A good nights sleep is crucial to your baby’s health and development, not to mention the importance of a good nights sleep for you as their parent. If a child’s sleep is disrupted, they aren’t the only ones feeling tired. According to a recent study, the average parent will have lost six month’s worth of sleep by the time their child is two years old! So it is no wonder that one of the most frequently discussed topics around parenting and child health is sleep.

The most important thing to remember when thinking about a child’s sleep, is that no child is the same. Some babies are born with an in built ability to self soothe and enter into the land of dreams with ease, whereas other babies can really struggle to settle and sleep. You can have the same parents use the same routines but all their children will sleep differently.

Newborn Babies

At this stage your babies sleep is interlinked with feeding. I am sure you will all recognise the dozy, milky state that occupies your newborns life. Your baby has not yet developed its awareness of night and day and their “body clock” is non existent. Few babies settle well at this stage and crying is common as it can be very difficult to notice your babies subtle cues for sleep. By the time your baby is crying they are already over tired. Lots of babies cannot go longer than 90 minutes without sleep so look out for cues such as yawning, rubbing their eyes, or staring off into space.

12 Weeks

Now the “fun” starts and by fun I mean the bedtime routine. At around 12 weeks old babies start to produce the sleep hormone melatonin more. This is naturally produced in the body, and helps us to distinguish between night and day. Produced in the evening, melatonin production triggers drowsiness. It is at this stage that you can start to introduce a bedtime routine to regulate your baby’s sleep pattern.

Self soothing and the ability to fall asleep without you or any props is key. That way if they wake during the night they will be able to get back of to sleep without disturbing you. Bear in mind that many factors can impact on a sleep routine and do not be disheartened if it takes a while to establish one. Illness, teething, change of sleeping environment are all examples of factors that may disrupt even the most established routine.

34 Weeks

It is around this age that babies develop a sense of self and an awareness that they are a separate entity from their mothers. As a result separation anxiety is common and can disrupt sleeping patterns. Stay vigilant with your routine, the disruption is not a sign that it is failing it is appropriate and expected at this age, sticking to your familiar routines will help get you through this disruption and help restore a better sleeping pattern once this stage has passed.

Useful Tips and Tricks to Help Your Child Sleep…

1. Shhhhhhh! As much as is possible, keep things quiet at night, keep the lights low and help your baby start to learn the distinction between night time and day time.
2. Don’t fall into the trap of doing things for the sake of it just because your baby is awake. Only change their nappy if it is very wet and soiled.
3. Wake your baby for regular feeds during the day, every three hours or so is advised. This way they will wake less for feeds during the night. Make sure you are not putting your baby off to sleep at night hungry, especially when weaning.
4. Establish bedtime rituals. Feed, bathe and then bed. In that order so that your baby doesn’t start to use the feed as a prop for getting off to sleep. from 6 months establish night time cues in the early evening, tidy away toys and turn of stimulus such as the radio or television to help them wind down.
5. Be aware of the bedroom temperature and make sure it is neither too hot or too cold. Ideal temperature is 18 degrees Centigrade.
6. Take your baby outside for walks late in the afternoon. This will help them to learn and get used to the difference between night and day.
7. Comfort Vs Leave to cry. Its a controversial topic but there are many studies to show that attending to your baby when they cry helps with the development of neural pathways in the brain that lead to feelings of security and safety. Both are essential for anyone to drift off to sleep successfully.
8. Once you baby is over 12 weeks you can start the gradual “retreat technique”. When your baby cries start by comforting them with rocking and then putting them back into bed. Work this down each time, next time they cry give them a brief cuddle and put back into bed, next time just go to the cot and stroke their head, then just go near to the cot and finally just enter the room.

How much sleep do children really need?

Here is a rough guide of how much sleep your child needs. These are just guidelines, if you have concerns about your child’s sleep then consult your paediatrician. There are many healthcare professionals such as The Children’s Physio, cranial osteopaths and occupational therapists who can help with sleep disorders in children.

• Birth to three months – Seven hours in the day and eight and a half hours at night.
• Three to six months – Three and a half hours in the day, eleven hours at night.
• Six to nine months – Three hours in the day, eleven hours at night.
• Nine to twelve months – Two and a half hours in the day, eleven hours at night.
• Twelve months to two years – One and a half hours in the day, eleven and a half hours at night.
• Two to three years – As above but daytime nap will reduce and maybe dropped.
• Three to four years – Twelve hours at night.
• Four to five years – Eleven and a half hours at night.