Sleep tips for you and your baby

Everyone knows that babies can be little sleep stealers and unfortunately there is no way to bank your zzzzzs for when the deprivation kicks in. However there are ways of making things that bit easier for when your baby arrives. 

We spoke to Rosey Davidson, sleep consultant and founder of Just Chill Mama, about what to expect from your baby’s sleep and techniques for getting a better night’s kip.

What will my newborn baby’s sleep be like?

There is a lot of scaremongering around sleep and it’s not helpful to say you’re never going to sleep again as it creates anxiety about having a baby.

It is true that having a new baby will be a bit of a shock to the system. But every baby is different - some babies are very sleepy when they are born whereas others are not. Babies who are born a bit early may sleep a bit more than full-term babies.

There are things you can do to help make the nights in those early days a bit easier. Set up a good sleep environment for when you come home from hospital. Make sure you’ve got a lovely bedroom set up which is dark and cool.

When babies are born they need darkness to switch off because they are used to the darkness of the womb and a dark room will stimulate the sleep hormone melatonin.

When you are up in the night feeding your baby try not to turn any main lights on as you want to keep your baby as sleepy as possible. Use a small nightlight which is bright enough so you can see what you’re doing but will allow you to settle your baby and yourself back to sleep quickly.

In the first six weeks your baby will be establishing milk supply and will want to be on the boob a lot. It is the same with formula-fed babies who will want to feed little and often as their tummies are still so small.

This will be a very tiring time for you and your partner and while you may be running on adrenaline in the first week or so, it is important you get as much sleep as you can. It is easier said than done but nap when the baby naps and go to bed early.

How much does a baby sleep?

There is no correct answer for this.

A newborn will need to sleep a lot of the time and in the early days may not be able to stay awake for more than an hour. Follow their cues and let them sleep when they want to while also making sure they are awake long enough for a good feed every 3-4 hours, depending on their weight and age.

After 12 weeks you might start to see a pattern with your baby’s sleep and begin some kind of bedtime and nap routine.

When should I start a sleep routine?

You have to do what’s right for you. In the first month you need to follow the baby’s cues for when they want to feed and sleep. The time is called the fourth trimester and your baby will want to be close to you all of the time and you will still be establishing your milk supply if breastfeeding.

It is never too early to introduce bedtime rituals. This involves doing the same things in the same order every night, for example washing your baby, dressing them, a song or story and a cuddle.

This pre-bedtime wind-down may help soothe your baby into a longer sleep.

Is cuddling my baby to sleep a bad habit?

There is nothing wrong with the bonding process of cuddling your baby but if you find you cuddle your baby to sleep and they can’t get to sleep on their own then you might need to implement a bedtime routine to separate the cuddles and the baby going off to sleep.

Is a dummy ok?

Dummies can be good for premature babies because they can help them learn to suck and some babies with reflux also find them soothing.

If you feel like dummies are becoming a barrier to sleep and you are doing the ‘dummy run’ 10 times a night because your baby can’t get themselves back to sleep then it is obviously causing some sleep problems. This behaviour may start at around 12 weeks when you will see a change in how your baby sleeps.

Does white noise help a baby sleep?

White noise is great for newborns because they are used to the continuous sounds of the womb.

If you are going to use it you need to keep the white noise on continuously. The baby’s sleep environment needs to be consistent. If the white noise turns off after a certain time it may disturb the baby and they won’t be able to get back to sleep. If you’re not sure how loud it should be, think about the volume of a shower.

If your baby responds well to white noise at bedtime then also use it for nap times too.

Some parents worry about becoming reliant on the machines but to wean your baby off, just gradually turn it down over a few days until it can be turned off completely.

When is it good to start a routine with naps?

Six months is a great age to start. It doesn’t have to be rigid and regimented. You will also be introducing solids at this age so your day will naturally start to get into a rhythm.

Try to start your day at the same time every day, perhaps 7am. The baby is likely to want their first nap around two hours after they first woke up. The rest of the day should then follow on from that.

There will be developmental leaps and other disruptions so be prepared to be a bit flexible with your routine.

If you are implementing a new change, do it at bedtime as this is when it is most likely to work as you can try it at the same time over consecutive days.

Do bottle-fed babies sleep longer than breastfed babies at night? 

It is a massive misconception that formula-fed babies sleep better than breast-fed babies. Research shows that babies sleep the same whatever milk they’re given. Please don’t blame your breastmilk.

If they are waking a lot if could be that they are hungry so make sure you have a good latch if you are breastfeeding and consult a lactation consultant if you think you need advice.

If you feel ready to stop breastfeeding then gently wean your baby off by dropping one feed at a time. Don’t make any rash decisions on a bad day. There will be bad days but think of ways to make things easier. Consider expressing so your partner can help at night, perhaps they could do the 10.30/11pm ‘dream feed’ so you can have a longer stretch of sleep.

With a younger baby try to put them down when they are drowsy so they can self-soothe. If you think they are just sucking for comfort rather than feeding at night, try other settling techniques such as cuddling them, patting and ssshing them or white noise.

My number one rule for older babies is that if they are not crying out for you then give them a chance to settle themselves and to go back to sleep. Try not to run straight to them.

These are just a few tips. It is important to remember that everything is temporary and sleep patterns are always changing as your baby develops and grows.

:: Follow @just_chill_mama to find many more of Rosey’s sleep resources