Families Health
BUMPS AND BABIES 20
Sleep and Settling A baby’s sleeping habits or patterns can be a regular source of stress and anxiety for parents. However, in Brisbane, there are many professionals who provide support for parents experiencing ongoing and persistent sleep issues with infants and young children. We asked the Ellen Barron Family Centre to write for us to discuss some of the most common questions parents as about sleep and settling:
Why does my baby wake during the night? It’s normal for a baby to wake between sleep cycles (both day and night), and most babies will go back to sleep by themselves. Newborn babies need to be fed regularly and as they grow, the time between night feeds increases until they reach the point that they no longer require a feed during the night.
Infants will sleep through the night when they are old enough. This varies from child to child, but generally happens from around five to six months onwards. Sleeping ‘through the night’ usually means from the last feed at night (about 11pm) to between 4am and 5am. Night waking only starts to become a problem when a baby will not go back to sleep by itself, and cries for a parent’s assistance each time a sleep cycle ends.
Your Local Families Magazine – Brisbane Issue 3 - April/May 2014
Some babies will wake up to 15 times or more a night. When this pattern is persistent, a baby becomes overtired and more difficult to settle. The result can be exhausted parents after months of disturbed sleep.
What am I doing wrong? Nothing. Firstly, it’s important to ensure that your baby is well and that there is no underlying medical cause for their