These expert sleep tips are just what parents struggling with naps and bedtime need to hear
If your baby’s not playing ball when it comes to sleep, it can feel pretty exhausting. Especially when friends tell you theirs are ‘sleeping through’ – going an enviable 6-8 hours, without waking.
But whether your baby is up in the night or just won’t settle in their cot, don’t blame yourself, says baby sleep expert, Emily Houltram (@sleepchiefuk).
‘Three to six months is one of the most difficult periods for baby sleep because their sleep patterns begin to mature. Although parents often worry they’re regressing, actually the opposite is true,’ she says.
So, sleep problems may be common at this stage, but how do you fix them? Give these expert tips a go and you could be getting a lot more sleep.
Sleep issue 1: Having to rock your baby to sleep
If you thought you’d cracked this whole sleep thing by rocking your baby in your arms and transferring them into the cot once they’re soundly asleep, think again. While it may work for a few weeks, it’s unlikely to succeed long-term, says Emily.
‘Around this age, you may notice they wake up the minute you put them down and that’s a sign to start teaching them how to fall asleep independently, so they get used to their sleep environment,’ she says. ‘This will also mean they’ll be less likely to wake up feeling disorientated part way through the night when they realise they’re not in your arms and are somewhere less familiar,’ she adds.
Sleep solution: Make sure you use a consistent, calm and relaxing bedtime routine. ‘Try a warm bath, dim the lights and use soft voices to signal that it’s bedtime. Make sure their bedroom is dark so they recognise the difference between daytime naps and bedtime, too. And stick with it – consistency is key to get them used to going to sleep in the same place, night after night,’ she says.
Sleep issue 2: Your baby sleeps anywhere but home
If your baby sleeps soundly in their pram but seems to hate their cot, there’s a reason for it, says Emily.
‘Babies get used to what they’re introduced to, so the likelihood is they’ve got used to sleeping in a pram, for instance, and just aren’t used to the cot yet,’ she says.
Sleep solution: As above, if you want your baby happily sleeping in their cot, make sure you put them down in it for naps and bedtime. ‘Be consistent so they can learn to recognise this is where they sleep,’ says Emily.
Parent’s tip: We bought a white noise projector, which seemed to give our baby comfort and reassurance whenever she was in her cot. I think she actually looked forward to hearing it!’ Leanne Morgan, mum to Lyla, 5 months
Sleep issue 3: Your baby doesn’t sleep for long
When your baby goes to sleep quickly but wakes up after a short amount of time this is known as a ‘false start’, explains Emily.
‘What’s often a cause of this is discomfort after a feed, for example, if they’ve not been properly burped. Or, if they were too tired when they had their bedtime feed, they may simply be waking up hungry,’ she says.
Sleep solution: Try moving your baby’s pre-sleep feed a little earlier in their routine, says Emily. ‘That way they can stay awake for a full feed and will be less likely to wake up within a few hours.’ Spend extra time burping them before putting them down, too. A few extra minutes doing that could mean more sleep for them (and you, too!).
Sleep issue 4: Your baby won’t nap
Working out when your baby needs a nap can be tricky. ‘It may take a few days of consistency for your little one to get the hang of cot naps’, says Emily. But it will be worth persevering to get them into a good nap routine so both of you get a break!
Sleep solution: It can be easy to miss signs that your baby’s tired, so look out for clues – anything from fussing, rubbing their ears or eyes, or not wanting to be apart. ‘This is your cue to put them down for a nap in a darkened nursery at roughly the same time each day,’ says Emily.
Parent’s tip: ‘We invested in blackout blinds to help with naptime and bedtime when it wasn’t dark outside. It has really helped!’ Sunita Kapoor, mum to Zara, 4 months
Sleep issue 5: Your baby wakes up in the night
While it’s important for babies to wake up and alert you if something’s not right, there are lots of things that are preventable, or at least, easy to fix, such as being hungry or cold.
Sleep solution: First make sure your baby’s nursery is the right temperature. The Lullaby Trust charity recommends their room should be around 16-20°C; an easy way to tell is with a room thermometer. Make sure they’re in the correct tog sleeping bag for the time of year, too (read our guide here.)
If hunger is waking up your baby regularly through the night, try talking to your health visitor or a breastfeeding expert to help investigate if they’re taking full enough feeds in the day.
‘Babies of this age can sometimes still use feeding as a way to help them get back to sleep if they wake up,’ says Emily. If you’ve ruled out everything obvious, try letting them settle themselves back to sleep with white noise, for example. ‘If that works you’ll know they’re not really waking out of hunger but just need some comfort,’ says Emily.
Routine matters
When you’re sleep-deprived it can feel like the end of the world, but even experts say nap times and bedtime aren’t easy at this stage. Their overall top tip? Invest any time and energy you have on a consistent bedtime routine. It could be just the solution you and your baby both need.
