7 ways to help yoour baby get a better nights sleep

It is thought that a newborn will spend around two-thirds of each day asleep (lucky buggers!). Sleep in general is important for physical recuperation, physical growth, the immune system, brain development, learning, memory, and information processing as well as many other systems of the brain and the human body. It is a medical fact that during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep your child's brain cells are making important connections. These synapses, as they're called, are the pathways that enable all learning, movement, and thought. They are the key to your child understanding all they are seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling as they explore the world. You can see how amazingly important it is so it is little wonder that babies who don't get enough sleep or sleep poorly often have a difficult temperament and this can be very stressful to their parents.

Another interesting fact is that there has been a suggested link between poor infant sleep pattern and poor adult sleep patterns. With this in mind it is important to try to develop a routine, it is not really worth trying to set a sleep routine in the first few months, it is best to be led by your baby's needs. During these months your baby's sleep, or lack of it, will be affecting you. It's normal to feel tired as broken sleep and night feeds interrupt your routine it is best to try to get sleep where you can.

Unlike us newborns will tend to sleep through most noises and wake only when hungry it is worth noting that a baby who seems very sleepy a lot of the time and who doesn't wake to feed may be ill, so don't assume a baby like this is 'being good'. Contact a health professional if you're worried. It is worth bearing in mind that although nutritionally, breastfeeding is best for babies, breastfed babies do sleep more lightly, and will probably wake more often.

By the age of about six to eight months, your baby can probably manage without a night feed and might sleep for six to eight hours, but remember, not all sleep and feeding patterns are the same. Your baby has to learn how to fall asleep and how to get back to sleep when she wakes during the night.

Tips on getting a good nights sleep
It is important that you teach you child good sleeping habits as early as possible this involves

1. Helping your baby to distinguish between daytime and night-time, this can be achieved by keeping your child's room dark and quiet at night, and having half an hours quiet play, or a bath before they go to sleep, giving them a quiet last feed or to read to your child in a quiet gentle voice or play them a lullaby, whatever you choose to do try to do the same things every night.


2. If you want your baby to learn to settle themselves, it's best to try to put them down in their cot before they fall asleep, this builds an association between sleep and their cot. Try to identify when they are tired and respond appropriately with the same routine. If your child gets used to falling asleep in your arms with you cuddling or stroking them, they may have problems settling alone.


3. Try to stick to the same simple routine before bedtime every night and try to make it around the same time every night.


4. It is normal and best to allow your child to cry for a short period when you put them to bed you must stop yourself from rushing to them or fussing over them, it can be hard but it is in their interests, but do not leave a crying baby for too long. In many cases just waiting a few moments will see your baby calm down and fall asleep without any help.


5. If you do not want your child to be in your bed, do not start a routine where they come in if they wake as this will escalate and is difficult to change, try to feed in their room if they are still feeding during the night and then put them back in their bed and wait a few moments for any tears to subside. There is no need to purposely wake-up a baby for feedings if the babies are healthy and developing well, as their sense of hunger will dictate the schedule.


6. Sleeping during the day will not usually influence their nigh time sleep, and therefore, try not to prevent this happening they need the rest.


7. It is not a good idea to use a duvet, quilt or pillow until your baby is over one year old.

As with most things in life there are no hard and fast rules about sleep it is a case of what works best for you and your child