Sleep through the night A newborn baby, more so if breastfed will sleep for an average of 3 hours in a row at any one time before they wake and need feeding, for a two-three month old all you can expect to see if another 2 hours on top of that. By four months you can probably get a good seven hours sleep as by now they probably wont be needing a night time feed
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to move onto the next step. Instead of hanging through the cot bars with one hand slowly getting pins and needles, just sit by the cot. She will know that you are there only this time there is no physical contact between you both. You should by now of noticed just how long it takes her to get herself of to sleep and she should also be learning to settle herself in the night if she wakes too meaning you should be settling a little bit more sleep.
DAY 9-10 She should be settling herself down to sleep for the night now without any physical contact from you and you should be moving a few feet away from the cot each night allowing her to drift off without you being too close to her. It can happen in a night or a take a few to get to this stage but it is important
to maintain no interaction with her including talking or smiling at her so she can see. Simply just be in the room for her should she need you and leave the room silently once she has fallen asleep. Babies are like little emotion magnets, they can pick up on all the things their parents are feeling so it’s crucial that you stay calm and focused, if you start to worry your baby will pick up on it and won’t settle properly. Use the quiet time in your baby’s room to reflect on your day and treasure the memories that you have made with your baby that week. Focus on your breathing and just relax.
TROUBLESHOOT POORLY BABY Illness is a huge culprit when it comes to disturbed sleep in children and it can be the reason sleep patterns change, con-
Sleepy Top Tip Avoid excitement and new things bedtime, exercise, stories, games and playing will make your baby more alert before bed. It’s a good idea to have 20 minutes of quiet play before starting your bedtime routine
centrate on getting her better and giving her lots of TLC rather than pushing sleep training on her, it might mean that you have to start again once she’s better and sleeping sounder but that is better than fuelling an infection that has kept her unsettled. Remember it only takes 3 days to make a habit and after she is better you can start again, and she will wake in the night for ‘normal’ reasons rather than the need to be settled.