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 About Your Baby's Spit-Up

Many of us parents worry about our baby spitting-up milk and/or formula. Sometimes it can seem like our little regurgitators don't keep anything down at all! I often get asked questions about this constant concern, and in my recent poll it was voted the topic of most interest to you. However, since many of the questions I am asked don't have to do with how to minimize spit-up, I decided to take this opportunity to simply answer some of the most common questions many parents have on the topic.

1. Is spit-up dangerous during sleep?
Laying your baby on his back to sleep is considered the safest position. But this obviously leads to the concern that your infant may choke on his own spit-up. This is not a common problem for most babies. Most babies will turn their head slightly to the side during sleep, and even if they don't they have reflexes that help them avoid choking on their spit-up. If you have ever dripped water on your little splasher's face during his bath, you might have seen him arch his head and body backward while waving his arms. This reflex is to help your baby roll onto his side if any thing obstructs his breathing. He will do the same thing, even while asleep, if his airway is not clear. Even swaddling will not keep your baby from arching his back and turning his head. The only time when night-time spit-up might be dangerous is if your baby has a cold that is producing a lot of mucus. If your baby is having trouble breathing anyway, there is a chance some spit-up could be sucked into the lungs on accident. There are some dangers that this could cause, so if you suspect that this has happened I would contact your pediatrician right away. Signs that your baby might have inhaled some spit-up are, excessive coughing, coughing while crying, and a rattling sound to their breathing between coughing.

2. Why does my baby spit up when laying down?
Many babies have trouble keeping their food down when laying flat, because there is a valve that is often under developed or not yet very strong at the top of the stomach that is meant to keep food down once swallowed. When this valve is so underdeveloped that it hardly functions it causes the condition known to most of us parents as "infant reflux". Even if your baby doesn't have reflux, when there is still liquid in her  belly and you lay her down, the food will sometimes leak back into her throat (which can be painful because there will probably be some stomach acid mixed in) and stimulate the gag reflex, which causes spit-up. It helps clear food out of the airway before it is accidentally inhaled into the lungs, but also causes a bit of a mess. Most of the time digestion of breast milk and formula is pretty fast, and almost all of your baby's food will be gone within 10-15 minutes after a feeding. However, every baby is different, and as your little one grows she will change as well. Sometimes this means that digestion will take longer, or that there is something about the feeding that disagrees with your finicky nibbler's tummy, and there may be a bit more left to toss back up the pipes than normal. As a good rule of thumb, try to keep your baby's head elevated a few inches above her stomach for at least 20 minutes after feeding to try and ensure that most of the food has been digested before you lay her down flat.

3. Is white chunky spit-up normal?
There are several different types of spit up. The most common is fairly watery with a few chunks of white cheesy-creamy stuff in it. This kind is usually seen pretty quickly after a feeding, and most often in infants that are having a bit of excess drool. The reason the spit-up is watery with little white chunks is usually because the spit-up was triggered by a burp which brought up both bits of partially curdled milk (curdling is a natural reaction to your baby's stomach acids, and is part of the digestion process), and mixed it with the excess saliva that was both in your baby's throat, and in his mouth. Another common kind is a large amount of milky-white chunky stuff. This usually comes right up from the tummy, and is often the result of a strong gag reflex getting triggered accidentally by a burp (...or a finger, or a toy, or a pacifier). It can also be caused by a bit too much horsing around too soon after eating. And, more rarely, it can be caused by nausea from a sickness. In general, white chunky spit up is absolutely normal. Other common types of normal spit-up are mostly milky (few chunks) and mostly watery (no milk or curdled milk chunks).

4. Is my baby spitting-up too much?
Almost always the answer to this question is "no". If your baby is eating regularly, having a normal number of wet and dirty diapers, and is continuing to gain weight, then she is getting enough to eat. It can seem like your baby is spitting up an awful lot, but it is extremely rare for a baby to spit up an entire feeding. The reason for this is, that digestion begins as soon as your baby swallows her first mouthful. And for a baby who is 3-4 months old digestion proceeds at an average rate of 1 ounce (30 ml) every 10-15 minutes. So if your baby eats approximately 5-6 ounces (150-180 ml) and a feeding lasts around 15-25 minutes, a great deal has been digested by the time your adorable little lactarian has finished. Even if your baby occasionally empties everything left in her stomach within 5-10 minutes after eating, the most that would come up would be around 2 ounces (60 ml). Now, don't get me wrong, 2 ounces (60 ml) can seem like an awful lot when poured down your neck, but as far as it being a sign that your little tulip isn't getting enough nutrition, it is unlikely. However, trust your instincts, and if you feel like something is really wrong with your baby, always check with your pediatrician.

5. How can I tell if my baby's spit-up is not normal?
In some cases there are conditions that cause strange spit-up. Some signs that you should immediately bring to your pediatrician's attention are:

• If your baby's spit-up is discolored (Yellow, green, red, blue, etc).
• If your baby spits up something that looks like coffee grounds.
• If your baby is not gaining weight appropriately.
• If your baby is forcefully expelling spit-up type fluid (projectile vomiting) frequently.
• If your baby resists feedings and is still spitting up large amounts.
• If your baby spits up constantly throughout every feeding.
• If spitting up seems to be causing your baby sharp pain (screaming and crying immediately after spitting up on a regular basis).

 Unless you see one of these strange types of spit up, your baby's spit up is probably normal.

Although there are many things to worry about with your new baby, generally spit-up shouldn't be one of them. The worst thing about spit-up for most parents is the inevitable spoiling of a favorite shirt, or getting some splattered on  your face. If you have found these tips helpful, please forward them to any new, or expecting parents you know. As always questions and comments are always welcome! Happy Parenting!


There is a NEW post from NAOMI up today (9/5/14)! Check it out HERE.