If you&rsquo;re a nurse, stress and anxiety are all-too-familiar feelings&mdash;simple mistakes can carry weighty repercussions. Small wonder, then, that nurses often have <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/insomnia/what-can-manage-insomnia">insomnia</a>, and struggle to release tension and slip off into dreamland. The first step to better sleep is to practice good sleep hygiene: this means turning off all devices before getting into bed, eliminating light, sticking to a bedtime ritual and limiting bedtime activities to sleep, reading and sex. But what you eat before you turn out the lights and get under the covers&mdash;whether it&#39;s a late-night meal or a snack&mdash;also plays a significant role in your rest. Here, then, are four foods that will help get and stay asleep, along with four others that should be avoided.

DO: Eat Cherries&mdash;Especially Tart Ones 
Drinking <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/sleep-health/can-cherry-juice-help-sleep">tart cherry juice</a> before bed may help you sleep better, according to several small studies results. Sounds random, right? But as it turns out, cherries are a good source of melatonin, a hormone with an outsized role in powering sleep cycles.

DON&rsquo;T: Drink Caffeinated Beverages 
It&rsquo;s obvious, but it needs to be said: Drinking caffeinated beverages close to bedtime&mdash;which includes coffee, and many sodas and teas, including green tea&mdash;sets you up for a poor night of sleep. Caffeine is a stimulant that works quickly (within minutes) to increase your alertness. According to the National Sleep Foundation, caffeine&rsquo;s impact is long lasting, too, continuing to keep you alert for several hours.&nbsp;

DON&rsquo;T: Drink Alcohol Before Bed 
As anyone who&rsquo;s propped their head up in a bar after a few too many beverages knows alcohol can have a soporific effect. But, while having a nightcap may help you fall asleep, over the course of the night, boozy beverages ultimately prevent you from reaching a deep, restful state.

DO: Eat a Banana 
High in magnesium, which can help ease insomnia, bananas are the perfect choice for pre-bed snacking. Don&rsquo;t like bananas? Magnesium is also found in dark, leafy greens, avocados and many nuts and seeds.

DON&rsquo;T: Indulge in High Fat Foods 
While you&rsquo;re avoiding a boozy nightcap as well, consider the merits of skipping a bowl of ice cream or other desserts with a high fat content. Some experts believe eating a fatty meal right before bedtime can stimulate acid production and cause heartburn, leading to poor sleep quality and daytime drowsiness.

DON&rsquo;T: Order the Death by Chocolate Dessert 
We&rsquo;re not saying to bypass dessert entirely, but chocolate is an under-the-radar source of caffeine. You wouldn&rsquo;t chug a cup of coffee before going to bed, and in the same spirit, bedtime is not the best time to eat a brownie, down a piece of chocolate cake, or even indulge in a few squares of chocolate.

DO: Eat Whole Grains 
Dieticians recommend complex carbs&nbsp;as a sleep-booster. Whole grains and wheat-based breads and pastas provide a steady release of insulin into your blood&mdash;just what you need to achieve restful sleep. Try whole-wheat pasta for dinner, or have wheat-based crackers as your bedtime snack.

DO: Have a Cup of Chamomile Tea 
The <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198755/" style="line-height: 1.6em;" target="_blank">research is not entirely conclusive</a>, but one study found modest benefits from having chamomile (as opposed to a placebo) for reduced nighttime awakenings. It&rsquo;s suggested that the act of preparing and drinking herbal tea at bedtime may have a relaxing, sleep-promoting effect. File sipping a warm, cozy cup of tea under worth a try, and consider making this beverage part of your bedtime wind-down routine.

Bonus: One Myth That Just Won&#39;t Go Away 
Were you expecting to see turkey on this list? We&#39;ve probably all experienced exhaustion after a big Thanksgiving feast, but <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/holiday-health/does-turkey-really-put-sleep" style="line-height: 1.6em;">experts say</a> that the cause of this sleepiness comes less from the tryptophan within the turkey, and more from our over-indulgence. The theory goes that the tryptophan&mdash;an amino acid&mdash;leads to serotonin, which in turn increases your melatonin. In truth, turkey, chicken and ground beef all have similar levels of tryptophan. The most likely reason for your Thanksgiving sleepies? Overeating, which isn&rsquo;t recommended as an insomnia treatment.

As well as choosing the right foods, consider the timing of your pre-bed eating. Avoid large meals close to bedtime&mdash;this can lead to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/heartburn-reflux/article/frequent-heartburn-lifestyle-changes-for-heartburn-relief">heartburn</a>, acid reflux and insomnia. Eat smaller meals throughout the day, and then have one of the foods on our &ldquo;do&rdquo; list as your last meal or snack before bedtime. Making smart choices about timing and staying away from the foods on the &quot;don&#39;t&quot; list will help you get your best rest.

Medically reviewed in November 2018.

4 Foods to Eat to Get Better Sleep (and 4 Foods to Avoid)

When Mila Kunis, wife of Ashton Kutcher and star of Bad Moms, breastfed her now four-year-old Wyatt Isabelle in public, she had a straightforward answer to the question, &ldquo;Why?&rdquo; &ldquo;Because I had to feed my child. She was hungry.&rdquo;

That clear-thinking attitude toward caring for an infant is now more mainstream and the CDC reports <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/slideshow/moms-talk-really-like-breastfeed">breastfeeding</a> rates are rising. Over 80 percent of mothers begin breastfeeding their babies at birth,&nbsp;and 51.8 percent are still breastfeeding at six months of age.

Now, new research from Dr. Mike&rsquo;s Cleveland Clinic reveals a surprising way to increase breastfeeding rates even more. Don&rsquo;t rush baby off for a bath right after birth; it reduces skin-to-skin contact, interferes with bonding, chills the little one (not nice!) and interferes with easy latching on.

The researchers looked at the breastfeeding differences between quick bathing and simply wiping off the baby&rsquo;s skin before leaving the child on mom&rsquo;s torso; bathing happened 12+ hours later. They found exclusive breastfeeding rates went up from 59.8 percent for moms with immediately bathed babies to 69.2 percent for no-immediate-bath-for-baby moms.

And beyond breastfeeding&rsquo;s well-documented boost to baby&rsquo;s immune strength, it turns out that as breastfeeding rates go up, lifetime medical costs associated with maternal and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/fertility-pregnancy-childbirth/slideshow/symptoms-never-ignore-newborn">childhood illnesses</a> are decreasing by $13 to $17 billion! So if you&rsquo;re headed for delivery, let your doc know you&rsquo;re interested in postponing your newborn&rsquo;s bath (the clinic says moms are demanding it). You and your baby will benefit in many ways.

Medically reviewed in February 2020.

The After-Birth Trick for Better Breastfeeding

More new moms than ever are nursing their newborns, according to the latest Breastfeeding Report Card from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That&rsquo;s great, and if you&rsquo;re among them or are looking ahead to having a baby soon, you&rsquo;ve no doubt heard plenty about breast milk&rsquo;s big benefits for your little one. But did you know there are <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/article/breastfeeding-benefits-for-mom-and-baby">major perks for mothers</a>, too?

New research is uncovering evidence of a previously unknown health boosts for nursing women &ndash; one that lasts decades after your child is weaned. By switching on the amazing biochemical factory that produces breast milk, you re-boot parts of your metabolism. You become more sensitive to insulin (the hormone that controls blood sugar processing), levels of heart-threatening blood fats drop, and so do levels of the fat inside your abdomen.

We understand that <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/article/ask-dr-darria-breastfeeding-has-become-painful-what-can-i-do">breastfeeding</a> isn&rsquo;t an option for every new mother. Nursing problems can include a low milk supply, medications you take, or a baby who can&rsquo;t get the hang of it. And then there are the everyday time constraints (other kids) and a lack of support. Just remember, as a wise lactation consultant once said, &ldquo;The most important thing is to feed the baby.&rdquo;

But if you&rsquo;re among the estimated 95 percent of new moms who don&rsquo;t face insurmountable nursing obstacles &ndash; or the 79 percent who currently give it a try &ndash; you&rsquo;ll love knowing how this ancient art nurtures you too.

Easier weight loss, less visceral fat. According to the UK&rsquo;s Million Women Study, women who breastfed their infants for six months or longer (breastfeeding burns 500 calories a day the researchers note) were 30 percent less likely to become obese later in life. Breastfeeding also helps <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/will-breastfeeding-help-lose-weight">burn off deep abdominal fat</a> that can accumulate during pregnancy. In one study, breastfeeding women had 28 percent less visceral fat than those who did not breastfeed.

Lower risk for diabetes. Women who <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/parenting/quizzes/quiz-breastfeeding-basics">breastfed</a> for one year were 24 to 44 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, say Harvard Medical School researchers who tracked over 70,000 women for 16 years. Shorter stints help, too. In a recent study, women who nursed for at least two months and who had gestational diabetes slashed their risk for developing type 2 diabetes in half.

A healthier heart and blood vessels. <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/how-does-breastfeeding-benefit-mothers">Breastfeeding</a> reduced risk for developing high blood pressure, high lousy LDL cholesterol and heart disease by 20 percent or more in one University of Pittsburgh study. Nursing releases calming hormones like oxytocin and prolactin that don&rsquo;t just make you feel serene, they also seem to relax your blood vessels. Benefits persist beyond menopause!

Reduced risk for some cancers. Nursing discourages ovulation. While this natural form of birth control isn&rsquo;t perfect (about 1 in 50 breastfeeding women who don&rsquo;t use contraception become pregnant), it could lower your odds for breast and ovarian cancer somewhat. Every month of breastfeeding cuts risk for some types of ovarian cancer by 1.4 to 2.2 percent.

Protection from rheumatoid arthritis. One large study noted that women who nursed their baby for at least a year cut their risk for developing this painful, degenerative joint condition by fifty percent.

We know that nursing&rsquo;s not always easy. Fortunately, today you&rsquo;ve got more support than ever to help you make it work. Two big tools:

Insurance coverage for lactation consultants. Most health insurance now covers visits from these trained breast-feeding coaches. Check your plan for details. A certified lactation consultant can help get the two of you off to a great start and suggest solutions if problems crop up along the way.

Coverage and help for pumping breast milk, too. Heading back to work? <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/how-increase-benefits-breastfeeding">Keep nursing</a>. Under the Affordable Care Act, most health insurers now cover costs for breast pumps and supplies, too. In addition, many employers must now provide a clean, private place for women to pump breast milk and must allow nursing moms to take pumping breaks.

Medically reviewed in June 2019.

Amazing Breastfeeding Benefits for Moms

I want to breastfeed my baby, but my nipples have become sore and I&rsquo;m starting to dread nursing her. I thought this was supposed to be a positive, bonding experience.&nbsp; 
Congratulations! You&rsquo;ve just brought home&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/slideshow/moms-talk-really-like-breastfeed">your new baby</a>. Now she&rsquo;s hungry, and you&rsquo;re sore from breastfeeding. But should breastfeeding hurt?&nbsp;

As a very wise source once told me, breastfeeding may seem daunting for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/fertility-pregnancy-childbirth/slideshow/breastfeeding-questions-afraid-ask">a new mom</a>, but &ldquo;even if you don&rsquo;t know what to do, you can be sure that your baby DOES know.&rdquo; So don&rsquo;t give up just yet. Let&rsquo;s look at the basics and then find some ways to help.&nbsp;

What&rsquo;s the right amount of time to breastfeed?&nbsp; 
<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/baby-feeding-and-nutrition/slideshow/is-baby-ready-solid-foods">Current recommendations</a>&nbsp;are to feed only breast milk for the first 6 months, and then from months 6 to &ndash;12, feed your baby a combination of breast milk and foods such as cereal, fruit and veggies for babies.&nbsp;

Why should I breastfeed?&nbsp; 
Research has shown many benefits&mdash;for both you and your infant:&nbsp;

For the baby:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Better nutrition: It provides vitamins, minerals and other nutrients infants need.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Reduces risk of infection: Newborns have a very weak immune system. (Trust me, I see them in the ER!) When you breastfeed, you actually pass on antibodies from your own immune system, protecting your child from illness. Babies that are breastfed have lower rates of hospitalization and decreased respiratory, ear and urinary tract infections.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Psychological well-being: Studies show that it reduces pain and stress in the infant.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Reduced risk of obesity: Breastfeeding for at least 6 to 7 months may reduce a child&rsquo;s risk of being overweight, according to another recent study.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

For you:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Decreased uterine bleeding after birth&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Less stress&nbsp;</li>
	<li>More rapid weight loss&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Lower feeding costs (formula is expensive!)&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Fewer sick baby medical visits; less missed work for you&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Breastfeeding for 6 to12 months has been shown to reduce your risk of breast cancer, particularly in women who don&rsquo;t smoke&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Why does breastfeeding hurt&nbsp;and what can you do to alleviate&nbsp;it?&nbsp; 
Engorgement: When your breasts are too full of milk and your baby has trouble latching on, breasts can become swollen, hard and painful.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Use a breast pump to let out milk for 2 to 5 minutes (no longer, or you could make it worse).&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Use an ice pack, take a warm shower or try gentle massage until milk starts to flow&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Take Tylenol to reduce pain.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Painful nipples: These can be possibly due to cracks, blisters or bruises.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Make sure that baby is latching on correctly.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Use a healthcare provider (HCP) prescribed ointment.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Try an over-the-counter ointment, such as lanolin.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Wear breast pads between feedings to keep nipples from rubbing against fabric.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Blocked milk ducts: These can cause a painful and red lump.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Try to breastfeed often, and make sure that the breasts fully empty during feedings.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Try a warm shower and gentle massage to help milk flow.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Breast infections: This is a common source of breastfeeding pain and the reason that many women come to the ER or see their HCPs. The most common infection is called mastitis. In addition to a fever, you may develop a hard, red and swollen area on your breast.&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>You don&rsquo;t need to stop breastfeeding while you have mastitis.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Take a pain reliever like acetaminophen.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Use a breast pump to fully empty your breast after feedings.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Talk to your HCP to see if you should take an antibiotic, and make sure to find out whether you can continue feeding your baby while on the antibiotic.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

When should I see an HCP?&nbsp; 
If you have a blocked duct that doesn&rsquo;t improve after three days, have a fever and signs of mastitis, blood coming from your nipples or pain that lasts for an entire breast-feeding session, check in with your OBGYN.&nbsp;

For more information about how to make breastfeeding less painful, or if you&rsquo;re just having trouble, ask your HCP to recommend a lactation consultant&mdash;someone who&rsquo;s specially trained to help you deal with problems and successfully breastfeed your baby.&nbsp;

Medically reviewed in May 2018. Updated in March 2021.&nbsp;

Ask Dr. Darria: Breastfeeding Has Become Painful. What Can I Do?

&ldquo;Pumping Up with Hans and Franz&rdquo; was a much-loved sketch with Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon that debuted on Saturday Night Live in 1987. The duo often insisted, &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not here to talk, we&rsquo;re here to pump &hellip; you up!&rdquo; Pumping was what these characters did at work.

Unfortunately, for breastfeeding moms, <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/if-breastfeeding-handle-return-work">pumping at work</a> isn&rsquo;t that easy. Though federal law says employers must supply moms with time and space to pump breastmilk, most women don&rsquo;t continue breastfeeding after they return to work. On average, women <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby">breastfeed</a> for around 12 weeks, even though the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends babies nurse for six months and combine it with solid food for another six.

A study from the University of Houston found that out of 859 working women with newborns, only seven managed to breastfeed exclusively for six months, while around 300 continued some breastfeeding for 12 months. That diminishes the <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/video/womens-health/healthy-baby/6-ways-that-show-how-breastfeeding-benefits-moms-health">health advantages of breastfeeding</a>: mutual bonding; stronger resistance to infections, less allergies and obesity for baby; and lower risk of ovarian and breast cancer for mom.

Why, despite the law, does this happen? Women often feel employers and coworkers think pumping on the job means a woman isn&rsquo;t handling her workload as required. So, as Hans and Franz say, &ldquo;Hear me now and believe me later&rdquo;: Companies need to help supervisors and staff understand that supporting pumping and breastfeeding helps retain good employees, lowers healthcare costs and absenteeism. New moms need to talk with their HR department to help them gain support and understanding.

Medically reviewed in May 2018.

Breastfeeding and the Workplace

News reports pop up frequently about cultural expectations coming into conflict with moms and nursing infants: For example, a Virginia woman who was discretely breastfeeding in a Wal-Mart - only spotted by a security cam - was later tracked down by local authorities and arrested at her home. A Santa Cruz mom was breastfeeding her baby in her car at a filling station. When police pulled her from her car and took her newborn from her arms, she was charged with resisting arrest.

Although 49 states, Washington DC and the Virgin Islands have laws allowing women to breastfeed in any location, that doesn&rsquo;t keep moms from coming under fire for doing what&rsquo;s healthy and natural. So it&rsquo;s no surprise that while 77% of North American moms start off nursing their newborns, by the time their child is six months old only 49% continue to do so.

That&rsquo;s a shame because the benefits are enormous. Breastfeeding helps a child develop a stronger immune system and bigger brain, dodge allergies, and lower odds of childhood obesity. But researchers analyzing data from the 20-year-long Nurses Health Study found that women who breastfed for less than six months had an increased risk of hardening of the arteries.

However, moms breastfeeding for a longer time gained major benefits: It decreased the risk for <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/type-2-diabetes" target="_blank">type 2 diabetes</a>, hypertension, high blood sugar and being overweight or obese. The healthcare benefits to everyone and the savings to our healthcare system are significant, so encourage acceptance and understanding of this most natural of acts.&nbsp;

Medically reviewed in February 2020.

Breastfeeding: Benefits for Both Baby and Mom

This week&rsquo;s cover of&nbsp;Time&nbsp;shows a young mother breastfeeding her son&mdash;a boy, nearly 4 years old, who is standing on a chair to reach his mother&rsquo;s breast.

The article, &ldquo;Are You Mom Enough?&rdquo;, talks about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/parenting/attachment-parenting-good-for-children">attachment parenting</a>,&nbsp;a movement led by pediatrician Bill Sears, MD. The movement encourages, among other things, breastfeeding for an extended period, one counted in years, not months.

This got me thinking. Never mind breastfeeding beyond 12 months&mdash;how are moms supposed to breastfeed for even the first 6 months straight, as the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines recommend (with continued breastfeeding plus the introduction of food for at least 12 months)? That&rsquo;s about 182 consecutive days, 8 meals a day, 1,456 total meals. And how are they supposed to manage some of that breastfeeding outside of the house?

There have been so many stories in recent months of breastfeeding moms being run out of grocery stores, sequestered in smelly bathrooms, criticized for exposing a little skin (not nipple!) while feeding their hungry child in public.

Let me tell you,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/breastfeeding-hard">breastfeeding can be hard</a>.&nbsp;I&rsquo;m a first-time mom and I JUST am able to confidently say (fingers crossed) that I can breastfeed my 3-month-old regularly without placing frozen gel pads on my&nbsp;nipples, bleeding through my shirts,&nbsp;wincing at every feeding, worrying about the latch (lips flared, chin up!).

It&rsquo;s hard enough trying to maintain a good&nbsp;milk supply. But on to top of that, trying to breastfeed in public without&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/comfortable-breastfeeding-positions" title="hunkering Quasimoto-style over your child">hunkering Quasimoto-style over your child</a>, sheepishly scanning around to make sure you look &ldquo;tastefully covered,&rdquo; counting the microseconds until your baby is done eating, then juggling (literally) the baby and exposed boob and zipping it all up in with a certain flair, is quite an accomplishment.

Is it worth it?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/benefits-breast-feeding">Absolutely</a>. Every time I look down at my baby, I know I&rsquo;m giving her the best I can give. (And not all women have a difficult time breastfeeding.) But if women are to attempt to breastfeed every meal while also joining the rest of the human race, they are going to need to do it out in the open.

Yet somehow, seeing Lady Gaga&rsquo;s nipple pasties is more accepted than seeing a baby&rsquo;s mouth attached to real nipples.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Here&rsquo;s my solution:

Make breastfeeding a new Olympic sport. Millions of people would be watching and the sight of a baby feeding would no longer make people squirm.

What other physical and emotional endeavor is so demanding, takes practice, requires specialized equipment (hello, nipple gel packs), requires perfect timing between partners, is done in the early hours of the morning and the wee hours of the night&mdash;but in the end gives so much satisfaction and sense of accomplishment?

We would be judged on such categories as&nbsp;latch technique&nbsp;and best sucking rhythm.

Think of the possibilities! People would be clambering to get the top lactation consultants. Kids would grow up bragging, &ldquo;We won the 2012 gold&mdash;and no allergies!&rdquo;. The public would respect the dedication and passion of breastfeeding moms as much as they do that gold-medal Olympian.

Until then, every time I look down at my little one, I&rsquo;m going to whisper, &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s go for the gold!&rdquo;

Medically reviewed in February 2020.

Breastfeeding, the Next Olympic Sport

When I was growing up, PB &amp; J was a lunch box staple. But&nbsp;due to the increase in peanut allergies (which&nbsp;have&nbsp;quadrupled&nbsp;in recent&nbsp;years), many schools don&rsquo;t allow children to take peanut products to school anymore for fear of anaphylaxis&mdash;a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.&nbsp;

But the results from a&nbsp;2015&nbsp;study&nbsp;published in the&nbsp;New England Journal of Medicine&nbsp;found that exposure to peanut products may actually help decrease future&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/food-allergies-intolerance/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-peanut-allergies">peanut allergies</a>&mdash;and bring PB &amp; J sandwiches back as a lunchtime&nbsp;standard.&nbsp;

What the research found&nbsp; 
The LEAP (Learning About Peanut Allergy) study released its groundbreaking data showing that introducing peanut butter to babies who were at least 4 months but less than 11 months of age decreased their chance of developing a peanut allergy. In the study, researchers found that kids who avoided peanuts until they were age 5 were up to seven times more likely to wind up with a peanut allergy than kids who ate peanuts at least three times a week.&nbsp;

This helps shed light on the question&nbsp;of&nbsp;when&nbsp;to&nbsp;introduce peanut butter and peanut products to&nbsp;babies and&nbsp;children.&nbsp;

Previously it was recommended that parents hold off on giving kids peanuts and peanut products until they reached 1 to 3 years of age. But as the number of cases of peanut allergies&nbsp;in children continued to grow, we&nbsp;doctors&nbsp;began to wonder if we were creating food allergies by holding off on potentially allergic foods. One striking example:&nbsp;In Israel,&nbsp;where babies and young children&nbsp;often&nbsp;eat a peanut snack called Bamba,&nbsp;the prevalence of peanut allergies was low.&nbsp;

The LEAP study included just over 600 infants at high risk for peanut allergy, determined by whether they were already allergic to eggs or had eczema, which causes skin to become red and itchy. The researchers randomly assigned the children to either receive a peanut protein powder mixed with water three times a week, or to avoid peanut protein completely. They also tested the infants to see if their skin prick test to peanut was negative (not allergic) or mild.&nbsp;

The results were shocking.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In the children who were initially negative (did not have a peanut allergy), 13.7 percent of those who avoided peanut protein developed a peanut allergy. But only 1.9 percent of those given peanut protein three times a week developed a peanut allergy. In&nbsp;those children&nbsp;who initially had a mild allergy, 35 percent in the avoidance group developed a peanut allergy, compared to 10.6 percent in a mildly allergic group who ate a peanut protein. &nbsp;

Introducing peanuts to baby&nbsp; 
This study clearly&nbsp;suggested&nbsp;that&nbsp;introducing&nbsp;peanuts to babies dramatically decreased&nbsp;the risk of developing a peanut allergy.&nbsp;So,&nbsp;in&nbsp;2017&nbsp;the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases&nbsp;came up with a set of guidelines for introducing peanuts to babies, which was endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics&nbsp;(AAP). Their recommendations&nbsp;are:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Babies with a known egg allergy or severe eczema should be tested early for a peanut allergy.&nbsp;When they&rsquo;re between 2 and 4 months old,&nbsp;speak to a pediatrician.&nbsp;Your physician may also request introducing&nbsp;peanuts in a&nbsp;medical&nbsp;office&mdash;as early as 4 to 6 months of age, says the AAP.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Parents of babies with mild to moderate eczema should speak with a pediatrician first, but&nbsp;their children&nbsp;can generally try peanuts around 6 months old.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Then there are babies with no eczema or&nbsp;existing&nbsp;food allergy&mdash;and&nbsp;who don&rsquo;t have a raised risk for an allergy. Based on family preference and culture, they&nbsp;can be introduced&nbsp;to peanuts&nbsp;at any time&nbsp;after they&rsquo;ve had a few other solid foods with no allergic reaction.</li>
</ul>

What you need to know&nbsp; 
What I tell my patients is this: Introducing peanut products to your baby starting at around age 6 months is a good idea, but you must be extremely careful. Do not give any child under&nbsp;4&nbsp;years old&nbsp;whole peanuts, as they can be a choking hazard. In terms of peanut butter, it may be difficult (and dangerous) for an infant or toddler to move a glob of peanut butter around his mouth and swallow.  &nbsp;

But older infants, around 8 or 9 months of age, may be able to handle a thin smear of creamy peanut butter to lick off of a parent&rsquo;s finger or on a thin piece of soft bread. Alternatively, you could mix peanut butter into a pureed food (such as oatmeal) that you are already feeding your infant, or mix a small amount into muffins. Be sure to ask your pediatrician or pediatric allergist&nbsp;before&nbsp;introducing&nbsp;peanut products&nbsp;to your baby.&nbsp;

While it&rsquo;s difficult to know exactly how much&nbsp;to give&nbsp;your child (to replicate the amounts in the study), giving your child a taste is a good idea since peanuts are a healthy food. &nbsp;

You may be wondering if you can cause your child to become allergic by introducing peanuts at a young age. The answer is no: The study results show that it can actually decrease the possibility. If your child should develop an allergy after this exposure, it would likely have happened anyway.&nbsp;

And one final note:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/food-allergies-intolerance/article/everything-you-need-to-know-about-food-allergies">Allergic reactions</a>&nbsp;can vary from mild&mdash;such as dry, itchy skin&mdash;to hives, facial or lip swelling or trouble breathing. If there is swelling or trouble breathing seek medical help immediately.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, I&rsquo;m mixing some peanut butter into my 6-month-old&rsquo;s oatmeal. Yum! &nbsp;

Medically&nbsp;reviewed&nbsp;in March 2021.&nbsp;

Sources:&nbsp;

FARE. &ldquo;Facts and Statistics.&rdquo; 2021. Accessed March 5, 2021.&nbsp; 
G&nbsp;DuToit, G Roberts, et al. &ldquo;Randomized Trial of Peanut Consumption in Infants at Risk for Peanut Allergy.&rdquo; New England Journal of Medicine. February 26, 2015.&nbsp;372:803-813.&nbsp; 
Sarah&nbsp;DeWeerdt. &ldquo;The peanut snack that triggered a fresh approach to allergy prevention.&rdquo; Nature. December 2, 2020.&nbsp;Accessed March 5, 2021.&nbsp; 
Claire McCarthy. &ldquo;Peanut Allergies: What You Should Know About the Latest Research &amp; Guidelines.&rdquo; American Academy of Pediatrics. January 17, 2020.&nbsp; 
Amanda Cox. &ldquo;When can I start giving my baby peanut butter?&rdquo; American Academy of Pediatrics. March 17, 2019.&nbsp; 
American Academy of Pediatrics. &ldquo;AAP Clinical Report Highlights Early Introduction of Peanut-based Foods to Prevent Allergies.&rdquo; March 18, 2019. Accessed March 5, 2021.&nbsp;

Exposing Kids to Peanuts Early May Prevent Allergy Later

Around 4 million babies will be born in the US and Canada this year and if you&rsquo;re one of the new parents you want to make sure your newbie thrives. Fortunately, since 1992 when the American Academy of Pediatrics (APA) first recommended that infants sleep only on their back to avoid <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/kids-teens-health/what-sudden-infant-death-syndrome" target="_blank">SIDS</a>&nbsp;(sudden infant death syndrome) the number of tragic incidences has plummeted and parents have had fewer worries. But there are still around 3,000 unexpected infant deaths every year; so the CDC and APA are campaigning to help parents eliminate others causes.

Their number one target: bed-sharing. It increases the risk of SIDS five-fold. Falling asleep next to your infant is particularly risky if you are overweight, have long hair, soft and cuddly comforters and pillows, are exhausted, a smoker, even a moderate drinker or taking drugs or medications. (There&rsquo;s something there for almost everyone!)

You can enjoy bringing baby into bed with you to breastfeed or to comfort or cuddle the child&ndash;while you are fully awake. But the best arrangement is to have your little one sleep in your room, but not in your bed. So set up a crib with a firm surface, no crib bumpers, no soft bedding or pillows, no blankets or other fabric that could interfere with breathing. Make sure to avoid pacifiers on strings placed around baby&rsquo;s neck or clipped to clothing and exposure to smoke or illicit drugs. Now, if mom and dad can just get a good night&rsquo;s sleep too!

Medically reviewed in February 2020.

Dangers of Sleeping With Baby

You may have seen recipes circulating online for homemade baby formula. Don&#39;t try them. Making your own baby formula simply isn&#39;t safe. I say this out of love and education, but also out of fear. I am a mother of three boys and a pediatrician who has cared for babies for more than 15 years. I&rsquo;m also a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics and author of What to Feed Your Baby: A Pediatrician&rsquo;s Guide to the 11 Essential Foods to Guarantee Veggie-Loving, No-Fuss, Healthy-Eating Kids.&nbsp; My writing partner, Beth Saltz, is also a mom, registered dietitian and chef.&nbsp;

We&rsquo;re not going to get into the breast milk vs. formula debate, as we are all moms, doing what we consider best for our own family. In fact, we&rsquo;ve never met a mom who didn&rsquo;t want the best for her baby. Both myself and my co-author breast-fed our children and fully support <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/benefits-breast-feeding" style="line-height: 1.6em;">breastfeeding</a>. Although our motto is usually to skip the baby food aisle, if you aren&rsquo;t breastfeeding your baby, we agree that it is okay to buy formula off the shelf.

I&rsquo;m certain that good intentions lie behind homemade formula: Some parents feel that making their own infant formula is &ldquo;healthier&rdquo; or more &ldquo;natural&rdquo; or &ldquo;safer&rdquo; than buying commercial baby formula. That said, in trying to do what they feel is best, some moms go about it all wrong and end up compromising their baby&rsquo;s health, which is often the case with homemade infant formula.

Can homemade formula provide nutrition? Yes. But you would have to be a nutrition scientist with an expensive lab in order to make something safe and healthy. Yes, commercial baby formulas are made by big companies in giant factories, but these companies have spent billions of dollars researching and developing products that meet the FDA standards for nutrition and safety as set by the Infant Formula Act, which was developed to safeguard the nutritional health of all infants.

The very existence of the Infant Formula Act tells us there was a need for one. Companies must follow <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/baby-feeding-and-nutrition/what-nutrients-baby-formulas-contain" style="line-height: 1.6em;">specific safety and nutritional standards</a> to keep our most vulnerable population safe.

Why would you want to guess at the correct ratio of easily digestible protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals that babies need for their growing brain, vision, and bones? There is no nutritional analysis for these home recipes, and consuming improper quantities of nutrients can cause poor growth and development, and too much can cause toxicity.&nbsp;

Not only is there a critical risk of improper nutrition, there is also the chance for contamination with bacteria and other germs. Among the health hazards, some homemade infant formulas contain raw animal milk, which can lead to serious and deadly infections. Food safety hazards can occur anywhere along the chain. Perhaps your milk base (goat, dairy, or otherwise) was contaminated early in the cycle, or perhaps the probiotic you are adding isn&rsquo;t approved for use in infants.

A baby&rsquo;s immune system is not yet fully developed, so they can get very sick very quickly. Breast milk or formula is the sole source of nutrition for this vulnerable population for many months, so don&rsquo;t take any chances.

It&rsquo;s great that moms today want to feed their baby homemade, healthy foods. Those are fantastic goals that we also recommend in our new book when it comes to feeding babies.&nbsp; However, the benefits of homemade baby food do not apply to infant formula because of the dangers that outweigh the benefits.&nbsp;

If you choose to use formula, please buy a commercially prepared and FDA approved one. What&rsquo;s the alternative if you don&rsquo;t feel comfortable buying commercially prepared and tested infant formula? Breast milk. And now we&rsquo;ve come full circle.

Medically reviewed in April 2018.

Please Do NOT Make Your Own Baby Formula

Constant caffeine, skipped workouts and other perils of the late-night worker.

7 Health Pitfalls for Night Shift Workers and How to Avoid Them

&ldquo;This is the paramedic, we&rsquo;re driving in with a 4-month-old. Mother found it in the crib, not breathing. CPR underway.&rdquo;

As an ER doctor, there are few calls that you dread more, few that make you feel as sick to your stomach, that just make you stop.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-baby/article/what-you-need-know-sids">As a mom, few thoughts are scarier than SIDS</a>. While SIDS rates had declined in the 1990s, the rates have plateaued in the last decade, causing about 3500 infant deaths a year. That&rsquo;s why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) just released <a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/138/5/e20162938" target="_blank">new guidelines on SIDS prevention</a>.

Are you putting your baby at risk? Here are the risk factors:

While some the SIDS-related death have no apparent cause, over 95 percent of them are associated with one or more risk factors. Many of these risk factors are preventable:

<ol>
	<li>Smoking during pregnancy</li>
	<li>Age of mother under 20 years</li>
	<li>Late or no prenatal care</li>
	<li>Preterm birth or low birth weight</li>
	<li>Putting baby to sleep on his or her stomach</li>
	<li>Placing baby on a soft surface or with bedding, pillows or toys. According to a recent study, up to 91 percent of parents put their child to sleep in dangerous settings.</li>
	<li>Sharing a bed with parents</li>
	<li>Overheating</li>
</ol>

If you have a baby under the age of one (or are about to have a baby, in which case, congratulations!), please take these preventative measures:

<ol>
	<li>Back to sleep:&nbsp;You and I slept on our stomachs&mdash;and the rate of SIDS was double that of today. In the 1990s, guidelines changed to putting babies to sleep on their backs, rather than their stomachs or sides, which increase the risk of SIDS. &ldquo;Back to sleep&rdquo; cuts the risk of SIDS by over 50 percent, so make sure that you&rsquo;re taking this very easy step, every single time.</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/sleeping-and-napping-in-babies/whats-co-room-bed-sharing">Co-room, don&rsquo;t co-sleep</a>: The American Academy of Pediatrics just released new guidelines, advocating that having baby sleep in your room reduces her risk of SIDS, as long as she&rsquo;s sleeping in an appropriate area, and NOT in your bed. You want baby in your room because it reduces the risk of SIDS by up to 80 percent, but not in your bed&mdash;that can double to quadruple the risk of SIDS. The safest option? Place a Consumer Product Safety Commission-approved bassinet by your bed, where baby is within arm&rsquo;s reach, but safely out of harm.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Remove everything from baby&rsquo;s sleep area: Do you know what I call those &ldquo;cute&rdquo; baby bumpers (even the supposedly &ldquo;safe&rdquo; ones have been associated with 48 infant deaths from 2006 to 20012), &ldquo;infant wedge sleep positioners,&rdquo; and other pillows or blankets placed in an infant&rsquo;s crib? Baby traps, plain and simple. Unless there&rsquo;s an item your pediatrician explicitly says you must have in the crib, get it out. Manufacturers selling these are taking advantage of parents&rsquo; fears and countering the guidance from the AAP.</li>
	<li>Use a wearable blanket and swaddle only up to a certain age: Wearable blankets are safer than loose blankets in the crib. If you&rsquo;re swaddling your infant, make sure to only place him on his back. As soon as baby shows any signs of attempting to roll, ditch the swaddle, which can become a potential risk factor once baby is more mobile. I was a big fan of wearable blankets that could be used as a swaddler or a blanket. As soon as my daughter started to roll, we freed her arms and allowed her to wear the blanket.</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/baby-care-essentials/pacifier-help-baby">Consider a pacifier</a>:&nbsp;If your baby likes the soothing effect of a pacifier at bedtime, go ahead. We don&rsquo;t fully know why, but research has shown that pacifiers at sleep-time can reduce the risk of SIDS. Be sure to not use a pacifier &ldquo;leash.&rdquo;</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/kids-teens-health/how-decrease-risk-of-sids">Breastfeed</a>:&nbsp;Nursing for six months lowers your risk of SIDS, among other benefits. Many moms can do this, but for a variety of medical reasons, some moms cant. So, remember that the more exclusively you can breastfeed the better. Even if you can&rsquo;t make it six months, a little bit is better than none!</li>
	<li><a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/kids-teens-health/does-smoking-increase-risk-sids">Don&rsquo;t smoke</a>:&nbsp;Smoke exposure during pregnancy and after birth are both major risk factors for SIDS, particularly when baby bed-shares with an adult smoker&mdash;even if that person doesn&rsquo;t smoke in bed.</li>
</ol>

Medically reviewed in April 2018.

How to Reduce Your Baby’s Risk of SIDS

Being a twin, triplet or quadruplet is a fascinating and&nbsp;unique experience, says OBGYN&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/doctor/dr-jessica-shepherd">Jessica Shepherd, MD</a>, an assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. We asked Dr. Shepherd to share some of the most surprising facts about twins and multiples.

Twins can be different races 
&ldquo;As we know, not all twins are born alike,&quot; she says. &quot;Some are fraternal, and others are identical. They can share one or have multiple placentas and amniotic sacs.&rdquo; But did you know that twins could actually be two different races?

The rare phenomenon is called heteropaternal superfecundation. It can happen if a woman releases more than one egg during ovulation and has sex with two male partners during that time frame. In this situation, one man&rsquo;s sperm fertilizes one egg while the other man&rsquo;s sperm fertilizes the other egg. Although uncommon, the races of the babies could differ because each egg is fertilized by different sperm.

Twins have stopped multiplying 
&ldquo;The rate of twin births in 2009&nbsp;was 76 percent higher than it was in 1980, which is due to mothers waiting longer before they decided to conceive and also due to the increase in fertility treatment options,&rdquo; says Shepherd.&nbsp;&ldquo;[Twins] reached a record high in 2014; that is a record 33.9 twins born for every 1,000 births,&rdquo; she adds.

But between 2014 and 2018, after decades of increases, the twin birth rate dropped 4 percent to a rate of 32.6 per 1,000 births. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the decline occurred in women age 30-plus and white women; the rate for Hispanic and non-Hispanic black women remained relatively unchanged. While reasons for the shift aren&rsquo;t known for sure, it&rsquo;s likely due to advancements in fertility treatments. To note: Twins are still much more common now than in 1980.&nbsp;

What about triplets and higher-order multiples? While their births rose significantly during the 1980s and 1990s, they&nbsp;declined by roughly 41 percent between 1998 to 2014.&nbsp;Why? It may be due to changes in IVF therapies and assisted reproductive technologies (ART) practices, which reduced the number of embryos transferred during a procedure.

Expecting twins or multiples? You might notice these symptoms 
Sometimes, early in pregnancy, women may experience certain&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/early-pregnancy-signs">symptoms</a>&nbsp;that indicate twins or more multiples. These possible symptoms may include:

<ul>
	<li>Elevated hCG levels, known as the pregnancy hormone. It&rsquo;s the hormone in your blood or urine that shows if you&rsquo;re pregnant.</li>
	<li>Measuring larger for gestational age, especially early in the second trimester.</li>
	<li>Excessive morning sickness due to the elevated amounts of hCG, the pregnancy hormone.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

For expectant mothers of twins or multiples, vaginal bleeding is more common during early pregnancy, with up to&nbsp;30 percent of women reporting the symptom.

Twins are often born prematurely 
A full-term pregnancy is one that lasts between 39 weeks and 0 days, and 40 weeks and 6 days, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

&ldquo;With twins, delivery is most times&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/kids-teens-health/what-causes-baby-born-prematurely">premature</a>,&nbsp;before 37 weeks, and that decreases with each additional baby,&rdquo; says Shepherd. &ldquo;For triplets, pregnancies&nbsp;usually end by&nbsp;33 weeks, and quad pregnancies at 29 weeks.&rdquo;

Twins can form their own &ldquo;language&rdquo; 
Many parents of twins note that their children seem to develop their own secret language, also known as idioglossia or cryptophasia. Experts still aren&rsquo;t sure how it happens, but current thinking is that twins pick up each other&rsquo;s mispronunciations as they&rsquo;re learning to talk. For example, if one twin has delayed speech development and has trouble articulating certain sounds or words, the other may mimic their sibling. Since they spend so much time together, twins also tend to make up their own shorthand ways of communicating. Interestingly, researchers have studied certain pairs of twins who were isolated growing up and developed true, fully formed languages of their own.

Medically reviewed in February 2019.&nbsp;Updated in October 2019.

Fascinating Facts About Twins and Multiples

For most new parents, sleep deprivation is a rite of passage. At times it may seem like your newborn isn&rsquo;t sleeping at all. In reality, many babies actually require up to 19 hours of sleep each day. The problem is, they tend to slumber only in short one- to two-hour spurts and often decide to be awake in the wee hours of the night, when you&rsquo;re desperate for some shut-eye.&nbsp;

But don&rsquo;t despair. There is some good news: Most babies settle into a predictable sleep schedule eventually, says Alison&nbsp;Niebanck, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Mercer University School of Medicine and program director of the pediatric residency program at Memorial Health in Savannah, Georgia. And with a little strategizing, you can get there faster. Here&rsquo;s how.&nbsp;

Go with the flow early on&nbsp; 
Babies younger than 4 months old don&rsquo;t have the ability to self-soothe&mdash;to calm themselves down when left alone in their cribs. &ldquo;The main point for little babies is to hold and love them, and then gently put them down when they are asleep,&rdquo; says Dr.&nbsp;Niebanck. For that reason, she says, you shouldn&rsquo;t just walk away and let infants this age &ldquo;cry it out.&rdquo;&nbsp;

If, on the other hand, you&rsquo;re tempted to take your baby into bed with you, expert advice is simple: Don&rsquo;t do it.&nbsp;

It&rsquo;s okay to have your baby sleep in your room for the first six months&mdash;in fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this practice for up to 12 months, as it can decrease the risk of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-baby/article/what-you-need-know-sids">sudden infant death syndrome</a> (SIDS) by as much as 50 percent. But your baby should stay in her own crib or bassinet.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Adult beds aren&#39;t safe for babies, period,&rdquo; says&nbsp;Niebanck. Your little one could suffocate if a sleeping parent rolls over on top of her, or if she gets trapped between the headboard slats, the mattress and bed frame, or the mattress and the wall. Other dangers include suffocation under soft bedding or falling off the bed.&nbsp;

What about swaddling?&nbsp; 
One long-standing practice to help babies sleep is swaddling, or tightly wrapping them to restrict movement. The technique is believed to help calm infants by making them feel like they&rsquo;re back in the womb. Expert opinion and research on swaddling are mixed, and there is some concern that swaddled babies who are placed on their stomachs or who roll onto their stomachs have an <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-baby/slideshow/what-works-protect-newborn-sids">increased risk of SIDS</a>.&nbsp;

If you choose to swaddle your baby, consult with your pediatrician on how to do it correctly and the age ranges when swaddling may be appropriate. Generally speaking, swaddled infants should only sleep on their backs and the practice should be stopped once the baby is old enough to try rolling over.&nbsp;

You can capture some of the benefits of swaddling&mdash;while reducing the potential risks&mdash;by using a sleep sack, which partially envelops the baby but allows her hips and arms to remain free,&nbsp;Niebanck&nbsp;advises.&nbsp;

If you feel like both you and baby are about to lose your minds, a change of scenery may be in order, advises&nbsp;Niebanck. You can take her on a walk in her stroller or drive around with her in her infant car seat. The vibration and movement can help her drift off to sleep. Just make sure that once she&rsquo;s in dreamland, you move her back into her crib.&nbsp;

Develop a consistent sleep schedule&nbsp; 
One they&rsquo;re around 4- to 6-months old, many babies are able to sleep through the night (between 8 and 12 hours) and are ready for sleep training, says&nbsp;Niebanck. &ldquo;Your baby is starting to recognize their external environment, which means they&rsquo;re aware of bedroom routines and what room they&rsquo;re in,&rdquo; she explains. &ldquo;If your routine up until now has been to rock your baby for hours with their pacifier and some bedtime music, they&rsquo;ll get attached to this routine and you&rsquo;ll be stuck with it.&rdquo;&nbsp;

To avoid this tedious fate, set a succinct, repeatable schedule, such as a bath, followed by some cuddles and reading a bedtime story before you leave the room. Make sure bedtime starts early enough that your little one isn&rsquo;t overtired and agitated. Your goal is to put your baby down when she&rsquo;s sleepy but awake enough so that she&rsquo;s able to associate her crib with the process of falling asleep, says&nbsp;Niebanck.&nbsp;

When do you start letting babies cry it out?&nbsp; 
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really important that they learn to fall asleep on their own, so that if they wake up in the middle of the night, they don&rsquo;t wake up the rest of the household,&rdquo; stresses&nbsp;Niebanck. &ldquo;What you want instead is for them to self-soothe and go back to sleep.&rdquo;&nbsp;

If you think going cold turkey will be too traumatic for you&mdash;or your baby&mdash;you can try sleep training in increments. &ldquo;Put your baby down, say, &lsquo;It&rsquo;s time for bed,&rsquo; and step out of the room,&rdquo; advises&nbsp;Niebanck. Set the timer on your phone for two or three minutes and prepare for some protest wailing.&nbsp;

Once your timer goes off, if your baby is still awake, go back into the nursery. &ldquo;Keep your interactions short and sweet. Stand over the crib, greet them briefly and tell them it&rsquo;s time for bed, give them a quick pat, and leave again,&rdquo; says&nbsp;Niebanck. Don&rsquo;t take them out of their crib for a cuddle&mdash;or burst into tears yourself. &ldquo;If you make a big deal out of it and show you&rsquo;re stressed, your baby will pick up on that,&rdquo; she says.&nbsp;

Now, set your timer for five minutes. If they are still crying after that duration, repeat&nbsp;your&nbsp;greet-and-go again. And again. And again.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Each time, set your timer for longer periods of time until your baby is no longer crying,&rdquo; says&nbsp;Niebanck. On successive nights, you may gradually extend the time intervals as needed&mdash;15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes&mdash;with the goal that your baby eventually learns, over the course of a few days or up to a week, to fall asleep on her own without your help.&nbsp;

If you choose this method, the most important thing is to stick with it and be consistent until they go to sleep. The hardest part for many parents is hearing their baby cry, but keep in mind that it&rsquo;s not a distress cry.&nbsp;

&ldquo;They&rsquo;re not hungry, or in pain,&rdquo; says&nbsp;Niebanck. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re just mad. Eventually, they&rsquo;ll get tired enough that they&rsquo;ll go to sleep.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Don&rsquo;t feel guilty, either. This technique, also called &ldquo;graduated extinction,&rdquo; may allow some babies to eventually fall asleep faster, and stay asleep longer, than babies whose parents use other methods, without appearing to cause undue emotional stress over time, suggests one small Australian study published in 2016 in the journal Pediatrics.&nbsp;

Just remember that it&rsquo;s not uncommon for infants who have learned to sleep through the night to start having occasional nighttime awakenings again.&nbsp;

Practice sound sleep habits&nbsp; 
Along with sleep training, there are other things you can do to help ensure that both you and baby get sounder sleep.&nbsp;

Eat by day, sleep by night. Make sure you do the bulk of your feedings during the day, so that baby learns that daytime is for eating and nighttime is for sleeping. This is usually feasible by around 4 months of age. The one exception may be <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/slideshow/moms-talk-really-like-breastfeed">breastfeeding</a> working moms, who often find that their babies like to cluster feed at night so that they can be close to mom, says&nbsp;Niebanck. In that case, you&rsquo;ll just have to decide if you can grin and bear frequent night awakenings.&nbsp;

Pick your spots. Don&rsquo;t bolt into your baby&rsquo;s room at the first sound of a nighttime squawk. In many instances, she&rsquo;ll settle down and fall back asleep on her own with a little time.&nbsp;

Bed down earlier to sleep longer. Try pulling bedtime back a bit, say 6:30 or 7:00 p.m., instead of 7:30 p.m. &ldquo;Working parents often really relish that evening time after they&rsquo;re home from work. But if you keep baby up too late, they&rsquo;ll get overtired and have more trouble falling and staying asleep,&rdquo; explains&nbsp;Niebanck. You can make up that &ldquo;mommy and me&rdquo; time in the early morning instead. Note that when setting a bedtime, it often helps to be on the lookout for signs of sleep readiness, which include yawning, fussing, looking away and rubbing eyes.&nbsp;

Ultimately, it&rsquo;s important to remember that every child&mdash;and every family&mdash;is different. No one sleep method will work equally well for everyone, so it&rsquo;s worth bracing for some trial and error before you find the ideal strategy. Working in consultation with your pediatrician, you can develop a plan that will help your baby establish good sleep habits and help you get (at least some of) the sleep you need.

Should I Let My Baby ‘Cry It Out’?

A bit of baby talk and mimicking a child&rsquo;s sounds during the earliest months of life makes an infant feel connected and understood and stimulates an infant&rsquo;s brain. One study found two-year-olds who heard the most baby talk knew an average of 433 words, while toddlers with quieter families knew only around 169. And earlier studies reveal how often a parent talks a child and what kind of words are used (meaning not always No, No, No) has an enormous impact on emotional and intellectual development.

Now, research reveals that at around 10-20 months of age, kids need Mom to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/parenting/article/learning-games-for-kids-baby-and-toddler">talk to them</a> as if they were fully verbal and let them know she gets what they&rsquo;re feeling and thinking. Then, at five years old, the child will have developed the ability to understand others&rsquo; thoughts and to emphasize.

Clearly, experiencing this mind meld (researchers call it mind-mindedness, but we like the Vulcan phrase better) helps your child grow into a loving adult. So <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/parenting/article/distracted-parenting">put down the cell phone</a>, turn off the TV and talk to your child about how he or she is feeling and acting; describe what&rsquo;s going on around you. Pretty soon you&rsquo;ll be amazed by what an expressive, kind kid you&rsquo;ve got!&nbsp;

Medically reviewed in February 2020.

Talk to Your Child Like an Adult

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/slideshow/moms-talk-really-like-breastfeed">Breastfeeding</a> is a highly intimate experience between a mother and child. It delivers vital nutrients to your baby and shouldn&rsquo;t be viewed as embarrassing. However, the disapproval of public breastfeeding discourages many women. In fact, only 51 percent of moms are breastfeeding at all by the time their baby is six months old (as recommended by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development). And fewer moms keep their infant on only breast milk or formula for that long.

Data gathered from 2009 to 2014 finds that only 32.5 percent of babies in the US were introduced to complementary foods (including cow&rsquo;s milk, juice, sugar water, baby food and water), at six months when it&rsquo;s recommended. Around 16 percent got such food before four months, and almost 39 percent at four to five months.

To make it possible for you to continue feeding your baby only breast milk or formula for their first six months:

<ol>
	<li>Develop strategies for pumping: <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/article/breastfeeding-and-the-workplace">E</a><a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/breastfeeding-a-baby/article/breastfeeding-and-the-workplace">mployers</a> are required to provide a private, clean space to do so.</li>
	<li>Introduce formula: After a few months of breastfeeding, consider using formula to complement breast milk when you&rsquo;re unable to breastfeed or pump milk.</li>
	<li>Boost your baby&rsquo;s nutrition: Ask your doctor when it&rsquo;s time to add complementary foods and what they should be.</li>
</ol>

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

Baby's Health and Development