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Resources and support for parents interested in supporting their baby's sleep without using sleep training methods.

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Our mission:

We support parents in understanding biologically normal infant and toddler sleep and navigating the early years of parenting without sleep training.

A world without sleep training.

Our aim is to support and empower parents to move beyond sleep training culture. The Beyond Sleep Training Project advocates for responsive, gentle and peaceful parenting from birth onward.

Our current programs are our Closed Facebook Group, Facebook Page, Instagram Page and Facebook Messenger Inbox service. But we're always working on a number of other programs to roll out so watch this space!

Facebook Group

The Beyond Sleep Training Project Facebook Group supports families, caregivers, and caring professionals through our online community. We offer a safe and compassionate space, along with evidence-based information, to explore options outside of sleep training. You can join it here; please ensure you answer all of the joining questions!

1-1 Support and ANONYMOUS posting

You can send a message to our Public Facebook Page to submit an anonymous post for advice from the Facebook Group or receive individual support from our team.

Advocacy

We encourage our members to take part in grassroots advocacy and activism.

We are in the process of staring up our newly registered charity- Little Sparklers which will take the work started in The Beyond Sleep Training Project to the next level. Stay tuned on how you can help us get this moving!

Volunteer opportunities
If you are interested in helping with the behind the scenes operations, we have a number of volunteer roles.

Join Our Group
Join our vibrant community of over 80,000 families navigating the baby and toddler years without sleep training. Whether you have never considered sleep training, or you "failed" sleep school, TBSTP helps you find solidarity, friendship and support.

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The Beyond Sleep Training Project - The Beyond Sleep Training Project - Home

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We support parents in understanding biologically normal infant and toddler sleep and navigating the early years of parenting without sleep training. Our current programs are our Closed Facebook Group, Facebook Page, Instagram Page and Facebook Messenger Inbox service. But we're always working on a number of other programs to roll out so watch this space!

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The UNICEF guidelines

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Info from the anti-SIDS charity, the Lullaby Trust

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The Lullaby Trust raises awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), provides expert advice on safer sleep for babies and offers emotional support for bereaved families

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This says it's for health professionals but it's also a really accessible read.

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Baby Sleep Information Source - balanced, evidence based info on all things related to baby sleep

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Research-based information on baby sleep for parents and practitioners, covering normal infant sleep, sleep safety, where and how babies sleep, SIDS and SUDI, parental sleep and free resources.

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Sleep | Information and support on babies & toddlers | NCT

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NCT, Brunel House, 11 The Promenade, Clifton Down, Bristol BS8 3NG Reg Charity No (England and Wales): 801395, (Scotland): SC041592. Reg Company No: 2370573.

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SIDS and bed sharing.

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The challenge

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) - sometimes known as 'cot death' - is the sudden, unexpected and unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby. In the UK, just under 300 babies die suddenly and unexpectedly every year. This statistic may sound alarming, but SIDS is rare and the risk of your baby dying from it is low. Most deaths happen during the first six months of a baby's life. Infants born prematurely or with a low birthweight are at greater risk. SIDS also tends to be slightly more common in baby boys. SIDS usually occurs when a baby is asleep, although it can occasionally happen while they're awake. The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths' (FSID) provides guidelines to help reduce risk. We know that in Bradford, families of South Asian origin have a rate of SIDS that is lower than the national average. Our research study set out to find out why this was.

What we did

Between 2008 and 2009 Born in Bradford staff interviewed more than 3,000 women across the city about their sleeping arrangements in a bid to understand if ethnic differences in infant care could explain why fewer South Asian babies compared to white British children were susceptible to SIDS. 2,180 families' results were analysed

What we found

We found that Bradfordians of Pakistani origin follow FSID guidelines closely:

they do not smoke or drink during or after pregnancy

they do not place their babies to sleep in separate rooms

they have a high incidence of breast feeding. We also found that it was much more common for Pakistani-origin mothers to share a bed with their baby.

White British mothers were more likely to drink, smoke and sofa-share with their babies, they were also more likely to share a bed with their partners as well as the child

What we know

Risk factors include smoking, alcohol consumption, overheating, excessive tiredness or taking medication that can cause drowsiness and unsafe co-sleeping; that is bed sharing with another child and adult as well as baby, and sofa sharing. We found that Pakistani mothers were more likely to breast feed and bed share with their baby. There is no evidence that this common practice increases the risk of SIDS In the absence of other risk factors.

What we have learned

This study has showed us the importance of looking in detail at what goes on in a family around sleep and the feeding of infants. We can learn what is risky behaviour and what things, by themselves, are not risky. This is the sort of information that is important for health professionals, charities working in this area and for parents themselves to know.

Links to full research

You can read more about this research in the following papers:

Ball, H. L., Moya, E., Fairley, L., Westman, J., Oddie, S., & Wright, J. (2012). Bed-and sofa-sharing practices in a UK biethnic population. Pediatrics, 129(3), e673-e681. here

Ball, H. L., Moya, E., Fairley, L., Westman, J., Oddie, S., & Wright, J. (2012). Infant care practices related to sudden infant death syndrome in South Asian and White British families in the UK. Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology, 26(1), 3-12.

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Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) - sometimes known as 'cot death' - is the sudden, unexpected and unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby. In the UK, just under 300 babies die suddenly and unexpectedly every year. This statistic may sound alarming, but SIDS is rare and the risk of your baby dying from it is low.

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Suggestions for Dealing with an All-Night Toddler Nurser

Frequent night nursing is characteristic of high-need children. It's like going to their favorite restaurant. The ambiance is peaceful, the server is familiar, the cuisine is superb, and they love the management. Who can blame the all-night gourmet? Yet as baby ages and turns into a toddler, nursing every few hours is not a necessity, rather a comfort mechanism. Try these suggestions for dealing with a toddler who wants to nurse all night.

How much of a "problem" is the frequent night nursing? This stage of high-level night nurturing will pass. Both you and your baby will someday sleep through the night. Yet, if you are sleep deprived to the degree that you are barely functioning the next day, you resent your nighttime parenting style (and your baby), and the rest of your family relationships are deteriorating, you need to make more of an effort night weaning.

A parenting principle we learned many kids ago is: IF YOU RESENT IT, CHANGE IT!

Even if you can't get your baby to sleep through the whole night, you can help him cut back on nighttime nursing, making the situation more tolerable for you. Here's how:

1. Tank your baby up during the day.

Toddlers love to breastfeed, yet they are often so busy during the day that they forget to nurse,

2. Increase daytime touch.

Wear your baby in a sling and give your baby more touch time during the day. It's easy when babies get older to greatly decrease the amount of touching time without realizing it. All-night nursing can sometimes be a baby's signal reminding mothers not to rush their baby into dependence. In developing a healthy independence, a child leaves and comes back; lets go and clings, step by step until she is going out more than she is coming back. Many mothers have noted that babies and toddlers show an increased need for nursing and holding time right before undertaking a new stage of development, such as crawling or walking.

3. Awaken baby for a full feeding just before you go to bed.

Rather than going off to sleep only to be awakened an hour or two later, get in a feeding when you retire for the night. This way, your sleep will be disturbed one less time, and you'll (hopefully) get a longer stretch of sleep.

4. Get baby used to other "nursings."

Try wearing him down to sleep in a baby sling. After baby is fed, but not yet asleep, wear him in a baby sling around the house or around the block. When he's in a deep sleep, ease him onto your bed and extricate yourself from the sling. This is a good way for dad to take over part of the bedtime routine. Eventually, your baby will associate father's arms with falling asleep, and he'll be willing to accept comfort from dad in the middle of the night as an alternative to nursing. Other ways to ease your baby into sleep without nursing him include patting or rubbing his back, singing and rocking, or even dancing in the dark to some tunes you like or lullabies you croon.

5. Make the breast less available.

Once your baby has nursed to sleep, use your finger to detach him from the breast. Then pull your nightgown over your breast and sleep covered up. A baby who can't find the nipple quickly may just fall back to sleep. If you can stay awake long enough to put the breast away, he may not latch on again so soon.

7. Just say "no" to the night nursing.

When our son, Matthew, was two, Martha felt desperate for sleep if awakened more than two times. I would wake up to hear dialogue like "Nee" (his word for nurse)..."No!"... "Nee!"... "No!"... "Nee!"... "No, not now. In the morning. Mommy's sleeping. You sleep, too." A firm but calm, peaceful voice almost always did the trick. You can manage to stay peaceful in this situation when you know you are not damaging your very secure, attachment- parented child.

8. "Nummies go night-night."

Now the marketing begins. Around eighteen months, your child has the capacity to understand simple sentences. Program your toddler not to expect to be nursed when she awakens, such as "We'll nurse again when Mr. Sun comes up." When you nurse her to sleep (or have the first or second-night nursing) the last thing she should hear is "Mommy go night-night, Daddy go night-night, baby go night-night, and nummies go night- night" (or whatever she dubs her favorite pacifiers). When she wakes during the night the first thing she should hear is a gentle reminder, "Nummies are night- night. Baby go night-night, too." This program may require a week or two of repetition. Soon she will get the message that daytime is for feeding and nighttime is for sleeping. If "nummies" stay night-night, baby will too - at least till dawn.

9. Offer a substitute for night nursing.

High-need babies are not easily fooled; they don't readily accept substitutes. Yet, it's worth a try. Remember, nursing does not always mean breastfeeding. Honor your husband with his share of "night nursing" so your toddler does not always expect to be comforted by nummies. This gives dad a chance to develop creative nighttime fathering skills and the child a chance to expand her acceptance of nighttime comforters. Martha notes:

One of the ways we have survived toddler's who wants to nurse frequently during the night was for me to temporarily go off "night call." Bill would wear Stephen down in a baby sling, so he got used to Bill's way of putting him to sleep. When he woke up, Bill would again provide the comfort he needed by rocking and holding him in a neck nestle position, using the warm fuzzy and singing a lullaby. Babies may initially protest when offered father instead of mother, but remember, crying and fussing in the arms of a loving parent is not the same as "crying it out." Dads, realize that you have to remain calm and patient during these nighttime fathering challenges. You owe it to both mother and baby not to become rattled or angry when your baby resists the comfort you offer.

Try this weaning-to-father arrangement on a weekend or another time when your husband can look forward to two or three nights when he doesn't have to go to work the next day. You will probably have to sell him on this technique, yet we have personally tried it and it does work. Be sure to use these night-weaning tactics only when baby is old enough and your gut feeling tells you that your baby is nursing at night out of habit and not out of need.

10. Increase the sleeping distance between you.

If the above suggestions do not entice your persistent night nurser to cut back, yet you still feel you must encourage him to do so, try another sleeping arrangement. Try putting him in a bedside co-sleeper bassinet, on a mattress or futon at the foot of your bed, or even sleeping in another room with a sibling. Dad or mom can lie down beside baby to comfort him if he awakens. Mom can even nurse, if necessary, and then sneak back to her own bed if continued closeness seems to encourage continued waking.

11. Sleep in another room.

If your baby persists in wanting to nurse all night, relocate "Mom's All-Night Diner" to another room and let baby sleep next to dad for a few nights. He may wake less often when the breast is not so available and when he does wake, he will learn to accept comfort from dad.

12. Let baby be the barometer.

When trying any behavior-changing technique on a child, don't persist with a bad experiment. Use your baby's daytime behavior as a barometer of whether your change in nighttime parenting style is working. If after several nights of working on night weaning your baby is her same self during the day then persist with your gradual night weaning. If, however, she becomes more clingy, whiny, or distant, take this as a clue to slow down your rate of night weaning.

Babies will wean and someday they will sleep through the night. This high maintenance stage of nighttime parenting will pass. The time in your arms, at your breast, and in your bed is a relatively short while in the life of a baby, yet the memories of love and availability last forever.

For more information on night weaning, visit our website.
If you would like to work with a Certified Health Coach during your pregnancy, or postpartum, you can find a Coach in your area.

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12 Alternatives for the All-Night Toddler Nurser

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Frequent night nursing is characteristic of high-need children. It's like going to their favorite restaurant. The ambiance is peaceful, the server is familiar, the cuisine is superb, and they love the management. Who can blame the all-night gourmet? Yet as baby ages and turns into a toddler, nursing every few hours is not a necessity, rather a comfort mechanism.

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There are these periods of a child's life where he gets very cranky and tends to cry often. He also tends to cling to his mother a lot more and refuses to let go. These are so-called baby leaps. But what happens during these leaps?
Well, baby leaps signify significant developmental changes in your child's mental state. These 10 periods are when his mind becomes highly active and undergoes a large shift.
As previously mentioned, this will stir him somewhat and make him a lot crankier, even opening his appetites up.

It's important to loosen up any rules during these 10 developmental leaps as babies generally aren't easy to manage during their fussy growth spurt weeks.

When Are The Wonder Weeks?

Luckily, these periods of the baby's mental development are described in detail in the Wonder Weeks book written by Frans X, Hetty van de Rijt, and Frans Plooij - three wonderful people who give us clarity on these previously unexplained periods of fussiness, crankiness, and clinginess.

The baby leaps that we're talking usually occur as follows:

The first leap - Week 5

The second leap - Week 8

The third leap - Week 12

The fourth leap - Week 19

The fifth leap - Week 26

The sixth leap - Week 37

The seventh leap - Week 46

The eighth leap - Week 55

The ninth leap - Week 64

The final leap - Week 75

These periods are fairly easy to predict and are similar in almost all babies - some may get their leaps a few days or a week earlier or later, but that's a rare occurrence.

Said periods can also last from anywhere from a day or two to a full-blown couple of weeks, which can be quite a challenge to overcome for new parents.

I know it was rather hard for me during my first time with my first baby because I had no clue why she was constantly crying in these periods and why she was so clingy as to not even want to go over to her father.

It even affected my baby's sleep and I had immediately thought something was terribly wrong.

Luckily my daughter's pediatrician calmed the situation down and told me about these leaps that occur in a child's development and the stages, allowing me to keep track of these fussy phases in the future.

When I had my little boy, I even utilized the Wonder Weeks App to help me keep better track of when one of these developmental milestones was arriving, helping me better cope with the whole ordeal.

And today, I've decided to share this knowledge with you so you don't have to find out about it too late and so you can stop worrying that something is wrong. It's not - it's only natural, mammas!

The 10 Baby Leaps

The first leap - Week 5 - A muddled perspective

In the first few weeks since birth, your baby's senses are somewhat dulled as is the rest of his body.

He's going to be rather calm and base his existence strictly on feeding and sleeping as his body develops.

And these developments happen rather quickly, as babies' physiques change drastically in the first two years of their lives.

Somewhere around the fifth week is when the first leap occurs and the baby's senses start to sharpen and become more sensitive - his whole world changes as he gets pelted with all of the new information from the outside world all at once. It can get rather overwhelming, especially for an infant.

This is the main reason why he gets quite cranky during this time and should be taken into consideration.

This period is the first time the baby gets to differentiate between life inside the womb and the life outside of it, and is the first step toward growing up.

The second leap - Week 8 - Everything is interesting

The second leap occurs very close to the first, and is one where the baby has learned to adjust to his newfound senses.

Everything starts to fascinate him and he looks at it in awe, whether it's the flashing lights of his new toys, the colorful brand logos of your groceries, or the various sounds of the city, nature, and even himself.
RELATED: Why Do Babies Stare? Seeing The World Through A Baby's Eyes
Your baby will even start becoming more physically active, toppling over various toys and objects like a cat would and flailing his limbs about just to get a hang of them.

These are all things that will occupy infants' young minds during this period.

This time in baby development is one where they carry an extreme amount of focus and devote it to practicing a single one of these senses.

Trying to interfere with these activities can make babies quite combative and fussy.

The third leap - Week 12 - Sharpening the senses

Yet another rather close leap in these 10 infant development leaps, and a rather significant one at that.

This one will primarily focus on the baby's brain getting a better grasp on his newfound skills.

His eyesight gets more focused and object permanence starts becoming an actual thing, instead of always wondering where his favorite toy disappeared to when you placed it behind your back.

His hearing gets more acute as he starts discerning specific sounds in all the noise.

And, most importantly, his flailing movements become less random and a lot more uniform - your little one is grasping the basics of his gross motor skills.

During this particular baby leap, you might notice your baby gets frustrated as he tries to make sense of all his new skills and fail the first few times, like trying to get a hang of rolling over.

We all do that even when we're adults - yet respond to it differently (usually) - but an infant has no other means of communicating this other than bouts of crying or the odd tantrum when things get really tough.

The fourth leap - Week 19 - Eventful experiences

Here's where the baby leaps start becoming more spaced out, but start becoming a lot more significant in perfecting your baby's currently rather crude and basic understanding of the outside world.

This is a period where your little one is going to start experiencing specific events.

While his third developmental milestone had his senses become sharp enough to start noticing the subtleties of every sensation, anything a bit more complicated than that still escaped him.

His understanding of the world is still new and unpredictable to him - something we as adults may not understand, as the things that fascinate infants during this period come as second nature to us.

This is what these events are - things that, when initiated, we already know the outcome of. What goes up, must come down.

If something is hit hard enough, it will fly away.

Things like that are what your little tyke will be learning about during this developmental period as he tries causing various events to see what their outcome would be, like some sort of little scientist.

The fifth leap - Week 26 - Interactions and new depths

Now that your baby's mental development has reached a stage where he's mastered the art of events, it's time for him to experiment further and see how multiple events interacting with one another behave and what their consequences are.

This will also be his most exploratory period as your child gains a level of depth perception, his vision no longer that of a cartoon as he starts to realize the various proportions of things around him, becoming very spatially aware.

This is what usually leads to the fussy periods at this halfway mark, so to speak, when a baby starts realizing his favorite things are out of reach and there's no way for him to get said thing, making him very frustrated and tantrum-prone.

He'll also start getting rather clingy to his mom as well, as he realizes that the sudden "increase" in relative distance between the two of you is massive for him and that you, his safe space, are so far away.

This leads him to feeling insecure, giving him separation anxiety, and affecting his sleep at times as he cannot bear the thought of being this far away from you.

The sixth leap - Week 37 - Inquiries and categories

The sixth leap is a time where the baby starts noticing similarities between the everyday objects and items that he interacts with, noting what makes things unique, but also noting their similarities.

It's a time where he starts being able to discern the differences in sounds, food, toys, and the like - a period in which he learns how to categorize things.

For instance, he'll realize that an apple is large and sweet, sometimes green, sometimes red, while a pea is also round and green, but smaller and squishier.

He won't really know it's a fruit or a vegetable, but he'll know that both of these are foods and that they taste very different to one another.

This is the developmental leap where the baby will be immersed in this world of categories, investing most of his brainpower into processing and creating these categories.

Disrupting this process will lead to a very upset baby, so try to leave his research hours unimpeded.

The seventh leap - Week 46 - A method to the madness

As your baby progresses further down these baby leaps, you'll see him begin to start doing actions that are more sophisticated and organized, things that start making some sense and have some order to them.

This is because your child is starting to understand that, in order to achieve certain plans and goals, he has to have some sort of method - steps to success.

And he'll start doing just that.

This is the period where shape or color-matching toys are best to get, as they'll be the most interesting to him.

This leap is a time where your beloved offspring is trying his best at understanding which block goes into which hole to finish the little puzzle laid out in front of him, and perfecting his craft.

Much like the previous period, he'll be immersed in these activities, and offering him your help or interrupting him as he tries to wrap his brains around these things might lead to a very loud and frustrated response.

Let him have his peace and alone time, or face your baby's fussiness in full force.

The eighth leap - Week 55 - A step in a toddler's shoes

This period marks your child's first birthday (or near enough to it) as he's grown into quite the baby during this hectic period.
RELATED:
He has learned so much yet has so much still left to learn.

He might be starting to mouth simple words and even walk, giving him a new level of interaction and ways to explore.

But, what marks the wonder week this time is the fact that your child is advancing his knowledge of the methods and sequences required to reach certain results.

He starts to pair them together, understanding that a source of one event or one of these sequences can start different events, branching out into different paths and leading to different outcomes, forming so-called programs.

It's a new skill that allows your tot to bridge the gap between his understanding of how the world works and your own, pushing him one step further toward his next developmental leaps.

During this time, it won't be any other person who frustrates him the most.

It's when he fails to understand how one of these events links to another that he becomes especially cranky.

You can alleviate this by being there for him and trying to explain it as best you can. He'll welcome the assistance, especially when it comes from his own mother.

The ninth leap - Week 64 - Improving relations

Your baby is now getting well into the second year of his life and starting to develop some social skills as he improves further on these programs he's formulated in the previous step.

He starts becoming even more physically active as he interacts with more complex things and people.

This is the period where he is at his most impressionable and will start copying what he sees other adults do, so make sure to pay close attention to who he interacts with and refrain from any bad behavior yourself.

You don't want him to pick up on something bad, after all.

This is when he starts learning how to cooperate with others and taking his stand when it comes to simple matters and arguments, thanks to his growing eloquence and vocabulary.

Sure, it won't be on the level of some political debate, but he'll want his own say in the matter. This is the main reason why he'll be fussy in this developmental leap - he's starting to grow his character!

The final leap - Week 75 - Thinking outside the box

The final step occurs when your baby starts closing in on the halfway mark of his second year.

He has grown quite a lot from that newborn who saw the world as a blur and is closest to a fully functioning human being he's been since birth.

While I do realize how silly that sounds, it is quite true.

By this point he has probably learned how to walk, is grasping some sort of basic vocabulary, and is highly aware of how things around them work.

Now that he has this understanding, he'll start loosening up on these strict rules he's set for themselves, growing outside of the confines as he adjusts said rules to what fits him in the most comfortable way possible.

This period of your baby's mental development is still as impressionable as the previous one, so you should be careful and methodical about your actions as this is when your kid will start developing his set of norms that he'll go by.

You'd want him to assemble some good ones as opposed to bad right off the bat.

And that just about does it for the 10 initial leaps for babies!

The rest of the road should be less bumpy, but your toddler should have developed the most significant life skills by now.

with the rest of his toddler years being spent perfecting his craft and expanding his horizons.

In Conclusion

These baby leaps or the wonder weeks can be tumultuous periods, that's for certain!

And it requires a lot of hard work and effort to be put in from the parents' side to keep their baby calm and less prone to being cranky.

The task may seem almost impossible, but, now that you know the reasons as to why this happens, I hope it ends up putting you more at ease.

As always, I hope I've done a good job of enlightening you and helping ease your path in the beautiful journey we call motherhood.
References: Frans X, van de Rijt, H., & Plooij, F. "The wonder weeks: How to stimulate the most important developmental weeks in your baby's first 20 months and turn these 10 predictable, great, fussy phases into magical leaps forward." Arnhem, The Netherlands: Kiddy World Publishing. 2013. READ NEXT: When Do Babies Say Mama And Dada (+ How To Help Them Communicate) Like this post? Please share or pin it for later. You can also stay in the loop and follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. We love honesty! Find Your Mom Tribe is an Amazon Associate and we earn from qualifying purchases through affiliate links at no extra cost to you. Please see our full Amazon Affiliate disclosure for more information.

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The 10 Baby Leaps: The Wonder Weeks Of Child Development

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There are these periods of a child's life where he gets very cranky and tends to cry often. He also tends to cling to his mother a lot more and refuses to let go. These are so-called baby leaps. But what happens during these leaps?

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Some babies sleep much more than others. Some sleep for long periods, others in short bursts. Some soon sleep through the night, while some don't for a long time.
Your baby will have their own pattern of waking and sleeping, and it's unlikely to be the same as other babies you know.

It's also unlikely to fit in with your need for sleep. Try to sleep when your baby sleeps.

If you're breastfeeding, in the early weeks your baby is likely to doze off for short periods during a feed. Carry on feeding until you think your baby has finished or until they're fully asleep. This is a good opportunity to try to get a bit of rest yourself.

If you're not sleeping at the same time as your baby, don't worry about keeping the house silent while they sleep. It's good to get your baby used to sleeping through a certain amount of noise.

How can I get my baby used to night and day?

It's a good idea to teach your baby that night-time is different from daytime from the start. During the day, open curtains, play games and don't worry too much about everyday noises when they sleep.

At night, you might find it helpful to:

keep the lights down low

not talk much and keep your voice quiet

put your baby down as soon as they've been fed and changed

not change your baby unless they need it

not play with your baby

Your baby will gradually learn that night-time is for sleeping.

Where should my baby sleep?

For the first 6 months your baby should be in the same room as you when they're asleep, both day and night. This can reduce the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).

Particularly in the early weeks, you may find your baby only falls asleep in your or your partner's arms, or when you're standing by the cot.

You can start getting your baby used to going to sleep without you comforting them by putting them down before they fall asleep or when they've just finished a feed. It may be easier to do this once your baby starts to stay alert more frequently or for longer.

If you use a baby sling to carry your baby, make sure you use it safely. The Lullaby Trust has information about swaddling your baby and using slings safely.

Establishing a baby bedtime routine

You may feel ready to introduce a bedtime routine when your baby is around 3 months old. Getting them into a simple, soothing bedtime routine can be a great opportunity to have 1-to-1 time with your baby.

The routine could consist of:

having a bath

changing into night clothes and a fresh nappy

putting them to bed

reading a bedtime story (see more in Baby and toddler play ideas)

dimming the lights in the room to create a calm atmosphere

giving a goodnight kiss and cuddle

singing a lullaby or having a wind-up musical mobile you can turn on when you've put your baby to bed

brushing their teeth (if they have any)

As your child gets older, it can be helpful to keep to a similar bedtime routine. Too much excitement and stimulation just before bedtime can wake your child up again. Spend some time winding down and doing some calmer activities, like reading.

How much sleep does your baby need?

Just as with adults, babies' and children's sleep patterns vary. From birth, some babies need more or less sleep than others. The list below shows the average amount of sleep babies and children need during a 24-hour period, including daytime naps.

Newborn sleep needs

Most newborn babies are asleep more than they are awake. Their total daily sleep varies, but can be from 8 hours up to 16 or 18 hours. Babies will wake during the night because they need to be fed. Being too hot or too cold can also disturb their sleep.

Sleep requirements at 3 to 6 months old

As your baby grows, they'll need fewer night feeds and will be able to sleep for longer. Some babies will sleep for 8 hours or longer at night, but not all. By 4 months, they may be spending around twice as long sleeping at night as they do during the day.

Baby sleep at 6 to 12 months

For babies aged 6 months to a year, night feeds may no longer be necessary and some babies will sleep for up to 12 hours at night. Teething discomfort or hunger may wake some babies during the night.

Sleep requirements from 12 months

Babies will sleep for around 12 to 15 hours in total after their first birthday.

2-year-old sleep needs

Most 2 year olds will sleep for 11 to 12 hours at night, with 1 or 2 naps in the daytime.

Sleep requirements for 3 to 4 year olds

Most children aged 3 or 4 will need about 12 hours sleep, but this can range from 8 hours up to 14. Some young children will still need a nap during the day.

Coping with disturbed nights

Newborn babies invariably wake up repeatedly in the night for the first few months, and disturbed nights can be very hard to cope with.

If you have a partner, ask them to help. If you're formula feeding, encourage your partner to share the feeds. If you're breastfeeding, ask your partner to take over the early morning changing and dressing so you can go back to sleep.

Once you're into a good breastfeeding routine, your partner could occasionally give a bottle of expressed breast milk during the night. If you're on your own, you could ask a friend or relative to stay for a few days so you can get some sleep.

Dealing with baby sleep pattern changes

All babies change their sleep patterns. Just when you think you have it sorted and you've all had a good night's sleep, the next night you might be up every 2 hours.

Be prepared to change routines as your baby grows and enters different stages. And remember, growth spurts, teething and illnesses can all affect how your baby sleeps.

If your baby is having problems sleeping or you need more advice about getting into a routine, speak to your health visitor.

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Read tips on how to help your baby sleep, including what to expect, establishing a routine, and safe sleeping.