Sleep environment is one of the most important aspects of ensuring a baby is set up for a great night sleep!  This is just as important during the day as it is for night time.  Consistency and schedule are two aspects of sleep that babies thrive with.

• Implement a wind down routine – Babies thrive on a consistent routine as this makes them feel safe and secure.  It is important to develop a set of rituals that you will implement before every nap and bedtime.  This may include saying goodnight to everyone in the house, feeding, changing, cuddling and playing some relaxing white noise with a dim light in their room before putting them in bed for sleep.

• Watch your baby’s awake window – It is important to be aware of how long your baby should be awake for before going back to sleep, this is to ensure you are not putting your baby to sleep under or over tired.  For babies younger than 3 months generally, you should ensure you are putting your baby down every 1-2 hours age dependent, this includes feeding time.  For babies 3 months onward, this is stretched to 1.5-2.5 also age dependent.

• Minimum of one sleep in the crib – It is important to allow your baby to spend at least one nap during the day in their crib (or area where they sleep at night) Preferably the middle of the day nap where the sleep is the most restorative and more than one sleep cycle.  If you keep this consistent they will begin to learn and understand that this is their sleep space.

• Be consistent with your settling technique – It is always recommended to ensure you implement healthy sleep habits, from 3 months onward, try to ensure you focus on one settling technique so your baby does not become confused or become reliant on sleep associations that may become more of a sleep issue as they get older.

• Ensure your baby’s room is dark – It is important to ensure your baby’s room is dark for both day and night sleep.  This is because melatonin, the sleep hormone, is only produced in darkness, so this will help in your babies ability to settle easily and nap well throughout the day, this will also help to guard against early morning waking.

• Ensure your baby feeds well throughout the day – By ensuring that you are feeding your baby well during the day will help them to sleep better at night and more consolidated periods of sleep.

It is never too late to implement these tips into your baby’s daily schedule, if you would like more information or could benefit from a personalized plan and full support, please do not hesitate to contact me!  I look forward to helping the whole family rest easy!