Support for you
Together Trust has information and advice for you if you have a baby or a child under 2.
They have made some great advice leaflets for parents/carers that cover:
- Newborn baby sleep
- Helping to self sooth
- Co-sleeping
- Top tips for sleep
Sleep Support for under 2's
Just like adults, all babies sleep differently – some will sleep more, some will sleep less. New parents often feel under pressure to have a baby that sleeps through the night.
Babies wake up for lots of different reasons:
- newborns sleep for small bursts and wake for feeds because they have tiny tummies
- growth spurts (usually around 1-3 weeks, two months and three months)
- teething
- tummy aches and needing changing
- tired or overtired
At birth, babies don’t know the difference between night and day and this awareness develops gradually over several weeks.
There are other reasons that can impact on a baby’s sleep such as reflux, so if you do have concerns around your baby's sleep, make sure you chat them through with your Health Visitor or GP.
Top tips for babies sleep
- Look out for yawns, staring and eye rubbing. These are signs they’re ready for sleep. You may notice they become noisier if they are over-tired which makes it harder to fall asleep
- It can be helpful to try to put babies in the cot when awake
- Babies love repetition so a routine will help them to predict night-time, try taking them out in daylight and making sure the room/the place they sleep is darker.
- Keep the room temperature cool
- Ideally feed around 45 minutes before sleep time and not in the place where they are going to sleep.
- Try singing the same song each night as you get your baby ready for bed
- If you use a dummy, give it to your child to put in own mouth once they're able to
Most importantly, do what feels right for you and your baby – be confident in your decisions.
Need to talk to someone?
The National Sleep Helpline has trained sleep advisors that can talk things through and suggest ways to help. You can contact them by telephone on 03303 530 541
They are available:
- Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 7pm - 9pm
- Monday and Wednesday 9 - 11 am
Not available on Bank Holidays.