Baby Sleep Tips

Baby sleep isn’t one-size-fits-all. Every baby has their own temperament, sleep needs, and rhythms, which means the journey can look different for everyone. For some families sleep comes easily, while for others it can feel more challenging. Use these tips as a helpful guide, but always trust your mama gut and adapt things in a way that feels right for you and your baby.

Safe Sleeping for Babies

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden death of a baby under 12 months who is well and healthy prior. The cause of this is unknown and rates have decreased since introducing safe sleeping campaigns. In 2022, 106 deaths were attributed to either SIDS or an unknown cause in Australia. I am passionate about teaching parents about ways we can prevent this loss of precious life.

Make sure baby's face is not covered when sleeping.
Your baby should sleep in a safe environment. The cot should have a fitted sheet, no bumpers, no toys.
Have baby sleep in a cot in the parents room for the first 12 months of life
Your baby should sleep alone in his cot
Keep your baby away from smoke before and after birth.
Your baby should always sleep on his back in the cot

For more information on SIDS visit www.nose.org.au

Signs your baby is ready to drop the nap

If naps that were once going smoothly suddenly become a struggle, it may be a sign that your child is ready to drop a nap.

As children grow, their sleep needs change, and transitions in daytime sleep are a normal part of development. However, dropping a nap too early can sometimes backfire, leading to overtiredness, increased fussiness, and more difficult bedtimes.

For this reason, it’s important to consider both your child’s age and the signs they may be ready before making any changes to their nap schedule. Some signs your baby may be ready to drop a nap include:

Bedtime battles
Early morning waking
Baby taking longer than 20 minutes to fall asleep
Shorter naps or naps interfering with bedtime
Nighttime waking - more than usual

Baby sleep Cues

Babies don’t always cry because they’re hungry — sometimes they’re simply tired. When early sleep cues are missed, babies can become overtired. This may look like crying, fussiness, back arching, or jerky movements, and it can make settling them to sleep much more difficult. Learning to recognise your baby’s sleep cues can help you respond earlier and make the transition to sleep much smoother for both of you.

Rubbing eyes
The stare
Looking away/ disinterested
Yawning
Blinking
fussing
Decrease in activity

Sleep Regression

A sleep regression refers to a period when a baby’s sleep becomes disrupted after previously sleeping well. These changes are often linked to normal developmental progress. As babies grow, their sleep patterns mature, and periods of disruption can occur during times of rapid growth, brain development, or when they are learning new skills such as rolling, crawling, or pulling to stand.

While sleep regressions can be challenging, they are temporary and reflect important stages in your baby’s development. Signs of a sleep regression include.

More difficult to put baby to sleep (fussing and crying)
Shorter naps
More frequent night wake ups
Changes in feeding habits
Baby needing more support to go to sleep