How do I know if my baby is restless because of digestion and needs burping or just needs a cuddle to sleep?
The 7pm to 7am Sleeping Baby Routine separates feeding and sleep by a progressive amount of awake time which not only ensures your baby is tired enough to sleep, encourages waking hours during the day and not at night but also aids digestion to make sure your baby is gas free on settling to sleep.
If your baby is fed until full, burped effectively and frequently throughout the feed, during playtime while milk is digesting then digestive discomfort shouldn’t come into play during naps and overnight.
If your baby is also happy and calm during the play periods post feeds then it’s again unlikely to be digestion and gas that’s upsetting your baby on settling or sleeping.
Digestion discomfort would usually happen surrounding the feed time not while sleeping. However if breastfeeding and you are eating gassy foods this can have a negative impact on your baby’s digestive comfort. Also if burping is ineffective, then yes a build up of gas throughout the day can cause digestion issues around sleep time. Signs of this would be obvious during feeds, play and sleep – unhappy and crying during play or unable to stay awake due to bloating.
You might be interested in…
What not to eat whilst breastfeeding
What to eat whilst breastfeeding
Equally if your baby isn’t getting enough milk to support the routine then your baby will not be happy to settle and waking could be a sign of hunger.
On the cuddle front.. Every baby will want and need a cuddle to calm settle but wouldn’t normally wake due to needing a cuddle, not unless this is an association with sleep.
My advice is to understand your milk supply and baby’s milk intake at each feed, feed until full. Burp Burp Burp! Separate feed, play and sleep..
Enjoy the cuddles, they grow up so fast!
Book a Baby Digestion and Feeding Support Consultation with Charmian.