Gemma Atkinson delighted fans after she passed on a simple tip to get children to sleep for longer periods throughout the night. The mum-of-one took to her Instagram Stories over the weekend to reveal that she struggled to get baby Mia's feeds to stretch long enough so that she and partner Gorka Marquez could get a decent night's sleep. But she credits the health visitor for helping her create Mia's new bedtime routine.
Gemma shared a video of Mia enjoying her evening snack
"When Mia was tiny she could only take food little and often so she was up in the night for a feed. A lovely health visitor told me months ago: 'When she can [take] more food give her a good supper and she may sleep better.' It was the best advice and now she does (give or take the odd night) 9:30 to 6.30 after this meal," Gemma wrote. She went on to walk fans through a step-by-step tutorial of the meal she prepares for Mia in the evenings, and it consists of half an avocado, baby porridge, one quarter of a banana and a little hot water, all whisked together to create the soft consistency of baby food.
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The green mixture may not look overly appealing, but a video of nine-month-old Mia happily eating spoonfuls of the healthy snack suggests otherwise! Gemma continued: "Obviously every baby is different but this really helped us find a good sleep pattern." But the 35-year-old also revealed her routine doesn't always go to plan! "Don't be fooled though, sometimes I make that meal and she's knocking it out of my hand, literally swatting the bowl away, arching her back...and she's up two or three times."
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Doting parents Gemma and Gorka regularly provide fans with updates on their little girl, and the former Emmerdale actress even took a trip down memory lane recently by sharing a video of Mia as a baby. "Mia at 2wks old demonstrating my lockdown moods! How cute are babies when they have wind/milk drunk dreams," she wrote alongside a clip of her daughter pulling several different faces whilst sleeping. Fans rushed to comment how adorable Mia was, with one writing: "She was so tiny," whilst another one added: "Oh my goodness have you ever seen anything as cute and loveable as baby Mia."
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