Top Sleep Tips

This list can help with any child, but it is especially made for younger children and newborns. Happy Sleeping!


{Click on the highlighted text to learn more about a word/phrase}

Avoid overtiredness. I can't mention this too many times. Pay attention to your child's wake time lengths and sleep cues and consider keeping a sleep log. Keep in mind that newborns are often up only to eat and have their diaper changed and then it is time to go back to sleep. If you keep a newborn up too long, helping her go to sleep is going to be far from pleasant.  Find that optimal wake time to help your little one go to sleep easily and sleep for longer periods of time (unless, of course, you like short naps and extra night wakings :) And keep in mind that as it changes you need to change with it or you'll have a whole new set of problems!

Don't overstimulate your child. Newborns get overstimulated very easily. Even staring at your face or a white wall can be pretty intense for them. I know they are cute, but try to contain yourself :) If you (or grandparents) overdue it, you very likely will have a baby that has a hard time settling for sleep. Older children get overstimulated too, so try to turn off the tv and stop the roughhousing at least 30 minutes before bed.

Swaddle your baby. A newborn that is swaddled is more likely to sleep for longer stretches of time--for naps and during the night. She will also probably settle more easily to sleep. Now who wouldn't want that? I really like swaddle blankets. I have found that they keep most babies swaddled better than a regular blanket and they also make sure baby is swaddled the correct way (see hip dysplasia and swaddling). There are some great ones out there that even help keep those houdinies swaddled (I have especially had luck with the miracle blanket).

Distinguish night from day. Some people go all out on trying to help baby distinguish night from day. They keep things crazy loud and bright during the day-- even during naps. I haven't found it necessary to do things to such an extent. Simply keeping things light and somewhat active during baby's waketimes during the day and quiet and dark (no talking or smiling please) at night is usually enough to let baby know the difference between these two times. And only change a diaper at night if you need to (they will end up sleeping in their own pee until they are potty trained so don't worry about it--you can't help it!). To prevent leaks, try night time diapers, a bigger size up diaper, diaper inserts or even a diaper soaker cover to prevent night time leaks. In older children, don't give them much to drink before bed.

And of course, the eat/wake/sleep cycle does wonders at helping baby distinguish day from night.

Put your child to sleep drowsy but awake. As your child gets older or more used to this method you will probably be putting her to sleep more and more awake. If she starts to resist you when you try to get her drowsy before sleep, this probably means she is ready to be put to sleep more awake.

Watch out for Sleep Props.  This suggestion isn't for everyone because obviously some people prefer to feed or rock to sleep, but I'm giving it because it has a huge impact on sleep. Babies that are fed to sleep or fall asleep to movement often end up with some of the biggest sleep prop problems. So maybe try feeding before sleep, but not sleep. And maybe try rocking before sleep for a few minutes instead of rocking to sleep. Look at the Baby Whisperer's Four S routine. I love it.

Quite a few people still like to do whatever works for a certain period of time before they start any form sleep habits, routine etc. If this is you, just skip over the next paragraph.

With sleep, I often suggest you start as you mean to go. Sometimes we still have to do sleep props to survive or to ensure our child gets adequate sleep or to extend naps and that is OK. You do what works for you and your baby and your particular situation. Starting as you mean to go on is good, but sometimes it doesn't work out perfectly. No worries.

Don't Rush In. Babies are often noisy sleepers ("sleep like a baby" HA!). And they go through sleep transitions where they can get even noisier. Often, if you leave a supposedly awake baby alone for a short time they'll go back to sleep. Don't turn these times into short naps or extra night wakings--stop, listen, then decide what to do. Don't just rush in.

Keep a Routine/Schedule. {Once again, some people don't like to establish any sort of routine until their child is older, if ever. If this is you, skip this}. Children thrive on routines and consistency. Keep a consistent morning wake time and consider following the eat/wake/sleep cycle. Encourage full feedings and try to avoid sleeping during feeds so you can get those full feeds in. The full feeds will allow you to space feeds apart during the day and stick with the eat/wake/sleep cycle. Be consistent, but flexible.

Start a Pre-Sleep Routine. Make the sleep routine soothing, predictable, consistent and something to look forward to. Avoid things that may be stimulating (ahem, TV). Dim the lights. Read a book. Sing a special song. Give lots of snuggles. Enjoy your special time together. Special, my 4 year olds favorite word :)

Be consistent. I have mentioned consistency more than once during this post but it is important enough that I want to mention it again. If you want good results, you need to be, for the most part, consistent. Also give things long enough time to work before you decide something doesn't work. It is fine to change things up, but don't throw ten different things at your child at once without ever giving them a good try. You'll send her for a tail spin and you'll have no idea what caused what and what helped or hurt.

Create a good sleep environment. Keep the temperature around 65-70 degrees Farenheit. Make sure the room is dark at night and in the early morning hours to prevent those early morning wakings. As much as possible, try to have your child sleep is her actual bed (but if you can't, that's OK). I highly suggest you use white noise. Avoid itchy clothing and use footed sleepers and sleep sacks instead of blankets for young children.

Stick to an early bedtime. This one thing alone fixes so many problems, especially excessive night wakings! Most children do best with a bedtime around 6-8 (depending on naps, morning wake time, age and total sleep required at night--usually around 11-12 hours). Bedtime may be earlier than usual for a while if you are adjusting to a dropped nap. It may also be super early for a while if you are trying to combat a cycle of over tiredness. Also, some babies do a bit better with a slightly later bedtime during the newborn period. This should move earlier as they get older.

You can try tanking up with cluster feeding and the dreamfeed. Tanking up usually helps to extend night sleep and the dream feed helps to put the longest stretch of sleep right when you go to bed. When baby starts sleeping longer, the dreamfeed will be the one and only night feed, instead of one in the middle of the night. Nice!

Realize that many newborns do not sleep well in the evening. Instead of feeling frustrated about this, use this time to get out and do something (baby won't sleep at home anyway). Use the swing (I prefer this swing by far) or a baby carrier. Do what works to get you through this time. My youngest spent most evenings in a wrap the first few months of his life. It kept him content during this fussy time and he even fell asleep sometimes. And I enjoyed the snuggles.

Watch your baby's cues closely, know your baby and expect change...again and again. Babies are consistent with one thing, they like to change! Change with them or sleep problems (among other things) will occur. If you work on knowing your baby well rather than just following a book (or this blog--it is here to assist you in all of this, not to do all of this for you) these changes will occur more easily.

Trial and error is the only way to figure out if something actually works. You won't know until you try it! Waiting until you know exactly what will work will just lead to a lot of waiting! A sleep log can help a lot when you use trial and error.

Learn about developmental periods that make sleep training or sleep in general tough. One of these is the Wonder Weeks which I've mentioned before. If you know about these weeks, you'll have a heads up about what is going on and won't be so flustered. There are also developmental periods mentioned in the book Bedtiming that may not work well for initiating sleep training. See when to sleep train and when not to.

Feel comfortable with whatever you are doing. Don't do something unless you are comfortable doing it, especially when it comes to sleep training. If you do, you will feel crummy doing it and you will likely not stick with it (all the time and effort for nothing!). But remember, just because something is hard to do, it doesn't necessarily mean it is the wrong thing to do.

Have realistic expectations. What are realistic expectations? Well, it depends ALOT on who you talk to. I will get into this more in future posts (you can also see When Will My Child Sleep through the Night). For now,  if you have a newborn keep in mind how young they are. It takes time for a child to sleep longer at night. It also takes a really long time for some children to have longer naps.

Realize that every baby is different. I know it is hard, but try not to compare your baby to every other baby in this world. Your baby is unique. He will sleep differently than other babies and may struggle with sleep when you do "everything perfect" while your neighbor's baby sleeps perfect when she does every sleep prop in book. That's how it goes sometimes. Give yourself a pat on your back for doing the best you can do and move on.

Expect some sleep regressions. Adults don't sleep perfect all the time and either do babies. They have their up and down days and they also have times when they decide to see if those limits you set for sleep are still there (and I hope they are!). There are also developmental periods and developmental milestones where sleep can get tough, even if your child was sleeping awesome before.

Relax! Don't Obsess! And Relax! Enjoy your baby. They are only babies once! There will be sleep regressions and hiccups along the way. Remember, all babies have their off days just like we do. Don't worry about it. And try not to stress about it.

Keep the end goal of good sleep in mind when things are tough and you feel like giving up. Try working on one thing at a time. Find some support. If you can, muster up a little more patience and try to get some perspective (remember, your baby is only X weeks old :).  Lastly, relax and don't let that bad nap ruin your day!


RELATED POST:
But Why Doesn't it Work?
What I Wish I'd Known with Baby #1