BABY SLEEP TRAINING

Baby sleeping through the night? If not, we can help. By determining the cause we can find the solution to get your baby sleeping soundly.

WHAT IS SLEEP TRAINING?

Sharing a bed with your baby is, without doubt, a hotly debated topic both in the media and amongst parents and there has been much publicity around both the pros and cons of doing so. Ultimately whether you put your baby to sleep in the same bed as you or separately comes down to personal choice, but it is also really important to understand the potential dangers involved in sharing the same bed as your newborn before making that decision. For a newborn baby, the heat produced under the duvet, combined the body heat produced by those sharing the bed, may become excessive and therefore dangerous. Furthermore, you cannot exclude the possibility of accidental suffocation when sharing the same bed or the potential that your baby might roll or fall out of bed. The NHS also strongly recommends against sharing a bed with your baby if you or your partner smoke as this can be detrimental to your baby’s health as smoke lingers on both clothing and your breath.

WHEN TO START SLEEP TRAINING

While it might sound like the solution you want from day one it’s recommended you start sleep training babies between four to six months. Newborns sleeping habits can be very different whilst babies from four months will have typically started their sleep-wake cycle.

BEDTIME ROUTINES

While it might sound like the solution you want from day one it’s recommended you start sleep training babies between four to six months. Newborns sleeping habits can be very different whilst babies from four months will have typically started their sleep-wake cycle.

SLEEP CUES

Firstly, it’s important to recognise your baby’s sleep cues and begin your routine there, these include: yawning, rubbing eyes or ears, looking away and not holding a gaze, jerkiness or fussiness and general over tiredness. These cues let you know when it’s time to start getting your little one ready for sleep.

RELAXATION

Before settling down for bedtime, establish a calming and relaxing routine that helps baby understand the bedtime associations that will eventually become a connection with sleep.

Once you’ve established its time to begin the bedtime routine, start with a relaxing bath, avoiding overstimulation in the tub, which could cause alertness resulting in them  to become over tired.  After their bath create a comforting and cosy environment starting with a baby massage, fresh bedtime clothes and an ambient room.

FEEDING:

Next up is a final feed before bedtime and other calming activities such as gently rocking baby as they begin to become drowsier. Make sure to  put the baby down in their crib before they fall asleep so they get used to falling asleep on their own

Just remember that a routine will take time to establish but if you remain consistent it will help little one understand when it’s time to go to bed.