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| Nip any problems in the bud by establishing
a routine from the outset. As your child grows your routine may go
to pot but here we outline how to get back on track to a good night's
kip! |
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Newborn -3 months
When babies are born they haven't adjusted to their Circadian Rhythm
- their body clock - which means they don't know the difference between
night and day, or sleep time and playtime.
Typical sleep at this age
- During the first few weeks and months of life, your baby will sleep
up to eighteen hours in twenty-four
- Unfortunately, he won't take these 18 hours at once, and will sleep
for 2, 3, 4 or 5 hours a time.
- He will wake day and night for feeds, attention or just comfort.
- Your baby's sleep cycle is different to yours. Adult sleep cycles
- active, dreaming and quiet - last for around 2 hours, your baby's
cycle is less than an hour.
- Research has shown it takes an average of an hour and a half to get
babies to bed, and another 50 minutes soothing the baby back to sleep
when they wake in the night.
How to establish good sleep habits
- Keep the bedroom environment 'sleepy' - babies prefer the room to
be warmer than colder so keep the temperature around 64 degrees F/ 18
degrees C. Have the lighting low and remove anything unrelated to sleep,
such as TVs, toys and telephones.
- Teach him the difference between night and day - from about two weeks
old you can help your baby distinguish between night and day. Play with
him when he's awake in the day, stimulate his senses with toys and music,
take him outside to parks or mother and baby groups, chat with him and
don't try to reduce normal daytime noises like the washing machine,
hoover or TV. During the night keep noise and light to a minimum, try
not to talk too much, and don't make this a time to catch up with your
partner!
- Avoid rocking or feeding your baby to sleep - if in the first few
weeks your baby is rocked to sleep or allowed to fall asleep during
a feed, he will learn to expect this and will depend on it to get to
sleep as he gets older.
- Minimise nighttime activity - try not to stimulate your baby before
bed with bright lights, music, singing and laughter.
Tackling sleep problems
In the first few weeks of your baby's life, the most common sleep problem
is frequently waking at night, which may be for many reasons .
Babies do get hungry at night and will wake to be fed, which can become
a problem if he is waking every hour or so. Try to find out if he is actually
hungry or not.
- Yes - If you are breastfeeding, Babyworld health visitor Debbie
Honer says, "Try and increase your calorie intake during the day. If
you are taking insufficient calories, it can be like offering skimmed
milk rather than full cream milk. Your baby may have a full tummy, but
still feel unsatisfied."
- No - Sometimes babies can accidentally wake themselves up for
no reason, and then want you to comfort them back to sleep. Debbie says,
"Any help from you can quickly become a habit that he will then need
throughout the night.
If he needs a cuddle, feed, dummy or Mum to settle back to sleep then
he will need this every time he wakes up." Help your baby learn to settle
himself. Don't go straight to him at the first whimper, leave him a
few minutes and he may go back to sleep. Sometimes just the sound of
your voice is enough to make him feel secure enough to fall asleep again.
- Maybe - If your baby has wind then quite often he may want
to suck to ease his discomfort, although he's not actually hungry. Try
to ease any wind problems with massage, colic drops or back rubbing
to see if this settles him.
3 to 6 months
Babies gradually adjust to their Circadian Rhythm and start to sleep
through the night.
Typical sleep at this age
- By three months old, babies are sleeping less but still need about
15 hours in 24.
- Overnight sleep is about 10 hours and the other five hours are taken
during the day in about 3 naps.
- From about four months babies gradually start to wake less often during
the night.
- By about six months their body clock will have developed and most
babies will start to sleep through the night.
How to establish good sleep habits
- Set regular bedtimes - a good way to establish good sleep habits is
to introduce a set time for bed (and daytime naps) and stick to it,
even at the weekends.
- Start a bedtime routine - many parents have already started to develop
a baby bedtime routine without consciously thinking about it.
Now is a great time to make the routine a regular part of settling your
baby for the night. It can consist of anything such as giving him a
bath, reading a story, singing lullabies, or talking. Whatever you choose
to do as part of your baby's routine, keep it consistent.
- Treat daytime naps like bedtime - babies thrive on consistency so
try to stick to the same routine even for daytime naps, that way your
baby can learn the difference between time to sleep and time to play.
Tackling sleep problems
During these months your baby needs to know that someone is there to
fulfill his every need but he also needs to learn that mummy and daddy
also have their own needs. At this age, waking in the night can also be
accompanied by fighting off sleep.
Not settling - settling your baby at night needs to be peaceful,
but if you're worrying or stressed then your baby will feel something
is wrong. Debbie says, "Your baby has taken up much of your time in the
past few weeks and you are now finding that you can no longer give him
all of the attention he demands. Some babies accept this readily while
others may feel insecure, but they need to know that although you love
them you cannot give your every waking moment to caring for them."
- Keep bedtimes peaceful and stick to your baby's routine.
- Don't let your baby get too tired (this often makes him more awake)
- Don't rush straight back to him if he starts crying. Debbie says,
"The majority of babies at three months cry for around four hours a
day, and crying will not hurt him."
Night waking - If your baby is dependent on something else to
help him settle back to sleep when he wakes in the night, such as a dummy,
a cuddle, or rocking, then now is the ideal time to help him settle himself.
Following his normal bedtime routine will help this learning as he will
quickly associate it with sleeping.
Once you've done his routine, lie him in his cot and leave him. You can
check in on him as often as you want, but most babies, once they've made
the association with bed and sleep, will drift off quite quickly. Once
your baby has learnt to settle himself, you will find night disturbances
are much less.
6 to 9 months
Although babies are all different, in general their body clocks have
adjusted so they will start to sleep through the night by the time they
are 6 months.
- At six months, most babies are sleeping from 12 to 15 hours in 24.
- Babies at this age often sleep for longer at any one, usually for
about seven hours overnight, or longer if they have learnt to settle
themselves back to sleep when they wake.
- Babies at this age still have at least one 1-2 hour nap taken during
the day
How to establish good sleep habits
- Introduce some daytime activities - babies like to socialise and activities
such as baby massage, yoga or parent and baby groups will not only help
your baby develop but it will also help him to sleep at night.
- Stay healthy - fresh air, exercise and a healthy diet will get your
baby ready to sleep at the end of the day · Be consistent - stick to
regular bedtimes, and be consistent with bedtime routines. Debbie says,
"A good bedtime routine follows a pattern - it tells your baby that
play time has finished and you expect him to sleep."
- Encourage self-settling - make sure your baby has plenty of opportunity
to settle him self back to sleep. Like any other milestone the more
he practices, the better he will become at it. Put him to bed while
he's still awake, and don't rush to him at every whimper.
Tackling sleep problems
This is the age when separation anxiety begins to develop and your baby
may become upset at night when he wakes and discovers you're not there.
It's also a time when babies are developing physically, making them more
prone to disturbed nights.
Teething - Some babies breeze through teething without a whimper
while for others it can be uncomfortable enough to disturb their sleep.
Some teething gel or baby painkillers such as Calpol or infant Nurofen
should help.
Milestones - rolling over, sitting up, crawling, and sometimes
walking. Your baby will be reaching all these milestones around now and
will probably want to practice them all. Sometimes you may need to check
in on your baby, especially if they haven't learnt how to lie back down,
or roll back over and they become upset.
Separation - A normal phase in your baby's development starts
around now, when he becomes anxious when you leave or if he can't see
you. Even babies who are good sleepers could become anxious about going
to bed because they just don't know if you'll be coming back.
Debbie says, "The way to deal with this is to understand that he's anxious
and to reassure him when you leave, but to leave firmly and decisively.
You will probably find that he quickly settles when you have gone anyway.
Don't hang around showing him your anxieties or he will feel that there
really is something wrong."
Sleep starts to occur in fewer and longer episodes as your baby grows.
- By the end of the first year, your baby will be sleeping about 12
hours in 24.
- He will probably be napping for about an hour every day
How to establish good sleep habits
- Nightlights - providing a dim light either with a nightlight or by
leaving the door open helps older babies feel more secure without disturbing
their sleep.
- Teddies - a familiar toy will comfort your baby at night
- Monitors - a recent study showed that constantly monitoring your
baby with hi-tech devices such as two-way baby alarms and breathing
sensors can actually disturb your sleep, which in turn can disturb your
baby if you're checking on him every time he makes a noise.
Debbie says, "If you use a baby listening device, I would suggest that
you turn it off. You do not need to listen to your baby during the night."
Tackling sleep problems
By a year old some babies still suffer separation anxiety, and some will
try anything just to get you to come and pay them attention.
Wanting a drink - many babies will have a drink of milk before
bed, but since six months old will not have needed a milk drink in the
night. Debbie says, "If you are feeding him through the night, you are
rewarding him for waking up.
If he wakes during the night, either try to put him back down to sleep
or, if you're desperate, offer him water to drink. He will soon realise
that it is not worth waking."
Standing in his cot at bedtime - this is another tactic babies
will try in an attempt to stop you leaving them to sleep. The best way
to tackle this one is not to react to it, as this will cause bigger problems.
Debbie says, "If he insists on standing in his cot, leave him to it. He
will soon lie down when he falls asleep. He can't hurt himself and at
least he is learning to go to sleep without your help.
I suggest you simply put him in his cot awake and leave him to settle.
You can always go and check on him and lay him down comfortably when he
is asleep."
Playing in the night - surprisingly many babies will wake in the
night and play for a while. Debbie says, "This may be your baby's way
of getting back off to sleep. I would suggest that you leave him to it.
You do not need to go into him as this is more likely to cause a problem."
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