I remember before I became a parent, someone told me to get in all the sleep I could before E arrived in a kind of smirky yet mindly jovial way. Oh, how clueless I was back then! Little did I know about the enormity of the sleep problems we would encounter with our darling girl during that first year. If only I knew then what I know about baby sleep and sleep issues in babies. We all would have got a lot more sleep to be sure!
So if you are a new parent with a baby that seems to want to do anything but sleep, today we have Lucy Shrimpton, founder of The Sleep Nanny to share her tips on addressing sleep issues in babies.
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One of the most common problems, when you become a new parent, is sleep issues in babies and getting your baby to sleep through the night. And if you’ve become a new parent over the past 12 months – one of the most stressful times of our generation – then you will be wanting, and needing that sleep more than ever.
So, here are some essential tips to help new parents struggling with sleep issues in babies and getting their baby to sleep through the night. I hope they’re helpful!
Routine
Try your best to get your baby into a consistent bedtime routine, helping them to understand the cues that will make them ready for sleep time. This could be bath time or a bedtime story. Do it at the same time and place each evening – consistency is key.
Lighting
Make sure you have blackout blinds to keep out the natural light for daytime naps or the lighter evenings in the sunnier months.
Avoid sleep crutches
To avoid sleep issues in babies, try to support your little one settling to sleep, rather than doing it for them. When we put our children to sleep through rocking, feeding, holding or laying with them we deprive them of the room to develop their own self regulatory abilities which are essential life skills. That doesn’t mean you have to leave your little one to it – it’s not all or nothing. Instead, you can support them, work with them and pave the way for them to develop these skills. Helping them to settle to sleep is far more beneficial to your children than doing it all for them.
Naps
Keep your nap times consistent during the day. And sustain these naps until they are around three and a half or four years old. Little children with really alert temperaments will appear not to need need (or want!) these naps but they actually need it more and for longer than their more laid back peers. Children over three and above who are sleeping a sold 12 hours a night probably won’t need a nap.
Cot position
Avoid a baby’s cot being near a window as not only can this avoid draughts but they are less likely to be woken up by outdoor noise. If it can be noisy where you are, white noise simulators can help create a soothing atmosphere.
Temperature
Try to keep the temperature of the nursery to around 18 to 20 degrees in heat, so not too warm or cold.
Avoid distractions
Do your best to avoid having distracting decorations up like mobiles, light shows or projectors whizzing above the cot which could stimulate the baby’s brain and cause sleep issues in babies, just as you’re trying to relax them and get them to sleep.
Over tired-ness
If your toddler wakes up early, don’t be tempted to put them to bed later on. The number one reason why toddlers wake up early is over-tiredness so a period of early nights should sort them out.
Don’t panic
All little ones are different, learning and developing at different paces. Some will test your ability to persevere than much longer than others. Please don’t be down on yourself as this will make matters worse. Babies are always changing and just as you think you have them figured out they do something new. Some little ones are more easily malleable than others while some will throw a new challenge in your direction. Make yourself equipped for these changes; have confidence and don’t give up.
Get help
If you are really struggling to get your baby to sleep and sustain a regular sleep pattern then get help from a professional sleep nanny. There is really no need to suffer in silence if you are experiencing sleep issues in babies and you are jeopardising your and your family’s health and wellbeing. And with online zoom calls, it’s easier than ever to get that help.
About Lucy Shrimpton
Lucy Shrimpton is the founder of The Sleep Nanny. Her team of sleep consultants based across the UK and around the world help parents and caregivers of babies and young children to overcome the challenges with childhood sleep so that they can be healthy and happy and enjoy these precious years. For more information visit www.sleepnanny.co.uk.
Great tips! Ive just had my 3rd baby and I feel so much more at ease this time around. This crib looks great and so much more comfy than a mose basket.
What amazing tips. I remember with my first getting her to drift off to sleep was a nightmare and she relied on so many crutches of us endlessly rocking, or her falling asleep on my after feeding…and then being stuck and not wanting to wake a sleeping baby! But being my first I was so clueless. I wish I had seen this then!
Swaddling saved my sleep sanity!
Great tips! I would love to win this. First time mom.
Great tips, currently struggling with day naps for my baby so this will definitely help. Thanks x
Great tips, my baby is struggling with day time naps so this will be helpful, thank you.
Great tips l can pass on to my daughter having her first daughter she’s finding sleep time a problem so these will be a great help!
I recommend a good strict routine, same time every night, programme the body clock, bath, massage, story, lullaby, lights out etc at same time every night teaches the baby when it is bedtime
I always had a very strict regime, my eldest knows I’m not a pushover mum, I had a set teatime, a set bedtime, a set ‘up’ time, and all that. My eldest is Autistic, and without even knowing, I was doing the right thing for him x
We are consistent, but laid back. Same routine for bed each night, but not necessarily at the same time!
I was really lucky with my son, he was sleeping solidly for 12 hrs a night from 8 weeks plus naps! My daughter was much trickier, she was still waking once or twice in the night for various reasons until she was 1.
Great tips, we were very lucky that my daughter was a natural sleeper, she loved naps and started sleeping through the night at 6 months (earlier actually but before 6 months I had to wake her for night feedings). I agree the top two tips I’d give others is creating a proper consistent routine and being careful with external sleep aids (babies need to learn how to soothe themselves). Great, informative post!
I’ve been very lucky so far as all my children have slept well, even my twins but I think the reason why they slept good is because they sleep together so they get comfort from each other.
I have 3 children and to be fair I never had issues with their sleep only when they were poorly
great advice. Im expecting my first and I love my sleep ha so any help I can get is appreciated
I never mastered sleep however now I feel more confident to help my daughter tackle it with her babies xx
Sleep is always a tough topic but these tips are really useful.
Try and stick to a routine as much as you can but don’t stress on the days you can’t
Sticking to a regular routine as much as you can helped us
These tips were really helpful. We are expecting our first baby in July so will now doubt being referring back to this article a lot!
my daughter is having problems getting her one-year-old to sleep so I’ll pass all these ideas and advice on to her.
Some good advice here. I always had a set routine. Bath, story and bed, It worked for me but not every child is the same. I do think if you can be relaxed and have a chilled atmosphere in a house it helps but to be honest whatever works for you is fine. Don’t get caught up with the judgemental parents that seems to have to have a say in everything people do. If it works for you then you’re doing a great job
Great tips. Having a routine helps but when my son was teething sleeping was hard.
Try to get help from family and friends don’t be afraid to ask if you need help
So much information to take in but great advice for those of us with little or no experience !
Love a bedside crib. I’ve had one bookmarked for a while now. Just peace of mind. I’m only expecting so no experience of baby sleep yet!
Fantastic article. As a soon to be first mother, I really appreciate all your tips. Thanks for the opportunity to win a wonderful crib.
Such a gorgeous crib. My daughter was a nightmare to sleep ‘train’. She just would not settle into a routine for ages. Luckily my son was the complete opposite – he used to drift off the second you stroked his back 😀 xx
fab tips, my little boy didn’t start sleeping all the way through until he was 3 and half years old!
Great tips! Hopefully when the time comes we’ll be lucky our family likes to sleep alot!
Teaching 2 out of 3 of my babies to self settle was the best thing ever. One of them is now 5 and she still loves going to bed and is amazing. The other one is 18 months and goes to bed with a smile 🙂 Oldest is 8 and she used to have dummy and a lot of fuss at nigh time and we still seem to have trouble at bedtimes.. I really believe that teaching them to self settle from early age is good for them and us 🙂
Yes routine is certainly the key to a good nights sleep
With a newborn, it sort of worked for our first, really hoping it works better for our second due in spring!!
I started a sleep routine with my little girl when she was 4 months, often she would go with it but sometimes she had other plans! she is now 18 months and works well with her sleep routine (so far) You just have to be firm and not cave in. She enjoys going to her bed for her afternoon nap and also at bed time.
This is great. My niece is expecting her first baby in August so will copy the link for her.
As well as the tips about environment etc. I think that ‘get help’ is so important. And from safe places too… Comparison is a trap we’ve all fallen into at some point!
Very lucky to have a good sleeper. Swaddling is beneficial for settling before bed.
I had to have an NHS sleep trainer come and help me with my last baby. She was a terrible sleeper! She told me to take away the baby’s comfort (her monkey and dummy) and return them after five mins of crying…. it worked. we cracked self soothing in a night after one try.
sticking to a routine and not getting stressed and sleeping when baby sleeps to catch up on much needed rest
I swaddled mine, my mum advised me to do it and it worked a treat
I stuck to consistent bed time routines and wake up times and an afternoon nap and it seemed to work for us
Great blog, fab tips
My first born was a doddle (I wondered what all the fuss was about). Went down to sleep first time of asking and no problems….. then i had our second and found out how hard it could be! Endless hours of walking up and down and creeping around the house not daring to making a peep! A dummy was our saviour – only way she would nod off.