How can I get my baby to sleep well?
Developing good sleep habits for the first year begins very early on. Have your baby sleep in his own bed if possible from early on, this way his sleep will not be disturbed by you and you will also get a better stretch of sleep. Make sure his bedroom or sleep space supports sleep, with calming colours and block out lining on the curtains of blinds. Don’t hang mobiles or bright pictures in or near the cot – keep other spaces for stimulation and the cot for sleep. Soft bedding and comfortable sleep clothing are also essential.Ensure his nutritional needs are met which means night feeds for the young baby, solids for the older baby and sufficient protein after 6 months old. Make sure he has a good daytime sleep schedule to ensure he is not overtired when he goes to bed at night. Keep his days calm and use lots of calming input in the hour prior to bedtime.
Separate day and night with a calming bath time routine and keep him in his room thereafter to settle quietly into a drowsy state. Put him to bed drowsy but awake.
At around 6 – 9 months your baby may wake due to separation anxiety and you can help him by playing games such as hide and seek and peek-a-boo during the day. Always say goodbye when you leave your baby.
At this point you have set the stage for good sleep habits. If your baby continues to wake at night after 6 months of age, you may need to teach him to resettle himself at night independently, using a sleep training approach. A very baby friendly approach is outlined in the book.
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