The Big Sleep Issue
How to Hit the Snooze Button!
Does it feel like a lifetime ago since you were able to do this? If you're up with your little one every other hour a sleep routine is what they need! Follow our action plan and you'll have her sleeping soundly in no time.
Whether your baby won't go to sleep on her own or wakes three times a night - if sleep time has become stress time in your house you need to introduce a sleep plan.
Tough Love
Babies thrive on routine and 80% of baby's sleep problems are caused by your baby being unable to fall asleep, or go back to sleep, on her own. She doesn't know how to fall asleep on her own so you need to teach her to settle herself. It's important to get her out of the habit of falling asleep at the breast or bottle - if she associates sleep with milk she'll also need it to get back to sleep if she wakes in the night. And if you rock or cuddle her to sleep she'll wake and find you gone and that's when she'll cry. We don't deny that introducing a sleep plan will be hard work, but we do promise it will be worth it in the end. Make sure you're committed - the first few days will be stressful as you'll have to leave your baby to cry. Remember - you're not a bad mum! You're teaching your baby an essential skill. You might feel terrible leaving her to cry but you're doing the right thing. Make sure you have lots of support - don't start a sleep plan the week your partner is away!
The Right Routine
Don't try to start too early. You can start introducing a bedtime routine from six weeks old, but up until about three months your baby's tummy is too small to allow her to hold enough milk to keep her going all night so don't ignore her is she cries. Before you start, decide on a suitable time for her to go to bed; you don't want her to get over tired. Watch out for tell tale signs such as rubbing her eyes, yawning or getting irritable. Work out a simple routine that's easy to stick to, even if you're not at home. We've come up with an example routine - and you can adapt it to work for you and your baby.
- Start with a bedtime bath, then dry her and give her a massage or some nappy-free kick-about time.
- Put on a clean nappy and her pajamas or sleep suit.
- Give her some milk
- Clean her teeth, then read a story together in her bedroom with the lights down low
- Put her in her cot while she's still awake
- Give her a kiss goodnight, switch the light off and leave her to sleep
Be realistic, and if you don't feel like either of you are quite ready yet, don't beat yourself up. It's ok to leave it a few weeks then try again.
.............................Dream a Little Dream...
No-one can be certain whether babies dream or not, but it's very likely. Experts believe that dreaming helps ensure the brain works smoothly and processes the day's information. It also exercises the pathways between brain cells. Just like you, your baby goes through two sleep stages. Rapid eye movement sleep (REM) also known as dream sleep, is when your tot wriggles, twitches and even smiles and is when she'll be more easily disturbed. She'll spend half her time in REM sleep compared to adults who only spend a third or less. Quiet, or dreamless sleep, is very deep - she'll be much harder to rouse and her breathing will be deep and regular. This is the most important sleep, when her body rests and stores up energy. She'll also be doing most of her growing during this time.
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Day Dreamers & Naptime Niggles!
Just when you thought you had the sleepless nights sussed, then comes the daytime nap struggle to complicate matters. Get naptime savvy with these top tips:
Naptime may seem less important than sleeping through the night - especially at 3am - but actually a daytime doze is just as essential. Missing out on daytime sleep can make your baby overtired and grumpy, and can affect how well she feeds. Naptime's essential for your sanity too; when else are you going to get time to grab a cuppa and half an hour with your feet up. Follow our step-by-step guide to get naptime down to a fine art.
