision by the age of three months, there might be something seriously wrong. If your baby does not meet this milestone, it could be caused by a number things, including deafness, and neurological issues, so bring it to your pediatrician's attention right away.

2. Eyes follow your face.
This is called "tracking", and it is a social instinct that teaches your baby how to communicate. Although babies don't speak, or even learn to use sign language for several more months, they are learning to interpret your expressions, your tone of voice, and your physical cues from the first couple of weeks. If your baby isn't showing any more interest in your face than in a random toy or mobile by three months this could be indicative of a serious issue. Though the particular cause is best left for your pediatrician to sort out, it is something very important to watch for.

3. Resists when arms or legs are pulled or pushed.
The instinct to pull or push with arms and legs is essentially your baby's built-in personal trainer. Your baby has to grow new muscles and continually strengthen existing muscles constantly from the moment they are born. Her body is growing so fast, and getting heavier , so nature made sure she would be born with a need to push and pull, kick, and grab, twist and wiggle, constantly. If this instinct hasn't kicked in, or seems to be barely there, it could cause many physical development delays and result in years of physical therapy. As well as being a sign that there might be something seriously wrong. But it is easy to test, just give a little tug on your baby's hand while she is awake and alert. If she pulls away, she is fine.

4. Tries to suck on things that brush the cheeks.
This instinct normally kicks in within minutes of birth. However, it can sometimes take a bit longer. The urge to turn his head and start suckling is of course one of your little kissy-face's most basic survival instincts. It is there to help him figure out how to eat. Though you can still feed a baby who does not have this instinct, it is important to bring it to your pediatrician's attention, as it could be a sign of something more serious.

5.Grasps an object with purpose.
Now this skill does take just a bit longer to kick in. At first your baby will just swat at things or nudge them with her hand, but after a month or two, she should be able to grab something within her reach that she is looking at. Though she won't learn to let go for another month or two, learning to grab, on purpose, is something that demonstrates the normal development of curiosity, independence, and physical coordination. If this skill is late in showing up, even if the cause is not a very serious one, it could point to a particular type of challenge that your diaper-dweller will have to face. Such as the need for help with fine-motor skill development, or being encouraged to explore and ask questions, or needing extra encouragement to try new things. Of course your pediatrician will help in determining how serious the cause of missing this milestone is. And guide you in the proper direction to give your baby the help she may need.

Always remember, milestones aren't there to promote competition, it doesn't matter in the least if your baby started doing something two weeks or a month before another baby. And it doesn't matter if it takes your baby a month or two longer to master a skill like rolling over or sitting up than other babies you see of the same age. The most important thing about milestones is to be sure that your baby will have the earliest possible care for any issues that could have an effect on his development. If you have found these tips to be helpful, please forward them to any new or expecting parents you might know. And as always, your questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Happy parenting!