In my experience new-born babies sleep all day and are awake all night until they get persuaded that they are living their life all wrong. I put this down to incorrect sleep patterns established during gestation. Mum is up and about during the day so baby is rocked to sleep. As soon as Mum lies down at night baby wakes up and starts mucking about. The solution is to persuade Mum to walk around all night and sleep all day for several weeks before the due date. When the baby is born it knows what to do.
-- Mony a Mickle, Nov 12 2008

good idea - have you any idea how heavy a 7lb baby and 7lb of added water feels?
-- po, Nov 12 2008


Ah, no. But I figure if Mum can move around in the day enough to keep the litlun asleep she could manage it at night. I'm not saying it would be easy but think of the benefit.
-- Mony a Mickle, Nov 12 2008


Yes, supposedly that is why, so i hear. The solution would be to move twelve time zones away just after giving birth.
-- nineteenthly, Nov 12 2008


babies sleep a lot anyway - it's just they wake up to refill their little tums. a doner kebab just doesn't do it for them.
-- po, Nov 12 2008


Oooh oooh, behaviour modificaion through sensory deprivation!

....excellent.
-- Custardguts, Nov 12 2008


//have you any idea how heavy a 7lb baby and 7lb of added water feels?// 14lb?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 12 2008


<clap>

now think 14lb stepping on your bladder.
-- po, Nov 12 2008


Hmmm

This idea first occurred to me as I paced up and down the hall, with a bouncy gait, for hours at a time through the night with my first born over my shoulder. I revisited the idea 17 months later with my second born, and then again 16 months later with my third born. I suspect the arrival of my fourth (due in April) will be the last chance I have of testing the idea.

In the meantime, if anyone else finds the opportunity, perhaps they could give it a shot and report back here with the results. If it doesn't work I won't bother.
-- Mony a Mickle, Nov 13 2008



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