5 top tips for promoting sleep

Here are 5 top tips for promoting sleep with your little ones.

The majority of babies I see with sleep issues are over tired. They then become irritable and cannot go off to sleep despite being exhausted. Just like when we get our “second wind” after going out late. Are you able to predict when your baby is ready for a sleep by knowing when they woke up? What are your babyʼs tired signs and can you recognise them early?
Have you provided an environment conducive to sleep? Is the room temperature ok? Many babies begin to wake overnight as they are cold. Always consider the temperature at 3am as this is the coldest time of the night. Do they have a clean nappy, full tummy and have had some wind down time before trying to settle them?
Make sure you have a strong support network. Someone to help you bounce ideas off and give you a break to have some sleep your self. It is a sign of strength not weakness to ask for help. Remember the old saying “it takes a village to raise a child.” How true this is-often we try to go it alone however asking for help during the tough times is ok.
Be kind to yourself and have patience as it can take a while to see real improvement once you are consistently putting changes in place. Donʼt expect it to all happen overnight.
Stay calm and relaxed. Your baby can pick up on your feelings and will be less likely to settle if you are anxious and feeling stressed.

148 Comments

- - kate_reid said
  - 31 Jul 2013
    10:35 pm
Great information- I love the gentle methods best!

- - meagan_cooper said
  - 31 Jul 2013
    5:33 pm
Great information but sometimes not as easy as the above things but these are really good things to check first.

- - kymichelle said
  - 31 Jul 2013
    12:42 pm
I found with my youngest son, a Winter baby, he loved to be securely wrapped in a warm room. Even now at 2, he wakes if the temp drops too low or he kicks all the bedding off. We’ve had milder nights for a few nights and then a frost last night and he woke in the early hours of the morning when it got cold.

- - kjgarner said
  - 25 Jul 2013
    11:34 am
Its good for babies to get their sleep and its good when they do sleep cause it means that mummy can have a sleep too especially when I have twins

- - hopefullyheidi said
  - 18 Jul 2013
    6:55 pm
Thanks for the advice. It is especially hard when it is your first child and you have no idea what you’re in store for

- - meagan_cooper said
  - 18 Jul 2013
    12:10 pm
Great tips its such a testing time for both mummy and bubby bedtime…

- - jenny9761 said
  - 11 Jul 2013
    6:54 pm
These are some great tips for mum’s with little ones.

- - sapshu936 said
  - 11 Jul 2013
    10:31 am
My little one does not sleep well during the day time but sleeps fine at night.. very informative article for me…

- - hopefullyheidi said
  - 10 Jul 2013
    11:55 am
Thank you. It’s hard to establish routine sleep techniques if you have a troublesome sleeper.

- - a-edwards said
  - 08 Jul 2013
    11:08 am
its stressful when kids dont sleep n r overtired yet still dont go to sleep

- - suzette28 said
  - 07 Jul 2013
    10:42 am
Good routine and a calm and comfortable room is a must.

- - a-edwards said
  - 03 Jul 2013
    11:36 am
My problem was I would get so stress when my daughter wouldn’t sleep.

- - lynzstevo said
  - 30 Jun 2013
    4:31 pm
I think its important to make a child’s room very calm and soothing and a welcoming environment for sleep without any distractions. My kids don’t have any toys in their room, we have a separate room for toys and their bedroom is purely for sleep.

- - ella12 said
  - 28 Jun 2013
    4:07 pm
Great tips offered, thank you.

- - jackie_wenke said
  - 27 Jun 2013
    6:04 pm
Thanks for the reminders. Fingers crossed this one will be the sleeper

- - natct said
  - 26 Jun 2013
    5:04 pm
It’s hard to know with the first, I got better with the second but with the third it’s so easy to read I wonder how I missed it.

- - mstar said
  - 25 Jun 2013
    11:58 am
All good points. I had a bad sleeper regardless what I did but much improved now

- - aleishagebert said
  - 22 Jun 2013
    4:31 pm
And sometimes, nothing you do will be wrong and they just wont go to sleep.
- lovi replied
  
  23 Jun 2013 , 11:51 am
  Been there survived that lol
  - meros replied
    
    30 Jun 2013 , 11:53 pm
    
    This applies to my daughter
- - lovi said
  - 19 Jun 2013
    6:58 pm
Routine routine routine was my secret

- - meros said
  - 18 Jun 2013
    9:52 pm
My son actually woke up saying it was too hot for him to sleep. I had to put the temperature down so yes environment plays a very big part