FOCUS ON: ROUTINES

SLEEP CONSULTANT Lucy Shrimpton EXPLAINS WHY YOU MAY WANT TO GET YOUR LITTLE ONE INTO GOOD HABITS EARLY ON

Getting your baby into a simple sleep routine from as early as two weeks could serve as the best foundation to the development of healthy sleep habits.

The practice of consistently going through the same few steps in the same order every night at bedtime will cue your baby that it’s time for a longer sleep. It will also complement the natural development of the child’s circadian rhythm, otherwise known as the body clock, and the recognition of night and day.

For a very young baby in the first few months, the bedtime routine will be as simple as some bathroom time, nappy and clothes change, milk feed and down for sleep.

I recommend bringing in a step after the milk feed from around three months. This step could be a song or poem or very ‘babified’ bedtime story. Just one step after milk helps to encourage an e cient, full feed and separates feeding from falling asleep.

As a baby grows, the bedtime story can evolve to be age appropriate, but it is wise to stick to a rule of one story. As soon as you allow another, you’ll soon find you have a toddler who just pushed for more and more every bedtime!

I encourage parents to minimise the amount of people involved in the bedtime routine and to stick to just bathroom and bedroom locations. Too many people and lots of moving around from room to room can cause a lot of stimulation which will hinder the brain’s production of sleepy hormones.

When bedtime comes, say good night to other family members and take baby to the bathroom for washing and changing. Next, it’s onto the bedroom where baby will be sleeping, and finish the routine in there with low level, warm light.

Your baby will become familiar with these steps if you implement them consistently. This routine will encourage easier settling to sleep and longer, more restful sleep.

Morning and daytime routines are important, too. First, when your baby wakes for the day, if this is after 6am, take your baby out of the bedroom and begin the day. If it’s before 6am and technically still night time, try to resettle your baby for a little longer.

By starting the day at roughly the same time each day it will help with the body clock, and you may find the wake-up time becomes very regular too.

Lots of young children wake up very early for the day. We call this early rising and class anything pre-6am as too early. The most common reason for early rising is due to the little one being overtired. Allowing an early start is likely to further fuel overtiredness and the problem just gets worse. This may result in increased night-time disturbance to sleep and more di culty with settling to sleep.

I recommend you leave the bedroom with your little one and start the day in a more wakeful environment. This will help di erentiate sleep time from awake time. Usually a baby will want milk when they wake for the day, or a young child may be ready for breakfast. Mealtimes can help set a rhythm for them.

Feeding upon waking from sleep will make for healthier sleep habits. Once you start the day and baby feeds, it’s then time for activity before the next sleep. Upon waking from the nap, a feed is appropriate, followed by activity time and then the next sleep. This rhythm will also help to avoid any sleep onset association with feeding and encourage the development of lasting self-settling skills.

The amount of daytime sleep a little one needs changes a lot over the first 18 months, and the length of time that they’re

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LUCY SHRIMPTON IS A CERTIFIED SLEEP CONSULTANT, AUTHOR AND FOUNDER OF THE SLEEP NANNY (SLEEPNANNY.CO.UK) SHE IS ALSO A REGULAR EXPERT AT THE BABY SHOW (THEBABYSHOW.CO.UK). PHOTOGRAPHY: ISTOCK/CAP53

A WELL-RESTED CHILD WILL OFTEN APPEAR HAPPIER AND BETTER BEHAVED

at their best between sleeps gradually increases. Knowing what these timings look like as an average for your little one’s age is very powerful information!

A sleep needs chart helps you to spot the optimal window for accommodating the most restorative sleep for your little one. Of course, babies rarely stick to the ideal routine we have in mind for them and a nap may not go according to plan. By understanding your little one’s sleep needs, you’ll recognise where they fall short on sleep and you’ll feel equipped to adjust the next nap or sleep window to make sure they don’t become overtired.

When babies and young children get used to a routine to their days and for their bedtime, it creates rhythmicity and this is why I recommend practising the basics from the early weeks.

Healthy sleep habits promote healthy brain development and better protection against illness. A well-rested child will often appear happier and better behaved, and these are brilliant foundations for a little one to thrive from.

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