The sweet, silent sound of a sleeping baby can be such a relief to parents, particularly if you’ve been trying to soothe them for seemingly hours. There a number of steps you can take to help them get to sleep in the first place and then to ensure that they make the most of their nap.
Here are our five tips to make sure that your little one stays sleeping safely and soundly.
1. Learn to Swaddle
Though you likely wouldn’t be happy in a blanket burrito, your baby is. Swaddles are a wonderful way to help newborns feel safe and comforted, and can also aid greatly with getting your baby to fall and stay asleep. You can choose to purchase a specially made swaddle, making it easier to tuck your baby in, or use a receiving blanket to wrap your baby up.
From a physiological perspective, swaddles help keep the Moro reflex — also known as the startle reflex, when babies react to bright light or noise by stretching and retracting their arms, often waking themselves up in the process — to a minimum. Parents should swaddle their baby safely, keeping in mind that the hips should remain loose within the swaddle while keeping it tighter around the arms. Transition your infant away from the swaddle and into a sleep sack or wearable blanket when your baby is around 3 months old.
2. Keep the Room Cool
Though it might be tempting to turn up the heat when you put your baby to bed, you should always keep a sleeping baby’s room temperature between 18 and 22˚C. Not only does a cooler room reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation, it also helps the baby sleep better.
To make sure they don’t overheat while sleeping, you could stand a fan in their room. Additionally, be mindful of what your sleeping baby is wearing: use light and breathable materials for swaddling, such as cotton or muslin.
3. Track Your Baby’s Changing Sleep Patterns
For the first few months, a newborn is not meant to sleep for long periods at a time as they need to be fed every two to four hours. As your baby transitions from a newborn to an infant, their sleep needs change, and by the time they are five to six months old, they have the ability to sleep through the night (11 to 12 hours). But even when they’re snoozing all night, they still need to nap during the day. By three months, most babies are taking approximately four naps per day.
Between four and six months old, we see that nap lengths begin to become longer and more consistent, therefore the number of naps go down to three, and by seven to eight months, the number of naps drops down to two and will stay that way until approximately 14 months, when the baby will transition to one afternoon nap per day.
4. Monitor Feeding Schedules
You may be worried that your sleeping baby’s lengthy naps mean they miss out on meals. Feeding is the number one priority for newborns, however if you’re changing at least six wet nappies a day, they should be fine to carry on sleeping. If not, check in with your paediatrician about feedings and to check that they’re putting on enough weight. As a general rule of thumb, don’t allow a sleeping baby to miss a feed or for more than three hours at a time. Babies need to take in as much nutrients during the day so that they can then have the opportunity and ability to sleep longer stretches at night.
5. When Your Sleeping Baby Wakes: Wait a Minute
When your baby does wake up at night, your first instinct is probably to run to their side at the first sign of a cry. However, pause before running to the nursery. Babies can be vocal when transitioning between sleep cycles while napping and during the night. Try and wait a minute or two before going in to their little ones to see if they are just being a bit chatty during that transition.
