Sleeping well
Good sleep is important for the healthy growth and development of babies and toddlers.
Babies
Most newborn babies are asleep more than they are awake but all babies are different and total daily sleep can be from 8 hours up to 16 or 18 hours.
Recommendations
A calming bedtime routine is a good opportunity to have 1 to 1 time with your baby. You may feel ready to start a simple routine when baby is around 3 months old.
A routine could be:
- having a bath, (and brushing teeth if they have any), changing into night clothes and a fresh nappy
- putting baby to bed and reading a story
- dimming the lights in the room and giving a goodnight kiss and cuddle
- singing a lullaby or having a quiet musical mobile to turn on when baby is in bed
Your baby should sleep in the same room as you for at least the first six months.
Toddlers
Most 2 year olds will sleep for 11 -12 hours at night with 1 or 2 naps in the daytime but lots of young children find it difficult to settle down to sleep and will wake up during the night.
Recommendations
Having a simple bedtime routine that happens at the same time every night and includes the same things.
Spending some time doing a calming activity like looking at a favourite picture book.
Giving your child their favourite toy, or comforter before settling into bed.
If your child complains that they’re hungry at night, try giving them a bowl of cereal and milk before bed (make sure you brush their teeth afterwards).
If your child is afraid of the dark, think about using a nightlight or leaving a landing light on.
Do not let your child look at laptops or phones in the 60 minutes before bed – the light from screens can interfere with sleep.