10 Tips to help your baby sleep well

Babies who sleep well are happy and contented. Babies should be in a good sleeping pattern by the time they are six months old.

  1. Babies need plenty of sleep: Babies who sleep well are happy and contented. Babies should be in a good sleeping pattern by the time they are six months old.
  2. Babies need a full tummy to help them settle and sleep well. Babies won’t sleep well if they are just snacking, they need proper feeds at each feed.
  3. If baby gets overtired- i.e he has been awake for longer than one and a half to two hours, he may find it difficult to settle.
  4. Don’t let baby be passed around like a parcel as he will get overtired!
  5. Before you put baby down in his cot to sleep try and make sure you have winded him well.
  6. Swaddle baby and put him in his cot on his side or his back.
  7. Tuck baby firmly in his cot with his feet to the bottom of the cot and the blankets not to high up but over his shoulders. Do not use blankets if baby is in a grow bag because he will overheat.
  8. Do make sure you give baby time to settle when you put him down in his cot. Don’t pick him up again the moment he “shouts”. Many babies have a little “shout” as they go off to sleep, this is perfectly normal.
  9. If baby doesn’t settle after five to ten minutes pick him up and put him on your shoulder and see if he has wind. If he is rooting and obviously still hungry then put him back to the breast or top him up with a bottle. Then settle him back down in his cot to sleep.
  10. Don’t get into the habit of feeding your baby to sleep or rocking him to sleep before you put him in his cot, as he will learn this way to settle and you will find it difficult in the months to come to get him to settle on his own.
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