October 30, 2024

Helping Your Baby Adjust To Daylight Savings

Babies can’t read clocks. If they could, Daylight Savings would be much easier to manage. Until that time comes, adjusting to this twice-yearly disruption falls on you, the parent. Here are some of Hälsa Baby’s tips for making Daylight Savings a little less stressful, broken down by your little one’s age.

Newborns

If you’re caring for a newborn, you might not even realize Daylight Savings is around the corner. And even if it is on your radar, it’s way down the list of things you’re worried about. At this age, you should still be relying on your baby’s normal sleep cues and wake windows — whatever they may be. Chances are, your little one will adjust on their own after a week or two.

Five Months and Older

This is where Daylight Savings can feel the most disruptive. Maybe you’ve finally settled into a predictable bedtime routine, or just figured out the right nap schedule to keep the early evening crankiness at bay. Just like no two babies are the same, there are a few ways to handle the change:

Option 1: Do Nothing

If you haven’t settled into a predictable nap and bedtime routine, it may be best to follow the advice for Newborns above — keeping an eye on wake windows and sleep cues. After all, you can’t disrupt a routine that doesn’t exist yet!

Option 2: Plan Ahead

A few days ahead of the time change, adjust your schedule by ten minutes. If you normally get your little one up at 7:00, wait until 7:10 on Thursday, then 7:20 on Friday etc. Then push each nap and bedtime back 10 minutes as well. If they don’t want to relax in their crib in the morning, hold them in their room with the lights off and the sound machine on until the time comes to start the day. When it’s time to fall back, you’ll be well on your way to a new routine.

Option 3: One Long Weekend

This option packs all the changes into a single weekend. On Saturday, wake up at your normal time, but then add in about 10-15 minutes to each wake window throughout the day. Then do the same on Sunday after the time change until you’ve added an hour of wake time to the weekend. This is perfect if you don’t have to work on the weekends and can dedicate the time and energy to keeping your little one awake and entertained for an additional few minutes before they crash.

Whatever route you choose to take, know that there are millions of parents going through the same thing as you. If you ever need additional tips or encouragement when it comes to sleep schedules, BabyLiveAdvice is here for you at the touch of a button in the Hälsa App.

(Tips and advice sourced from experts at What To Expect and Huckleberry Care)

Note: The content on this site is for informational purposes only and should not replace medical advice from your doctor, pediatrician, or medical professional. If you have questions or concerns, you should contact a medical professional.

October 30, 2024

Category Tags:

August 19, 2025

Should You Follow a Feeding Schedule?

Babies know what they need: milk, sleep, and comfort. They tell you when they need them. You sometimes wake up to the sound of your little one through the baby sleep monitor because they’re hungry. Yet, your little one doesn’t run on a schedule, and they can’t tell you the time. So, should you, as a new parent, follow a feeding schedule?

Daytime Feedings

The early days with a newborn swing between sleeping and feeding with a few (or a lot of) diaper changes in between. Sometimes, the day just feels like a series of feedings, and you can’t even remember what happened when you weren’t feeding the baby. Eventually, you notice a kind of pattern to the sleep-wake cycles. You can create a little strategy to give yourself one (or more than one) grown-up nap a day, letting your baby sleep in a comfortable environment thanks to a smart baby monitor.

Nighttime Feedings

Newborns don’t really have a bedtime. They just take a series of naps until they adjust to a new schedule and develop their circadian rhythm, sleeping for two to four hours. When they’re not asleep, you should encourage them to drift off again after feedings, so they get into the habit of sleeping more at nighttime.

Breast vs. Bottle

Sometimes, breastfed babies have to nurse more frequently than bottle-fed babies. While the size of a person’s breast doesn’t determine how much milk they produce, it does impact how much milk they can store. Women with smaller breasts sometimes store less milk at a time, so their babies may nurse more frequently. Women with larger breasts store more at one time, so there may be less frequent nursing sessions.

On the other hand, bottle-fed babies can take in more milk per feeding and don’t have to work for a letdown. Your little one’s feedings may be more spaced apart if they’re bottle-fed, regardless of whether there’s breastmilk or formula in the bottle.

Babies don’t know the difference between night and day and need frequent feedings. Instead of focusing on a feeding schedule in the early days, keep everyone in the family comfortable and well-fed.

June 25, 2025

Postpartum Support: A Guide for Dads & Partners

New parents take on a lot in the weeks and months after having a baby. It’s plenty of fun with many new experiences. While the parent who gave birth, breastfeeds, and pumps has another full-time job, partners can step in to help in different ways.

Researching Baby Products
Parents often research and purchase baby products long before their little one arrives. As parents, both of you should be looking into high-quality baby tech and supplies. One of these essentials is a baby monitor, which you might forget to prioritize. Partners, it’s your turn to research smart baby monitor options that give you extra support.

Nowadays, this goes beyond simple cameras with night vision. You can find monitors with various features, including a smart sensor on an ankle band to track your baby’s heart rate, oxygen saturation levels, and external skin temperature variations. A design that has a nightlight is a plus, too.

Nap-Time Checks
You’ll hear plenty of moms and birth parents acknowledge how difficult it is to sleep when the baby sleeps. They want to watch over their little ones and catch up on things around the house. It’s also surprisingly easy to fall asleep during a contact nap. That’s where your partnership can help. Not only can the birth parent snooze while the baby naps, but they can also rest easy knowing that you’re starting the laundry, there’s a plan for dinner, and you’re making sure the baby is in the right position for a comfortable contact nap.

*Contact naps are only okay if the parent is awake or there’s another person present to monitor the snoozing parent and sleeping baby.

Late-Night Wake-Ups
If the breastfeeding parent recently fed the baby, there’s breastmilk in the fridge, or your baby takes formula, there’s no reason why a dad or partner shouldn’t take on nighttime wake-ups. You can learn to change a diaper, prepare a bottle, and comfort a baby. We’re in the 21st century, and with birth parents being full-time employees at other jobs, it’s time to share the unpaid role of parent, especially in the beginning.

Someone who has given birth or had a C-section is still recovering from what is technically a surgery. If there is a caregiver who stays home while the other is at work, that home caregiver doesn’t get lunch breaks or a chance to decompress. So, let them sleep or take turns covering nighttime wakeups. You can both access your baby sleep monitor through an app, so it’s not the sole responsibility of one parent.

Scheduling Pediatrician Appointments
Your first pediatrician appointment is likely within a week or two after leaving the hospital or giving birth. There will be several appointments within the first year of your baby’s life, and dads can make those appointments. It’s super easy. After both parents agree on a pediatrician, contact the office and tell them it’s your first appointment with your baby. It’s probably way less stressful than ordering a pizza over the phone back in 1995.

Being a parent is exciting, and if you’re lucky enough to go into parenthood with a partner, do your best to be their best advocate. There are things that only a birth parent can do, and you can help with the rest.

May 14, 2025

Bedtime Essentials Every New Parent Needs

Establishing a bedtime routine for your baby takes time, but you will eventually curate a bedtime routine and environment that works best for your family. Confidence and comfort are key, and some bedtime essentials, like a baby monitor, will make the whole process a calmer and more enjoyable experience.

Reliable Smart Baby Monitor
Baby monitors are popular pieces of baby tech for new parents. There will come a time when your little one is snoozing and eventually getting a full night of sleep independently of you. Baby monitors give you a clear visual and audio of your baby’s sleep space. A modern baby monitor uses smart technology like a baby temperature monitor to help you monitor the environment and sleep habits. If your baby monitor comes with a smart sensor and ankle band, it can track your baby’s heart rate, oxygen saturation, and skin temperature fluctuations, helping you feel confident that your little one is comfortable, even when you’re not by their side.

Soothing Sleep Sounds
A sound machine that plays white noise or lullabies can be very useful for parents concerned about noise pollution in their child’s sleep space. This sound machine may also be a source of comfort for your baby, especially newborns who are used to a kind of whooshing noise or heartbeat from inside the womb. Of course, a smart baby monitor with a hub tracking environmental changes may be able to double as the soothing sound player near your little one. It is more convenient for parents because you have to buy one less piece of baby tech to complete the sleep space.

Obstruction-Free Sleep Space
Every baby needs an obstruction-free space to sleep. That means no blankets or toys until they are 12 months old and no pillow until they’re two years old. Until then, keep the crib clear to help them sleep comfortably. You can check a baby monitor that tracks environmental changes to make sure the temperature and humidity levels are in a range that suits your baby’s sleepwear and habits. Talk to your pediatrician about this if you want more details on the developmental stages a baby needs to meet before adding to the sleeping area.

Convenient Changing Table
Whether it’s a table or a changing mat you can unfold on the floor beside a diaper caddy, you need a space for quick and easy changes. Late-night diaper changes are common in the early months, so it’s always a good idea to keep the essentials for diaper changes ready to maintain the least amount of stimulation. Diapers, wipes, and hand sanitizers are a great start. Ensure these items are in an area where you can get a little light to see what you’re doing. If you have a baby monitor that also serves as a nightlight, this can come in handy.

New parents have a lot to juggle and think about. You might miss some things as you prepare for your newest family members, but these bedtime essentials will make the process comfortable so you can get through the nights of new parenthood with confidence.