County Osteopaths : Sleep Problems in Babies













	If are considering bringing your baby or child for Cranial Osteopathy be reassured that it is a soothing and relaxing experience. Babies generally become more relaxed during treatment, toddlers play throughout it without noticing they are being treated, and older children often fall asleep. Also if we assess a child and find nothing to treat then we will tell you this and no treatment will be given.

	HABIT If you are dealing with a child who has developed a bad sleeping pattern then there are lots of ways to try to break the habit. Books have been written about “sleep training” so it’s well worth taking a look at the latest best sellers on the subject to find one that suits you. Each training method takes between 3 and 14 nights to cure the bad habits. The length of time depends on the age of the child. A child of 8 months and younger should be cured in 3 nights if habit is all that is wrong. Beyond 8 months the length of time tends to increase in proportion to the child’s assertiveness. Here are a few of the well known options of which I know but please check details of how to apply each method from other sources before trying them out yourselves : Controlled Crying When your child cries go and check there is nothing wrong. Some sources advise picking them up for as long as it takes to stop them crying then putting them down and leaving the room, some say don’t pick them up at all just let them see you for reassurance then leave the room. Either way don’t say anything, give as little eye contact as possible, look confident and leave the room as soon as possible. The first time you leave the room stay away for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes go back in and check as before, pick up briefly if you did beforehand. Leave the room again this time for 10 minutes. Repeat leaving them for 15 then 20 minutes. By 20 minutes they should have fallen asleep. This is for children who are secure about being left, if the child has separation anxiety then I would not suggest method for them. Nor will it work if the child is being kept awake by discomfort or tension in their body, please see table. Checking Method Same as controlled crying but keep the intervals between each time you return to 5 minutes.				Elastic Band Method In this method you do not leave the room so it is better for children with separation anxiety. Hug the child and put them down, move around the room going to the door and coming back to the bed or cot again to reassure with touch. Stretch out the time between visits to the cot or bed but stay in the room until they fall asleep. The Baby Whisperer’s Technique Pick up the child and hold them until they are settled, then put them down immediately. If they start to cry pick them up again immediately, settle them and put them down again immediately. Repeat until they no longer cry when put down. In the Baby Whisperer’s book she admits to picking up and putting down a child more than 300 times in the first night (therefore not recommended if you have a bad back!). However, as with any training technique, the second and third night are easier, with the number of times you pick them up reducing dramatically each night until it is nil. Obviously, not all wakefulness needs treating. Waking during illness and teething is natural to a degree but should only last a few days at a time. If it goes beyond this a bad habit may have developed or the illness may have caused residual discomfort in the child’s body which may benefit from treatment such as Cranial Osteopathy. And Finally….. Consult all your friends and family, your Health Visitor, Doctor, Osteopath, Homeopath and whoever else you trust. Take on board only the advice that seems right to you. Keep trying until you are satisfied with your child’s sleep pattern as sleep deprivation is, quite literally, torture!


	The chart below is a guide to how much sleep to expect a baby or child to need at any given age. Although I find it to be accurate I am not sure of its origins. Remember your child may need less sleep than others (or more) if that is a family trait, OR they may need as much sleep as suggested in the chart but are not able to get it for a variety of reaons - see above table.

Cranial Osteopathy is a gentle form of Osteopathic treatment safe for the treatment of babies and children. With it we aim to relieve tension that may be causing aches and pains or making it difficult for your baby or child to relax.

During a study on cranial osteopathy for babies, some parents perceived the following changes in their children’s behaviour: reduced colicky crying, improved sleep, less unsettled irritable behaviour and increased quiet happy spells.

Sleepless nights can test a parent’s patience and endurance to the limit so why struggle on if there may be help available? Do not feel inadequate or guilty about your child’s sleepless nights. Parents whose baby sleeps through the night from early on with no training are just lucky!

Sleep difficulties are so varied with so many possible causes that I have set out the most common ones in the table below. I must stress that these are the opinions of the author, Joanna Young, based on the experience of treating babies with cranial osteopathy over many years and having children of my own. This does not replace specific medical advice i.e. from your Doctor or Health Visitor.

If you are considering bringing your baby or child for Cranial Osteopathy be reassured that it is a soothing and relaxing experience. Babies become more relaxed during treatment, toddlers play throughout it without noticing they are being treated, and older children often fall asleep. Also if we assess a child and find nothing to treat then we will tell you this and no treatment will be given.

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Age of Child

Baby

Baby or Older Child

Child of 6 months or older

Baby up to 10 months (usually)

Teething – 3 months to 2.5 years.

Age

1 week

4 weeks

3-4 mths

6 mths

9 mths

1 year

18 mths

2 years

3 years

4 years

5 years

6 years

Day-time

8 hrs

6.75 hrs

5 hrs

4 hrs

2.75 hrs

2.5 hrs

2 hrs

1.25 hrs

1 hr

No of periods

Of sleep

Night-time

8.5 hrs

8.75 hrs

9.5

10.25 hrs

11.25 hrs

11.5 hrs

11.5

11.75 hrs

11 hrs

11.5

11 hrs

10.75 hours

No of periods

Of sleep

Total in

each 24 hours

16.5 hrs

15.5 hrs

14.5 hrs

14.25 hrs

14 hrs

13.5 hrs

13 hrs

11.5 hrs

11 hrs

10.75 hrs

Symptom

Will only sleep well if held.

Screams angrily, red in face, dislikes being handled, especially the head.

“Classic colic”: evening crying typically from around 5pm until around 11pm. Can usually be temporarily comforted by feeding or holding. Baby brings up its legs as if uncomfortable.

Sleeps so lightly that any noise awakens it. A baby’s arms and legs may “jump” during sleep and awaken it.

Wakes several times in the night.

Cries day and night especially after feeds. Baby may vomit or posset often.

A child who usually sleeps well starts waking in the night or waking earlier each morning. Gums red and / or swollen. May also suffer from nappy rash, runny nose, temperature, clingeyness and irritability.

Possible Causes

habit, please see below.

Possible discomfort in head, neck or back.

Too much force on the baby’s head during birth often from getting stuck, head being in awkward possition, overly long or shockingly quick second stage.

Wind build up during the day if baby doesnt burp well

Overtiredness, baby’s daytime naps have been missed leading to overtiredness.

Possible discomfort from digestion difficutlies associated with tension in head, neck, abdomen or back.

The child may have been left in a “hyper alert” state from a stressful birth or gestation.

Family trait. Other family members may sleep very lightly.

Habit, please see below

Possible discomfort in head, neck or back. Discomfort can prevent a child from staying asleep in that each time they come into a lighter stage of the sleep cycle it may wake them up.

This may be “Reflux” i.e.: the baby’s stomach valve has not yet properly grown allowing food to flow back into the oesophagus (gullet) where it causes discomfort. More common in boys.

Teething pain.

Treatment

Try to put the baby down when it’s sleepy and gently rock it or “shhhhh” it to sleep.

Try Cranial Osteopathy to release any undue tension that may be in the baby’s body.

Try Cranial Osteopathy to release any undue tension that may be in the baby’s body. This is done extremely gently, you can hold and / or feed the baby during treatment.

Wind carefully after each feed. There are off-the-shelf remedies thought to help.

Learn about how babies signal they are tired and try to get your baby to get to sleep whenever you see these if they fight sleep try Cranial Osteopathy to release any tension that may be making it difficult to relax.

Try Cranial Osteopathy to release any undue tension that may be in the baby’s body.

Try playing gentle music or womb-like noises such as “white noise” quietly in the child’s bedroom to block out other sounds.

Remove any incentive to waking e.g. avoid bringing them into bed with you; playing with them; speaking to them giving eye contact; giving food and drink except water (unless they are underweight).

Try Cranial Osteopathy to release any undue tension that may be in the baby’s body. Dont worry the child does not have to stay still during treatment.

Ask your Doctor for a trial of specific remedies such as Infant Gaviscon. These protect the lining of the gullet until the child’s stomach valve completes its development.

Cranial Osteopathy may also be effective in treating tension that discomfort may have caused in and around the baby’s abdomen.

Various pain killers are available for babies and children which containing paracetomol or ibuprofen.

Also anaesthetic gels and liquids to apply to gums.

Homeopathy may work well. To get the right remedies for your child seek the advice of a qualified Homeopath.

Cranial Osteopathy may help where there is tension in the child’s body that makes them more susceptible to pain.