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| Healthy Body
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Force Of Habit
How do I get my son to sleep longer than 3 hours at a time?
Q How can I get my 13-month-old son to sleep longer than three hours at a time? I’m still breastfeeding and find the only way to get him back to sleep is to feed him. What do you suggest?
Junaidah Osman, Woodlands Drive 75
A He associates sleep with breastfeeding, which means that he needs to breastfeed in order to fall sleep. This is not wise as he will rouse whenever his sleep cycle goes into light sleep ? the consequence is interrupted sleep, just as you have described. You should change his nightly sleep routine. Start the sleep routine by breastfeeding him or giving him a bottle of expressed breastmilk. Then clean his teeth and give him a wipe-down. Follow by massaging his arms, legs and body with baby lotion. Finally, turn off the lights and play some soft music or lullabies. Do encourage him to fall asleep on his own. This way, he will be able to soothe himself back to sleep if he happens to awaken in the night.
This question is answered by Dr Low Kah Tzay, a consultant paediatrician and child development specialist at Mount Elizabeth Hospital.
If you have any comments or practical suggestions, write to us at editor@family.sg
- Mother & Baby
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