Baby Sleep Tips – How can you help your baby to sleep better?

Sleep – Remember that?
A hot topic in most of our classes tends to be sleep, or should I say lack of it!? No-one can prepare you for motherhood or the sleeping patterns of a baby or toddler. However, in this short blog piece we’ve got some baby sleep tips to help you muddle though the worst of it and hopefully come out of the other side a little less tired.

Routine
Routine is really important for little ones – it helps them learn what is about to happen next. That’s why we always start our classes with a shaky egg and a song as it builds their routine right from the very start. However, we know a shaky egg isn’t the answer here – but having a solid routine can really help prepare your baby for the land of nod. Once weaning, choose your evening mealtime and stick to it – that should be the beginning of the wind down zone. Follow mealtime with a bath for some relaxing sensory play. There are lots of songs that go well in the bath too – like row, row, row your boat, so add some gentle singing to calm things down – nothing too hyper here, we’re trying to get them to relax remember. After the bath a story always goes down well – all dry and wrapped up in their PJs enjoy some cuddling whilst reading a book or two and don’t forget to let your little one turn the pages. Finally, if your little one is still feeding before bed why not sing to them as you feed, they’ll love the closeness this brings and hearing your voice will make them feel really secure. Follow these steps and hopefully this should be the beginning of a peaceful nights sleep.

Regression or New Permanent Fixture?
It’s hard to know when you’re in the midst of a sleepless night / few nights if your little one not sleeping is a new permanent thing or if they’re hitting a developmental milestone and/or going through a sleep regression. Most phases of night waking do pass naturally and they happen because your little one is poorly, growing, teething, pooing at silly times or developing mentally. However, knowing these things doesn’t make it easier to deal with at 2,3,4,5am. Try to stay calm and keep things as quiet and as dark as possible. A little light doesn’t hurt but no big lights. Try to remember that sleep regressions only last between 2 and 4 weeks and although that feels like a lifetime if you’re not sleeping “this too shall pass”.
In the last section we talked about routine and you should try to stick to this even if your little one is fussing, it will help in the long run if you keep those solid foundations even when everything else seems to have gone out of the window.
Comfort your little one if they are unsettled but try not to set any bad habits in these difficult times. For example, if you don’t usually co-sleep try not introduce it during a sleep regression as once the regression is over you’ll have another battle on your hands of getting your small person back in their own bed.
If you’re finding the world of regressions and sleeplessness becoming a permanent fixture in your night-time routine don’t be afraid to seek and ask for help. There are so many amazing sleep specialists out there who understand that each child is different. They will have helped hundreds of families before. You can view a database of sleep consultants at https://internationalsleep.org/ who provide details of qualified sleep consultants all over the world.

Stimulate Your Baby
It sounds silly, but is your baby getting enough stimulation? Help your little one feel tired by giving them new experiences. Fresh air is always a good place to start. There’s lots to see and do outside. Go to the park and see the ducks, have a little go on the swings together. If they’re toddling let them get out and roam for a little bit. Babies and toddlers have a lot of energy so giving them the time and opportunity to use some of it up is really important.
Baby Classes are also a great place to stimulate your little ones. At Adventure Babies, we have a bit of everything from storytelling to sensory and messy play. We have songs, bubbles, lights and plenty of free time for your little ones to explore the different areas and for you to meet other mums and dads to chat to and muddle through the sleeplessness together. A recurring thing parents say who attend out sessions is how good their little ones sleep afterwards. We do all the hard work so you don’t have to!

Hopefully our baby sleep tips can help you to regain some balance in the crazy and tiring world of being a parent!

Find your nearest Adventure Babies class today at www.adventurebabies.co.uk/classes/