Mother&Baby Sleep Booklet 2015

THE ESSENTIAL 

Sleep 

Guide to 

Expert advice to help you and your 

baby get a good night’s rest – starting tonight!

Hello! 

Welcome to The 

M&B Essential 

Guide to Sleep. 

We really hope it will help 

you to help your little one get 

a better night’s sleep tonight 

– and every night after that. 

Which will, of course, mean 

some more shut-eye for 

you too. Because if there’s 

one thing all of us mums 

love, it’s that amazing 

moment when you open 

your eyes and realise it’s 

an hour later than the 

middle-of-the-night time 

your baby normally wakes 

you up. 

Put the expert advice in 

this booklet into practice, 

and you can look forward to 

many, many more of those 

priceless moments. 

The Essential Guide to Sleep 

tells you everything you 

need to know about baby 

zzz’s, from daytime naps 

to night-time sleep, from 

birth to two years and 

beyond. You’ll find expert 

help to deal with common 

sleep issues, for instance if 

your baby wakes too early 

or won’t settle unless she’s 

being rocked for hours 

in your arms. 

Trust us, we know just 

how tough sleep issues can 

be, but it’s never too late to 

start teaching your tot 

better sleep habits. 

Sweet dreams! 

The Essential 

Guide to Sleep 

Meet our expert 

Nicola Watson is a mum-of-two with a degree in 

social science and psychology. A former nanny, she 

is the founder of Child Sleep Solutions, a child sleep 

consultancy (childsleepsolutions.co.uk). 

She trains parents and 

professionals on the best 

ways to help babies sleep. 

Editor Emma Bailey 

Writer Katie Masters 

Art Editor Carly Hurd 

Production Editor 

Helen Milbank 

For more expert 

sleeping advice, visit 

motherandbaby.co.uk 

THE ESSENTIAL 

Guide to 


Expert advice to help you and your 

baby get a good night’s sleep – starting tonight! 

2 | motherandbaby.co.uk

Contents 

4 How to use 

The Essential 

Guide to Sleep 

6 Your baby’s 

first week 

8 One to six weeks 

12 Six weeks to 

three months 

16 Three to 

four months 

20 Four to six months 

24 Six to nine months 

28 Nine to 12 months 

32 12 to 24 months 

PHOTOGRAPHY SHUTTERSTOCK 

motherandbaby.co.uk | 3

How to use this guide 

The M&B Essential Guide 

to Sleep is divided into eight 

chapters, based on a baby’s 

age. You can read this guide 

all the way through, or go 

straight to the section that 

deals with the age your 

baby is now. If you do skip 

sections, it’s worth flicking 

back through the earlier 

chapters to check you’re not 

missing useful information. 

✓ 

GET AGE-SPECIFIC 

ADVICE TO HELP YOUR 

BABY SLEEP BETTER 

In every chapter, you’ll 

find all the essential 

information necessary to 

understand your baby’s 

sleep needs at this specific 

age, as well as expert 

advice on how to teach 

good sleeping habits. 

You’ll learn how to read 

your baby’s sleep cues, 

how to teach your baby 

to settle herself to sleep, 

and how to establish a 

good napping pattern. 

You’ll also find tried-andtested 

tricks and skills 

to help you cope with 

the common sleep problems 

many mums experience 

when their babies are 

at this age. 


✓ 

FIND OUT HOW 

MUCH SLEEP YOUR 

BABY MIGHT NEED 

Every chapter also has a 

‘sleep diary’ showing how 

much sleep your baby might 

need in a day. This is just 

to give you a rough idea of 

what to expect. It’s NOT a 

sleep schedule. Babies have 

their own schedules and 

they all vary slightly in how 

much they like to sleep, in 

just the same way they differ 

in how much they like to 

eat. Also, bottle-fed babies 

feed differently to breastfed 

babies, which can impact 

on sleep patterns. 

Don’t try to follow these 

schedules – but do use 

them to get an idea of what 

your baby might be doing 

at this age. 

✓ 

DECIDE WHAT 

WORKS FOR YOU 

Above all, remember that 

what works for one baby 

won’t necessarily work for 

another. As a parent, you’ll 

be bombarded with 

suggestions of how to help 

your baby sleep. We say, 

get to know your baby and 

find a sleep routine that 

works for you and your 

family. And only choose 

techniques that you feel 

comfortable with. 

It takes patience to teach 

most babies how to nod off, 

and you’ll only be able to 

stick with a method that you 

feel happy with. 

The information 

in this booklet is written 

for mums whose babies were 

born full-term, without any 

particular health issues. If your baby 

was premature or has any additional 

needs, he may need extra support. 

Talk to your midwife and health 

visitor to check what will, and 

will not, be appropriate for 

your family. 


Your baby’s first week 

WHAT YOU NEED 

TO KNOW 

In their first week of life, 

most babies sleep like they 

will never sleep again. 

They’ve been through the 

momentous experience of 

being born and they’re 

exhausted. ‘So don’t be 

surprised if your little one 

sleeps for hours,’ says 

Nicola Watson, founder of 

Child Sleep Solutions, a 

child sleep consultancy. 

‘Go with the flow, let her 

sleep and just wake her up 

for regular feeds.’ Newborn 

babies should be having a 

6 | motherandbaby.co.uk 

feed every three hours or so 

– that’s three hours from the 

time the last feed started. 

WAKE HER 

FOR FEEDS 

Sometimes 

your little 

one will 

latch on in 

her sleep, 

but most 

mums find it 

easier to wake their 

baby for feeds. To do that in 

the daytime, pick her up, 

carry her over to the 

window where it’s bright 

and light and try gently 

tickling her face. If this 

doesn’t work, try 

undoing her 

ESSENTIAL! 

Your milk will start to 

come in this week, which 

is a big demand on your 

body and can make you feel 

tired. Make sleep a priority 

for you this week, as 

well as your baby. 

babygro or 

changing her 

nappy. The 

change in 

temperature 

should make 

her stir. 

Chances are, 

soon after her 

feed, she’ll nod off 

again. The world is so new 

and stimulating for babies 

of this age that many of 

them get overwhelmed after

Practical steps to sleep success 

The best place for your baby to sleep is in a cot or Moses 

basket in the same room as you. Although babies do sleep 

happily in car seats, these aren’t good for their spines, so 

you don’t want them to spend too long cooped up in one. 

Many babies also sleep happily in prams. While it’s fine for 

your baby to have some naps in her pram, the constant 

motion means she won’t get the same quality of 

sleep she gets when she’s stationary. ‘A Moses 

basket is better for the very early days,’ advises 

Nicola. ‘It’s light, so you can carry your baby 

around, and more enclosed. Your newborn has 

spent nine months tucked up inside your 

womb, so that cosy, enclosed space might be 

easier to get used to than a cot.’ 

All you need in the cot or Moses basket is 

a new mattress and an undersheet. ‘Babies 

shouldn’t have pillows, duvets or quilts,’ says 

Nicola. ‘They’re a suffocation risk.’ Dress your baby in a 

babygro or vest, and use blankets or a sleep bag, dependent 

on the temperature. The ideal room temperature is 18°C. 

Baby’s first week 

❤ 

What your 

baby’s sleep 

might look like 

8am - 9am 

9am - 11am 

11am - midday 

Midday - 1pm 

1pm - 2pm 

2pm - 4pm 

4pm - 4.30pm 

4.30pm - 5pm 

30 minutes or so. Sleep 

helps them process what 

they’re experiencing – and 

also lets them block 

everything out for a while. 

WAKE HER FOR 

NAPPY CHANGES 

‘The only other time you 

would need to disturb your 

baby is if she’d done a poo,’ 

says Nicola. ‘It’s never a 

good idea to leave a baby in 

a soiled nappy because the 

poo can cause nappy rash. 

This can hurt so much it 

can end up interrupting 

your baby’s sleep.’ 

However, poos and feeds 

aside, the rule for the early 

days is simple: enjoy the rest! 

MAKE THE MOST OF IT 

‘Because your baby’s 

sleeping so much, you get a 

few days to rest and recover 

too,’ says Nicola. ‘Try to 

make the most of it. The 

temptation is to rush about 

like superwoman, doing the 

housework and writing 

thank-you cards. But resist 

that urge to be busy. 

‘You’re going to be tired 

after the birth too and it 

won’t be long before the 

demands of a new baby 

start taking all your energy. 

So use these few days to 

bank a bit of downtime. If 

you can, sleep when your 

baby does. If you can’t, at 

least put your feet up.’ 

5pm - 6pm 

6pm - 8.30pm 

8.30pm - 9pm 

9pm - 11.30pm 

11.30pm - midnight 

Midnight - 2am 

2am - 3am 

3am - 5am 

5am - 6am 

6am - 8am 

KEY 

Sleep Feed 

Awake 


One to six weeks 

WHAT YOU NEED 

TO KNOW 

In these early weeks, babies 

sleep a lot, and their sleep 

patterns are erratic. They 

will sleep almost as much 

during the day as they do at 

night. It’s key at this stage to 

understand the impact of 

feeding on sleep patterns. 

‘The main thing that wakes 

your baby up is hunger,’ 

says Nicola Watson, founder 

of Child Sleep Solutions, a 


‘If he takes in a little bit 

of milk and falls asleep, that 

milk will soon pass through 

him and he’ll wake up 

wanting more. So a pattern 

of short feeds and short 


sleeps develops. Your baby 

isn’t getting the quality of 

sleep that will help him feel 

refreshed, and you’ll start to 

feel you’re doing nothing 

except feeding him.’ 

UNDERSTAND YOUR 

BABY’S NEED TO FEED 

‘Most babies this age can 

manage three hours 

between feeds,’ 

says Nicola. 

‘That’s three 

hours from 

the start of 

one feed to 

the start of 

the next. So, 

if you fed 

your baby at 

ESSENTIAL! 

Young babies can get 

painfully gassy as they take 

in air while they’re breast- or 

bottle-fed. To wind him, hold 

him against your shoulder 

and rub firmly on his back. 

This should bring up 

a burp. 

7am, you’d need to feed 

him again at 10am. Even 

though he’s still young, you 

can start to ease him into 

this three-hourly routine. 

‘However, in order to 

manage three hours between 

feeds, a baby must be taking 

in a decent amount of milk 

at every feed. Easier said 

than done with a sleepy 

baby who drifts off 

mid-feed!’ 

If your 

baby is 

waking up 

hungry 

after less 

than three 

hours, you 

must encourage

him to feed more, which 

will ease the waking. Never 

make a hungry baby wait for 

food. Instead, feed more 

frequently as he needs it. 

Look at how long your 

baby is feeding for (if he’s 

breastfeeding) or how much 

milk he’s drinking (if he’s 

bottle-fed). Then consider 

how long your baby is going 

between feeds. If he’s asking 

for food more than once every 

three hours, encourage him 

to drink more at every feed. 

This is easier to judge if he’s 

bottle-feeding as you can see 

how much he’s had. If you’re 

breastfeeding, encourage 

him to feed for longer. 

‘Say your baby usually 

breastfeeds for 15 minutes 

and then falls asleep,’ says 

Nicola. ‘Or, if he’s bottle- 

fed, he has 75ml and then 

nods off. At the point when 

he’s drifting off, stop, wind 

him and change his nappy. 

This will wake him up. Then 

you can offer him more. 

Taking in just a little bit 

should stretch his sleep out. 

‘If you do this at every feed, 

slowly the gaps between feeds 

will grow. Try to do this until 

you’ve got into a routine of 

daytime feeds that happen 

every three hours.’ 

DEVELOP AN EASY 

BEDTIME ROUTINE 

The other essential job at 

this early stage is to start a 

bedtime routine. ‘It’s never 

too early to start giving your 

baby cues about bedtime,’ 

says Nicola. ‘Your baby is 

still little and sleepy, so may 

only be capable of being 

awake for 45 minutes at a 

time. But if you know he’s 

usually nodding off by, say, 

6pm, you can use the time 

he’s awake before that to do 

the things you’ll want to be 

doing when he’s older as a 

bedtime routine. Give him a 

top and tail wash, a feed and 

a change. Get him into his 

night stuff, close the curtains, 

read a gentle story and put 

him in his cot. 

‘If you always do the same 

things, in the same order, at 

roughly the same time, your 

baby will start to recognise 

them as sleep cues.’ 


❤ 

What your 



8am - 8.30am 

8.30am - 9.30am 

9.30am - 11am 

11am - 11.30am 

11.30am - 12.15pm 

12.15pm - 1.15pm 

1.15pm - 2.15pm 

2.15pm - 2.45pm 

2.45pm - 4pm 

4pm - 4.30pm 

4.30pm - 5pm 

5pm - 5.30pm 

5.30pm - 6pm 

6pm - 8.30pm 

8.30pm - 9pm 

9pm - 11.30pm 


KEY 



2am - 3am 

3am - 5.15am 

5.15am - 6am 

Awake 

6am - 8am 

Feed 


ONE TO SIX WEEKS 

As clear as night and day 

When babies are first born 

they don’t know the difference 

between night and day. Their 

sleep patterns aren’t set by 

light and darkness, but by 

hunger, so they sleep and 

wake on their own happy 

little milky schedules. But this 

blurring of the boundaries 

between day and night can 

leave you feeling sleep-addled. 

One of the most important 

things you can do during 

these early weeks is help 

your baby understand that 

there is a difference between 

night and day. Learning this 

will help to set his body 

clock and mean he starts to 

become sleepier at night 

and more alert in the day. 

NIGHT-TIME CALM 

The trick to helping your 

baby learn the difference 

between night and day is to 

behave very differently at 

night from the way you 

behave during the day. 

At night, keep the lights 

dim, don’t talk or play with 

your baby and keep 

everything low-key. When 

he wakes up to feed don’t 

play or chat – just do what 

you have to do and then 

settle him back in his Moses 

basket or cot. 


You’re teaching him that 

night is dull – it’s not worth 

waking up because there’s 

nothing going on! 

DAYTIME FUN 

During the day, it’s all 

different. Open the windows 

to let in as much natural 

light as possible. Talk to 

your baby, make eye contact 

and play with him. When 

he’s awake – if you have 

time in between feeding and 

him dozing off again – give 

him some time out of his 

nappy, lying on a playmat 

or blanket, and feed him 

every three hours. 

Get outside into the 

daylight whenever you can, 

as being in natural daylight 

is the best way to adjust 

your baby’s body clock. If 

you aren’t up to taking him 

out much in the early days, 

ask a friend if she’ll take him 

out in the pram. If you’ve 

got a garden, just sit in the 

shade and give him a cuddle. 

It’s fine for your baby to 

nap in his pram, but do be 

aware of the temperature. 

In the summer this is less of 

a problem, but in the winter 

parents often bundle babies 

up in lots of clothes to keep 

them warm outside, but 

leave them on once they’re 

back in a warm house or 

shop. Always adjust the 

layers in relation to the 

temperature. 

Until your baby has 

learned the difference 

between day and night, 

keep his daytime naps in the 

daylight. So don’t pull the 

blind down – and don’t 

worry about trying to make 

the room quiet. Night is 

dark and quiet. Day isn’t. 

Q 

Every time I put my baby down, 

he cries. What should I do? 

A: ‘If your baby cries and you want to comfort him, go with 

your instincts,’ says Nicola. ‘But it’s worth considering what 

sort of cry your baby is making. Babies often make a 

low-level, grizzling noise just before they go off to sleep. If 

your baby’s doing that, there’s no need to pick him up. But 

if he is crying, pick him up, check for wind and cuddle him. 

As you put him down again, give him extra reassurance 

by leaving your hand on his tummy for a short while.’


BUY THIS! 

Gro-egg room 

thermometer, £21.99, 

gro.co.uk/gro-egg 

WHY IT HELPS: Your 

baby will find it easier to 

sleep if the temperature 

is comfortable, and the 

easiest way to keep an 

eye on this is with a 

thermometer. The 

Gro-egg is brilliant as it 

glows yellow when the 

temperature’s right, blue 

if the room is too cold, 

and red if it’s too hot. 

So, even when you’re 

exhausted, it’s easy 

to tell whether the 

temperature’s OK or not. 


Six weeks to three months 

WHAT YOU NEED 

TO KNOW 

By six weeks your baby 

will be becoming more 

responsive. She’ll be able to 

stay awake for longer, and 

by 12 weeks old she may be 

able to stay awake for as 

long as two hours at a time. 

She’ll also be better at 

feeding, so she’ll be able to 

take in what she needs more 

efficiently. If you’ve got into 

a rhythm with feeding, you 

might be seeing some sort 

of a rhythm of daytime 

naps and night sleep. 

‘Now is the time – if you 

haven’t done it before – to 


build some routines into 

your day,’ says Nicola 

Watson, founder of Child 

Sleep Solutions, a child 

sleep consultancy. 

‘The ideal routine is for 

your baby to have three 

naps during the day, each 

one around 90 minutes’ 

long. This is long enough 

to let her wake up feeling 

refreshed, so she gets good 

quality ‘awake’ time, as well 

as good-quality sleep. 

‘If you put your baby 

down to sleep at the same 

time every day, you’ll really 

help to get those sleep 

rhythms established.’ 

DON’T STRESS ABOUT 

THE ROUTINE 

But don’t worry – this doesn’t 

mean you have to stay in, 

following a rigid routine. 

‘It’s useful to have a routine,’ 

says Nicola. ‘When things 

are predictable babies feel 

secure and find it easier to 

sleep. But it’s fine to be 

relaxed within the routine. 

If you want to be outside at 

nap-time, let your baby nap 

in the pram. Or if you want 

to go to a baby group and it 

means pushing your baby’s 

nap a bit later, then as long 

as your baby can cope with 

that, go for it.

‘It’s helpful if babies can 

have the second nap of the 

day in their cot, as this is 

when they’re at their most 

tired. But you don’t have to 

be rigid about it. You need 

routines that work for you 

as well as for your baby.’ 

WATCH OUT FOR COLIC 

A big issue for babies of this 

age is colic – an overall 

term doctors use for babies 

who scream or cry for no 

obvious reason. It usually 

happens between 5pm and 

11pm, which sends any 

bedtime routine into disarray. 

‘The good news is that 

colic often settles down by 

the time a baby’s 12 weeks 

old,’ says Nicola. ‘Sadly, 

no-one really knows what 

it’s all about. One 

theory is that 

it happens 

because a 

baby is 

overtired. 

So if 

your 

baby 

usually 

starts to 

show signs of 

colic at 8pm, try 

heading it off by changing 

her bedtime. Get it done 

earlier, so she’s being put 

down for her first sleep of the 

night by 7.30pm. This may 

take a few days to work.’ 

Six weeks to three xxxxxxx months 

❤ 

CHECK IT ISN’T REFLUX 

The other thing to check is 

that your baby isn’t suffering 

from reflux, rather than colic. 

This is where milk comes 

back up the baby’s throat, 

mixed with stomach acid, 

so it hurts. It occurs because 

babies’ digestive systems are 

still maturing, so the valve 

at the top of their stomachs, 

which usually stops food 

getting back into our throat, 

isn’t strong enough to work. 

‘There are different forms 

of reflux,’ says Nicola. ‘One 

is the messy kind, in which 

milk comes up and gets 

vomited out. The second is 

silent reflux, and it’s this 

that can be mistaken for 

colic. If a baby has silent 

reflux she won’t vomit, but 

the milk and stomach 

acid will give 

ESSENTIAL! 

At nine weeks your baby 

starts to experience non-REM 

(rapid eye movement) sleep. This is 

deep sleep. It usually happens in the 

first part of the night, before 

midnight, so cue her up for this with 

a soothing bedtime routine. 

If she’s showing signs of colic, 

try bringing her bedtime 

forward. 

her painful 

heartburn. 

You’ll see 

her 

arching 

her back 

and 

crying. If 

you try to 

give her a 

feed she might 

start drinking eagerly 

but then pull away and fuss. 

The pain will be related to 

feeds, whereas colic isn’t.’ 

If you’re worried, talk to 

your doctor, as there are 

medicines that can help. 

What your 



7am - 7.30am 

7.30am - 8.30am 

8.30am - 10am 

10am - 10.30am 

10.30am - 11.15am 

11.15am - 1.15pm 

1.15pm - 1.45pm 

1.45pm - 2.45pm 

2.45pm - 4.15pm 

4.15pm - 4.45pm 

4.45pm - 5.30pm 

5.30pm - 6pm 

6pm - 6.30pm 

6.30pm - 6.45pm 

6.45pm - 7pm (bathtime) 

KEY 


7pm - 7.15pm 

7.15pm - 7.30pm 

7.30pm - 11pm 

11pm - midnight 


Awake 

3am - 4am 

4am - 7am 

Feed 


Babies have sleep windows. 

These are short periods of 

time – around 10 to 15 

minutes – during which 

they’re tired and, if you put 

them down, they are likely 

to drift off to sleep easily. 

If you miss these sleep 

windows, your baby wakes 

up again, but enters the 

state of over-tiredness. She’ll 

be alert and awake, but 

because she’s wired, not 

because she’s refreshed. 

An over-tired baby finds it 

hard to settle to sleep. And, 

just to complicate matters, 

the time a baby starts getting 

tired can change slightly 

day-by-day. So you need to 

watch your baby and start 

to learn her sleep cues. 

RECOGNISE THE SIGNS 

With most babies, the first 

sign they’re tired is that they 

start moving less. Instead of 

looking around, they might 

stare fixedly at one spot. 

Some babies tug their ears, 

others start moving their 

head frantically from side 

to side. These all indicate 

your baby’s in her sleep 

window. If you can get your 

baby into her cot at this 

point, she’ll probably 

happily have a nap. 


SIX WEEKS TO THREE MONTHS 

Watch and learn 

If you miss these cues, 

your baby will start to yawn 

and rub her eyes. But by 

this point, although you’re 

still within the sleep 

window, she’s heading 

towards over-tiredness. 

Frustratingly, some babies 

don’t give any sleep cues. 

One minute they’re fine, the 

next wailing in exhaustion. 

If your baby is like this, try 

to judge when she’ll need 

a nap by timings. Babies of 

this age will need a sleep 

after being up for between 

90 minutes to two hours. 

Each baby’s different, so 

watch and learn what your 

little one needs in terms of 

daytime sleep. 

MISSED THE WINDOW? 

If you miss your baby’s sleep 

window, it will be harder to 

get her to drift off. But there 

are things you can do to help 

her get sleepy again. The 

first is to hold her so she’s 

facing a blank, white wall. 

There’s nothing to stimulate 

her, so she may well settle. 

Another soothing sensation 

is skin-to-skin contact. So 

give her a cuddle with her 

bare chest against yours. 

If you’ve missed her sleep 

window because you’re out, 

use a sleep shade to make 

the pram dark, pick a quiet 

spot and say whatever it is 

you usually say when it’s 

nap-time, like, ‘Sleepy time’. 

Q 

I can’t tell whether my baby is 

hungry or sleepy. Any tips? 

A: ‘This can be tricky because many babies, especially if 

they’re breastfed, find sucking soothing and use it to get 

themselves off to sleep,’ says Nicola. ‘They’ll ask for food 

not because they’re hungry but because they want to suck. 

‘The trick is to separate feeding from sleep. Do this by 

using a three-hour feeding routine during the day, feeding 

your baby every three hours from the start of her last feed. 

‘If your baby is still asleep at the three-hour point, let her 

carry on sleeping, but don’t let her sleep for more than four 

hours without a feed. So if you gave your baby a feed at 

7am, she may go on to have others roughly at 10am, 1pm, 

4pm and 7pm. Feed at these intervals, and let your baby 

have as much as she wants, and you’ll know she’s getting 

enough. So when she fusses, you’ll know food isn’t the issue.’

Six weeks to three months 

BUY THIS! 

The Snugglbundl, £39.99, www.snugglebundl.co.uk 

WHY IT HELPS: Simple, 

but ever-so-effective, the 

Snugglbundl is a strong 

cotton baby blanket with 

handles. Why does it help 

with sleep? Because if your 

baby goes off to sleep in 

a pram, the handles mean 

you can lift her up in the 

blanket and transfer her, 

without waking her up, into 

her Moses basket or cot.

Three to four months 

WHAT YOU NEED 

TO KNOW 

When your baby reaches 

12 weeks a big shift happens. 

It’s like he wakes up and 

transforms from a newborn 

into a baby. His eyesight 

improves, he’s better at 

differentiating between 

people he knows and people 

he doesn’t, and he’s much 

more interested in the world. 

‘It’s wonderful,’ says 


Child Sleep Solutions, a child 

sleep consultancy. ‘But it 

can make it much harder to 

settle your baby off to sleep, 

especially during the day.’ 


In the weeks since he was 

born, your baby has been 

learning that night is a time 

for sleep, and his body has 

matured enough to start 

experiencing the natural 

‘night’ cues. 

He’s producing 

the hormone 

melatonin, which 

regulates sleep; 

his digestive 

system slows, 

so he needs less 

food during 

these hours, and 

his temperature 

lowers slightly, which 

also aids sleep. 

But during the day, those 

physical changes don’t 

occur. This makes sleep 

harder to achieve – and 

ESSENTIAL! 

Some parents like to give their 

baby a ‘dream feed’ at around 11pm. 

The idea is that it tops babies up and 

helps them sleep longer. It works for some 

babies; it doesn’t work for others. If your 

baby wakes up for the feed, it’s not working. 

And if your baby is taking the feed but still 

waking several times in the night, it’s not 

working. In fact, it could be that the 

dream feed is stimulating your 

baby’s digestive system. If this 

is the case, stop giving it.

that’s before you factor in 

the fact that your baby has 

suddenly discovered that it’s 

more interesting to be 

awake than asleep! 

MAKE DAYTIME 

NAPS EASY 

‘To help your baby sleep 

during the day, you need to 

programme his internal 

nap clock,’ says Nicola. 

‘Put him down for his 

naps at the same time every 

day. This regular routine 

will teach him to expect to 

sleep at that time, which 

will make him become 

sleepier at that time.’ 

REMOVE STIMULATION 

Make your baby’s sleep 

environment boring. 

While an age-appropriate 

comforter is fine, don’t have 

toys in his cot. 

‘Mobiles can cause sleep 

issues too,’ says Nicola. 

‘If your baby has a mobile 

that he can see while he’s 

lying in his cot, remove it. 

Watching it might be so 

interesting, it stops him 

nodding off. In fact, at this 

age, a line on a white wall 

can be stimulating enough 

to keep a baby awake. 

‘To remove as much 

stimulation as possible, 

make your baby’s room 

dark for daytime naps 

and night-time sleeps.’ A 

blackout blind really helps. 

DON’T SWITCH ON! 

Don’t switch on a light if 

you enter the room where 

your baby’s sleeping. ‘Normal 

lights – even if a dimmer 

switch is fitted – stop our 

bodies producing melatonin, 

the hormone that aids sleep,’ 

says Nicola. ‘Have a night 

light instead. These low-level 

lights don’t impact on 

melatonin, but enable you 

to see well enough to change 

a nappy. Unless your baby 

seems really unsettled, don’t 

get into the habit of leaving 

a night light on all night.’ 

UNSWADDLE HIM 

If you’ve been swaddling, 

now is the time to stop 

because there’s a chance 

your baby will be an early 

roller. If a baby rolls in a 

swaddle, he can get stuck 

on his front, which could 

be dangerous. 

HANG ON IN THERE 

Sleep deprivation can kick 

in for parents now too. Up 

until this point, although it’s 

been tough, we get through 

because we expect it to be 

tough. But at this stage, 

we’re all hoping it’s going 

to get easier. Don’t beat 

yourself up, especially if a 

friend’s baby has just started 

sleeping through. Keep 

persevering with your sleep 

routine – it will happen for 

you one day too! 


❤ 

What your 



7am - 7.30am 

7.30am - 9am 

9am - 10.30am 

10.30am - 11am 

11am - 11.45am 

11.45am - 1.15pm 

1.15pm - 1.30pm 

1.30pm - 2pm 

2pm - 3.15pm 

3.15pm - 4pm 

4pm - 4.30pm 

4.30pm - 5pm 

5pm - 5.30pm 

5.30pm - 6.30pm 

KEY 


6.30pm - 7pm 

7pm - 7.30pm 

7.30pm - 11pm 

11pm -11.30pm 

11.30pm - 2am 

Awake 

2am - 3am 

3am - 7am 

Feed 


THREE TO FOUR MONTHS 

Let her fall asleep by herself 

Self-settling is a phrase used 

to describe babies who can 

get off to sleep without help, 

such as rocking. Babies can 

learn to do this at any stage, 

but by the time your little 

one is three months old, it’s 

worth putting some gentle 

routines in place to help. 

Make sure your baby’s 

sleeping environment is 

comfortable. She should be 

comfy, it should be dark and 

the temperature should be 

around 18°C. Make her 

nap-time and bedtime 

consistent, putting her down 

at the same times every day, 

as far as is possible. This will 

help programme her body 

clock to start to feel sleepy 

around those times. Give 

her clear cues that it’s time 

to sleep with a nap-time 

and bedtime routine. 


Your baby’s bedtime routine 

should be longer than her 

nap-time routine because it 

needs to relax her after the 

stimulation of the day. 

So, if you’re aiming to 

have your baby asleep by 

7.30pm, start your bedtime 

routine at 6.45pm. Give 

her a bath, a feed and a 

nappy change, then dress 


her in her night clothes. 

Read a story, turn off the 

lights, have a cuddle, then 

lay her down in her cot 

and say goodnight. 

It helps if you can do 

the whole post-bath routine 

in the room in which your 

baby sleeps. 

NAP-TIME ROUTINE 

A nap routine should be 

shorter than the bedtime 

routine: five minutes is fine. 

Give her a verbal cue, such 

as ‘Sleepy time darling’. 

Then take her upstairs, pull 

the curtains and turn off 

the light. Give her a cuddle, 

put her in her cot, give her 

the comforter and go out. 

The important thing is 

that you do the same things, 

in the same order, before 

every nap. If you mix the 

order up your baby will 

notice and switch into 

‘alert mode’! 

TEACH HER TO 

SELF-SETTLE 

Whether it’s bedtime or 

nap-time, put your baby 

into her cot when she’s 

awake. If you’re cuddling 

her when she goes off to 

sleep, she’ll wake up 

expecting you still to be 

cuddling her. When you’re 

not, she’ll be startled and 

wake fully. But if she’s gone 

off to sleep in her cot, it 

won’t be a surprise when 

she wakes up in her cot, and 

it will be easier for her to 

settle herself back to sleep. 

Q 

My baby will only nap in the 

pushchair, not her cot. Help! 

A: ‘Sleep in a cot is better quality sleep than sleep in a 

pram,’ says Nicola. ‘The constant motion of a pram can 

stop your baby from drifting into deep sleep. To help her 

settle in her cot during the day, try some white noise to 

help her zone out. There are plenty of white noise apps 

to download. If she’s still unsettled, stay with her and 

place your hand on her tummy. 

‘Keep trying to soothe her to sleep for an hour. If she 

doesn’t go to sleep after an hour, act as if it’s waking up 

time. Get her up, then go for a walk and let her sleep in 

the pram. Then try again the next day, and persevere.’


BUY THIS! 

The Babybay Bedside Cot, £294, www.nctshop.co.uk 

WHY IT HELPS: The Babybay 

Bedside Cot is a heightadjustable 

cot that attaches 

securely to your bed. Your 

baby’s right there with you, 

but safe in her own space, 

giving you all the benefits 

of co-sleeping without the 

associated risks. And when 

your baby has outgrown the 

cot, you can turn it into a 

desk or bench. 


Four to six months 

WHAT YOU NEED 

TO KNOW 

This is the age when you 

might feel your baby’s sleep 

is taking a step backwards. 

Some big developmental 

changes are happening 

during these months that 

can disturb sleep. One of 

the biggies is when babies 

learn to roll and sit up. 

‘Your baby’s brain is so 

busy processing these skills he 

starts to practise them in his 

sleep,’ says Nicola Watson, 

founder of Child Sleep 

Solutions, a child sleep 

consultancy. Cue rolling 

around or banging himself 

against the side of the cot. 


‘This is most likely to 

happen during the night, in 

the period when your baby 

is going through light REM 

(rapid eye movement) sleep,’ 

says Nicola. ‘This is most 

common at 3am. The best 

way to deal with it is to give 

your baby as much time 

during the day as 

possible to 

practise, and 

so master, 

these 

skills. 

You may 

have to 

spend a 

few days 

helping him 

get back into a comfortable 

position while he rockets 

around the cot. Keep your 

intervention as low-key as 

possible. Just reposition 

him, give him a bit of 

reassurance if you feel he 

needs it, then leave.’ 

Bear in mind cot bumpers 

aren’t recommended 

by sudden 

ESSENTIAL! 

If your baby wakes at 5am, 

treat it as a night waking. 

Don’t turn on the light. Don’t 

take him downstairs. And don’t let 

him watch Peppa Pig on the iPad! 

Light from screens, such as 

laptops, stops the production 

of the sleep hormone 

melatonin. 

infant death 

syndrome 

(SIDS) 

prevention 

groups, 

not 

even the 

breathable 

cot bumpers.

DON’T LET HIM 

GET OVER-TIRED 

‘Sleep problems often come 

about because all the rolling 

and waking means that 

babies can easily get 

over-tired,’ says Nicola. 

‘This makes it harder to 

settle them if and when 

they do wake up.’ 

An over-tired baby of 

this age can take up to 

45 minutes to settle, and if 

you’re doing that twice a 

night, you’ll soon feel 

exhausted. So it’s worth going 

all-out to make sure your 

baby is getting the daytime 

naps he needs. If he gets 

those, he’ll be less over-tired 

at bedtime and easier to 

settle through the night. 

Do the nap routines, 

watch your baby for signs 

of tiredness and move naps 

(and your baby’s bedtime) 

forward if you need to. 

Rest assured that these 

problems shouldn’t last too 

long. Most babies will stop 

the bump-tastic night-time 

rolling after a few weeks. 

BE FLEXIBLE 

ABOUT FEEDING 

Once your baby has 

mastered the art of rolling, 

he’s reached the age when 

he could – and that’s 

different to ‘can’ – sleep 

through the night without 

a feed. Some babies will, 

of course, still need a feed. 

Some mums find their 

babies are actually a little 

bit hungrier than normal, 

and need a small feed 

around 5am. 

‘The current NHS advice 

is that babies should start 

being weaned onto solids 

when they’re six months 

old,’ says Nicola. ‘In this 

run-up time, your baby 

might seem hungrier than 

he did before. Try to 

increase the amount of milk 

he gets during the day, but 

if he is waking up for a 5am 

feed and you can’t settle 

him in any other way, 

accept that you’ll probably 

have to give him this feed 

until he’s eating protein, 

somewhere between six and 

seven months old.’ 

SHORTEN THE 

AFTERNOON NAP 

Between four and six 

months, you should expect 

to see your baby’s afternoon 

nap start to drop off. 

‘A baby this age usually 

needs an hour’s nap in the 

morning, a two-hour nap 

around lunchtime and a 

shorter nap in the afternoon,’ 

says Nicola. ‘At four 

months the final nap might 

be an hour long, but by 

six months it should be 

down to a cat-nap of 20 

minutes. Don’t let him sleep 

any later than 5pm, or he’ll 

struggle to sleep at bedtime.’ 


❤ 

What your 



7am - 7.30am 

7.30am - 9am 

9am - 10am 

10am - 10.30am 

10.30am - 11am 

11am - 11.45am 

11.45am - 1.30pm 

1.30pm - 2pm 

2pm - 4.30pm 

4.30pm - 5pm 

5pm - 5.30pm 

5.30pm - 6.30pm 

6.30pm - 7pm 

7pm - 7.30pm 


KEY 



Awake 

1am - 7am 

Feed 


FOUR TO SIX MONTHS 

Drop the night feed if you can 

Babies develop at their own 

pace, but somewhere between 

the ages of three and six 

months, most are physically 

able to sleep for a long 

stretch at night. This could 

be anything from 10 hours 

to 12 hours. 

Your baby’s digestive 

system should by now be 

in a pattern of working fast 

during the day, when he’s 

moving and needs energy 

to be released quickly, 

and slowly at night, so he 

might not need to wake 

up for food. 

However, lots of babies 

do still wake up during the 

night. So what’s going on? 

We all go through a sleep 

cycle when we sleep. We 

have deep sleep and light 

sleep. When we’re in deep 

sleep it’s hard to wake us 

up. When we’re in light 

sleep, it’s much easier for us 

to be disturbed. And at the 

end of every sleep cycle, 

which lasts 45 minutes in 

babies of this age, we all 

stir. Usually we drop 

straight back off to sleep 

again, but if a baby is used 

to being helped to sleep in 

some way, such as by 

feeding, he will expect that 

comfort when he stirs. 


So how can you tell 

whether a baby really is 

hungry, or whether he’s just 

looking for comfort? 

RUN THROUGH A 

MENTAL CHECKLIST 

If your baby is waking up 

at night and asking for milk, 

the first thing to ask 

yourself is, ‘Is he getting 

enough milk during the 

day?’ If he’s getting plenty 

during the day, he shouldn’t 

be overly hungry at night. 

Next, ask yourself, ‘Is he 

hungry for his first feed in 

the morning?’ This means 

he clamours for food as 

soon as he sees you. If he’s 

completely happy to play 

and be distracted for half 

an hour in the morning 

before you feed him, he 

isn’t hungry for that first 

feed – and that means he’s 

having too much to drink 

in the night. 

Finally, ask, ‘How long is 

my baby feeding at night?’ 

If he’s just feeding for five 

minutes, he might be thirsty. 

Check that the room 

temperature is around 18ºC 

and that he’s in the right 

clothing and bedding. 

If he is – and if he’s had 

plenty to drink in the day, 

so he’s well-hydrated – he’s 

probably just asking for 

milk to soothe himself 

back to sleep. 

It’s normal to worry 

whether or not you’ve got 

it right, so don’t stress. If 

you’re not sure that your 

baby is getting enough milk, 

always err on the side of 

caution and feed him – he 

should never go hungry! 

Q 

I haven’t the energy to help my baby 

settle back to sleep. What can I do? 

A: ‘Sleep deprivation is awful and it’s important to find ways 

of looking after yourself,’ says Nicola. ‘If you can, ask people 

you trust to come and be with your baby during the day so 

you can grab some sleep. Or, for a week, give your body a 

sleep boost by going to bed when your baby goes for his 

first night sleep, between (roughly) 7pm and 11pm. This is 

the time of night when your baby has his deep, non-REM 

sleep, and is least likely to wake. It’s not much fun going to 

bed at 7pm, but as a temporary measure it will help.’


Keep running through 

your mental checklist and 

you will gradually learn 

what’s right for your baby. 

SETTLE HIM IN 

ANOTHER WAY 

If you are convinced your 

baby is using milk to soothe 

himself to sleep, try to settle 

him in another way. 

Put your hand on his 

tummy to give him 

reassurance, and use 

soothing ‘ssshing’ noises. 

As a temporary measure, 

and only for a few nights, 

rock him to sleep to help 

him move away from using 

milk as a settling aid. 

CUT DOWN YOUR 

BABY’S NIGHT FEEDS 

If your baby is genuinely 

feeding at night, slowly cut 

down the amount he’s 

getting at this feed. 

If he’s bottle-fed, cut 

down the night feed by an 

ounce a day. If he’s 

breastfed, cut down the 

length of time he’s feeding 

by a few minutes. Within 

three days he should be 

compensating for the shorter 

night feeds by drinking 

more during the day, which 

should, hopefully, help him 

sleep through. 

BUY THIS! 

Fuchsia Sparkle 

Blackout Cordless 

Roller Blind, £17.99, 

www.dunelm-mill.com 

WHY IT HELPS: Babies 

sleep better in dark 

rooms than in natural 

light. This is cordless, 

which is a great option 

as cords are a choking 

risks for babies. 


Six to nine months 

WHAT YOU NEED 

TO KNOW 

This is the age when your 

baby should drop her 

afternoon nap. At six 

months she might still need 

a 15-20 minute cat-nap in 

the afternoon, but by eight 

months it should be gone. If 

it’s not, you’ll probably find 

your baby either won’t be 

ready for sleep at bedtime 

or she’ll start waking really 

early in the morning. 

‘Once your baby’s eight 

months old, if she’s getting 

good naps earlier in the day, 

you want her awake from 


her last nap by 3.30pm at 

the latest,’ says Nicola 

Watson, founder of Child 

Sleep Solutions, a child 

sleep consultancy. ‘This 

gives her a long wakeful 

period before bed. 

‘Ideally, you’re 

looking for her to 

sleep through 

the night, have 

a 45-minute 

sleep in the 

morning and 

a two or 

two-and-a-halfhour 

sleep in the 

middle of the day.’ 

KEEP BEDTIME CALM 

At about six months, don’t 

be surprised if your baby 

starts to get extra-excited 

ESSENTIAL! 

It’s now that babies are often 

moved into their own room. You’ll 

inevitably worry about this, but your 

baby is likely to handle it without a fuss. 

Get her used to her new room a month 

before she makes the move to make it feel 

familiar and safe. Let her have naps in 

there, and do part of her bedtime routine 

in that room. The night of the move, 

don’t change her sheet or sleep 

bag, so she has a familiar smell 

to help her settle.

when a working parent 

returns home. ‘That’s lovely, 

but it causes problems if 

your partner is getting 

home just as you’re settling 

your baby off to sleep,’ 

says Nicola. 

‘They’re both pleased to 

see one another, there are 

big cuddles and laughter 

– and your baby gets 

excited. But then she won’t 

re-settle, because you’ve 

missed the sleep window 

and she’s tipped into 

over-tiredness.’ 

However, this is an easy 

problem to solve. ‘If the 

returning-from-work 

partner gets home as the 

bedtime routine starts, 

build them into the routine,’ 

says Nicola. 

‘Let them do the bath or 

change the nappy or read 

a bedtime story. If they do 

the same thing every night, 

your baby won’t be so 

stimulated by them. 

‘The other alternative, 

if your partner can’t predict 

what time they’ll be home, 

is to agree that unless 

they’re home before the 

bedtime routine begins, 

they won’t interrupt. 

‘That includes agreeing 

to not poke their head 

round the door to say 

goodnight! Instead, they 

can be the one to get up 

and have time with the 

baby in the morning.’ 

DITCH THE DUMMY 

Current research says that 

if you’ve started a baby on a 

dummy, you should retain it 

until she’s six months old. 

This is because it seems to 

offer a small amount of 

protection against SIDS 

(sudden infant death 

syndrome). But by the time 

your baby’s six months old, 

her sleep, and yours, will 

improve if you take it away. 

‘Whatever a baby does 

to get herself to sleep at 

bedtime, she also needs to 

do when she wakes up in 

the night,’ says Nicola. ‘If 

she’s sucking a dummy at 

bedtime, she’ll wake up in 

the night, try and suck, and 

discover the dummy’s fallen 

out of her mouth. This will 

wake her up completely, 

she’ll start searching for it 

and she’ll probably cry.’ 

The best solution is to go 

cold turkey: take the dummy 

away at bedtime and comfort 

your baby. ‘Try to find a 

way of soothing her that 

doesn’t require physical 

effort,’ says Nicola. ‘Keep a 

hand on her and say “sssh”, 

or sit with her. 

‘Most babies cry for their 

dummy for up to a week. But 

although these bedtimes are 

far harder, many parents 

find their babies wake less 

during the night from the 

first night without a dummy. 

So there’s instant payback!’ 


❤ 

What your 



6.30am - 7am 

7am - 8am 

8am - 8.30am (breakfast) 

8.30am - 9.15am 

9.15am - 10am 

10am - 11am 

11am - 11.15am 

11.15am - midday 

Midday - 12.30pm (lunch) 

12.30pm - 2.30pm 

2.30pm - 3pm 

3pm - 3.15pm 

3.15pm - 4.45pm 

4.45-5pm (drop at 8 mths) 

5pm - 5.30pm (supper) 

5.30pm - 6.30pm 

6.30pm - 7pm 

7pm - 7.30pm 

7.30pm - 6.30am 

KEY 


Awake 

Feed 


SIX TO NINE MONTHS 

Consider whether you want 

to ‘sleep train’ 

Sleep training involves a 

process of training your 

baby to sleep better, and 

most experts agree it’s fine 

to sleep train babies from 

the age of six months. 

There are many different 

approaches, including 

‘controlled crying’. 

However, a more gentle 

method that still gets results 

is ‘gradual withdrawal’. 

Sleep training isn’t 

something you should do – and 

certainly isn’t something you 

must do. It’s simply something 

that might be an option. 

Some parents decide to 

sleep train, others don’t, so 

it’s a decision that’s entirely 

yours to make. Don’t be 

swayed by what other 

people are doing; think 

about what feels right for 

you and your baby. And 

don’t view the techniques as 

set in stone. You can adapt 

the methods to make them as 

slow and gentle as you wish. 

GRADUAL WITHDRAWAL 

As the name suggests, 

the idea is to gradually 

withdraw your input from 

the settling process. 


First of all, work out what 

you’re doing that your baby 

is dependent on to fall 

asleep, for example, rocking. 

Then stop doing it – as 

gradually as feels comfortable 

for you. You should give 

your baby lots of support in 

other ways. For example, 

you can still stay with her, 

keep your hand on her 

tummy, and make a ‘ssh’ 

noise. The important thing 

is that you’re slightly less 

involved than before. 

Keep this up for three 

nights. Then make another 

small withdrawal. If you 

had been keeping your 

hand on your baby’s tummy 

while she nodded off, stop 

doing this, but remain 

sitting next to the cot, 

saying ‘sssh’. Three nights 

on, try moving further away 

from the cot, still saying 

‘sssh’. Three nights on 

again, say ‘sssh’ – but this 

time from outside the door. 

Very slowly and gently, 

your baby will get used to 

getting herself to sleep with 

less and less input from you. 

It usually takes between 

seven nights and three 

weeks to see results from 

gradual withdrawal, but it 

suits many parents as it’s a 

very gentle way of helping 

their baby self-settle. 

Q 

My baby’s teething is disrupting 

her sleep. What can I do? 

A: ‘Teething can happen on and off for the first three years 

of your baby’s life. This means that while it can be painful, 

you can’t let it derail your baby’s routine,’ says Nicola. 

‘Instead, when the pain first kicks in, do whatever you can 

to comfort your baby. This may mean giving her medicine. 

Once she’s three months she can have an age-appropriate 

dose of Nurofen for Children. This is a better choice than 

Calpol as it’s an anti-inflammatory as well as a painkiller, 

and the pain from teething’s caused by inflammation of 

the gums. The medicine takes the edge off the pain, so if 

you carry on as normal this should, hopefully, help her settle.’


What is controlled crying? 

This is a tougher method of sleep training. You go 

through the bedtime routine, put your baby into her 

cot, say goodnight and then leave, even if she’s crying. 

If she doesn’t settle, you come back at regular intervals, 

check she’s OK and repeat, ‘Sleepy time,’ before going, 

again even if she’s upset. The aim is to gradually leave 

a slightly longer gap before going back in until she settles. 

Some babies like it when their parents go in and the 

regular visits help settle them; others cry more. Most 

parents find their baby settles within a week of starting 

controlled crying. If it’s something you’d like to try, ask 

yourself whether you’ll be able to stick with it. It’s not easy 

listening to your baby cry. And if you sleep train for 45 

minutes then give up, all you’ve done is taught her that if 

she cries long enough she’ll get the attention she wants. 

BUY THIS! 

Hush Comfort Baby 

Monitor, £24.99, 

www.kiddicare.com 

WHY IT HELPS: When 

you move your baby into 

her own room, a monitor 

will reassure you she’s OK 

and alert you when she 

wakes. Some monitors 

have video screens, but 

don’t discount a simpler 

(and cheaper) model like 

the Hush Comfort. It 

might be all you need! 


Nine to 12 months 

WHAT YOU NEED 

TO KNOW 

When your baby’s nine 

months old, he’ll only be 

having two naps a day – a 

short one of half an hour 

in the morning and a long 

lunchtime one that ideally 

starts around 12.30pm. 

This lunchtime nap should 

last between two and 

two-and-a-half hours. 

‘The hope is that your 

baby is happily sleeping 

through the night, without 

any feeds, by now,’ says 



Child Sleep Solutions, a 


‘If he isn’t, then now’s the 

time to focus on it. 

‘Even though your baby 

has more staying power now, 

and can fuss for longer, he’s 

still far less determined than 

he will be in a few months’ 

time. And even if you feel 

you can cope with rocking 

him to sleep at the moment, 

it won’t be long before he’s 

bigger and heavier.’ 

So if you haven’t done 

so already, consider sleep 

training (see pages 26-27). 

SEPARATION ANXIETY 

Babies go through a 

developmental stage around 

nine months, and it’s 

common for this to cause 

separation anxiety. Your 

baby feels genuinely worried 

when he’s away from you, 

which can disrupt sleep. 

‘Your baby understands 

that you can leave him, but 

he doesn’t know when you 

are going to reappear,’ says 

Nicola. ‘Different babies 

experience this to a greater 

or lesser extent, but if your 

baby is frightened without

you, it can be hard leaving 

him for naps and at bedtime. 

‘Try not to amplify his 

worries by behaving as 

though there really is 

something to worry about. 

Aim to be reassuring, but 

consistent. Stick to your 

routine and stay calm, but 

don’t start cuddling him to 

sleep because he’ll start to 

expect that every night. If it 

helps, sit beside his cot until 

he’s calmer, then move and 

sit closer to the door. Then 

say, “Sleepy time darling” 

and leave the room. You can 

do that as much as you need 

to build his confidence.’ 

During the day, games 

like peekaboo, or hiding 

blocks under cups and 

showing your 

baby that they 

come back, 

can help. 

‘If you 

do need 

to do 

something 

that 

means 

being away 

from your baby, 

like going to the loo or 

going to work, don’t try and 

creep away,’ says Nicola. 

‘Tell your baby where 

you’re going, be gentle but 

firm – and go! Tell him that 

you’ll be back, even if you 

think he won’t understand. 

Then say, “See, I’m back!” 

when you do get back. He 

will gradually realise that 

you do come back and his 

separation anxiety will ease.’ 

GOING BACK TO WORK 

Separation anxiety often 

coincides with mums going 

back to work. This is a 

coincidence, but it makes 

mums worry and feel guilty 

– and this can transmit to 

your baby, affecting his sleep. 

‘Going back to work is a 

big transition, and it can 

cause all sorts of anxieties,’ 

says Nicola. Sometimes all 

those feelings focus on the 

issue of ‘Will my baby sleep?’ 

Solving any sleep issues 

suddenly becomes a huge 

issue, and a vent for 

all the stresses 

and strains 

of your 

new life as 

a working 

mum. 

‘It’s 

helpful to 

write down 

the worries 

you feel about 

your baby’s sleep,’ 

says Nicola. ‘When you’ve 

figured out what you’re 

feeling and why, you can 

start to think of solutions. 

You might consider asking 

for flexible working hours, 

so you can sleep later. Or 

pledge to go to bed earlier.’ 

ESSENTIAL! 

Your baby may learn to 

stand at this age, and this can 

interrupt sleep as he pulls himself 

into a standing position in his cot 

and then can’t lie back down. Make 

sure he has plenty of time in the 

day to practise these new skills, 

so he can go from standing 

to sitting confidently. 


❤ 

What your 



7am - 7.30am 

7.30am - 8am 


8.30am - 9.30am 

9.30am - 10am 

10am - 11am 

11am - 11.15am (snack) 



12.30pm - 1pm 

1pm - 3pm 

3pm - 3.15pm 

3.15pm - 5pm 


5.30pm - 6.30pm 

KEY 


6.30pm - 7pm 

7pm - 7.30pm 

7.30pm - 7am 

Awake 

Feed 


NINE TO 12 MONTHS 

Learn how to cope with change 

A lot of mums go back 

to work when their baby 

is between nine and 

12 months old. This is a 

big change and it often has 

an adverse impact on sleep. 

If grandparents are going 

to be looking after your 

baby in your home, he can 

stick to his normal routines. 

But if he’s going to a 

childminder or a nursery, 

the routines are likely to 

be different and the 

environment new and 

stimulating. His daytime 

sleep is likely to be affected 

and he may get over-tired. 

MAKE ANY 

CHANGES SLOWLY 

To ease the transition, if 

you can afford the time and 

money, introduce your baby 

slowly and gradually to his 

new childcare regime. 

If you’re planning to 

go back to work when he’s 

12 months old, start him 

in childcare when he is 

11 months old. He can then 

build up his sessions 

gradually, get used to all 

the staff and become 

comfortable before the 

additional change of you 

going back to work. This 

gives you both time to 

acclimatise and feel relaxed, 

and this alone will help 

regulate his sleep. 

When you’re choosing a 

childminder or nursery, ask 

how sleep is managed and 

how closely they will be able 

to replicate the routine that 

your baby is used to. If their 

routines are different to 

yours, ask them to write out 

the daily schedule. You can 

then gradually adapt your 

baby’s home routine to fit. 

STICK TO YOUR 


Daytime changes can cause 

problems at bedtime. Your 

baby may be so over-tired 

that he wants extra comfort 

to get to sleep. And if you 

feel guilty about being away 

from your baby you may 

compensate with extra 

attention at night-time. 

This is all totally normal, 

but try hard not to fall into 

this trap. If you start 

cuddling your baby to sleep, 

or pushing bedtime back so 

you can spend time with him, 

there’ll be repercussions. 

Your baby will get even 

more tired, he’ll start to rely 

on cuddles for sleep and, 

before you know it, your 

routine will be out of the 

window! Keeping to the 

same bedtime routine 

reassures and helps your 

baby to settle faster. It feels 

hard, but it’s worth it – for 

both of you. 

Q 

My baby always falls asleep 

on the way home from nursery. 

What should I do? 

A: ‘Lots of babies do this, and it can make it hard for 

them to go to sleep at bedtime,’ says Nicola. ‘If you 

possibly can, keep your baby awake. 

‘If he’s in a pram, don’t make him too snuggly and 

warm. Chat to him, make eye contact, and point things 

out on your walk home. If you’re in the car, keep a 

window open so there’s a breeze, chat, play music and 

be upbeat. If he’s so exhausted that he still falls asleep, 

keep this sleep as short as possible, and wake him up when 

you get home. Make sure you have a proper bedtime 

routine, with time to unwind.’ 



BUY THIS! 

Kusiner toy storage box, £6, www.ikea.com 

WHY IT HELPS: Putting toys 

away in boxes before your 

baby’s bedtime is a good 

way of signalling to him 

that the time for play is 

over and it’s time to sleep. 

After all, out of sight is out 

of mind… 


WHAT YOU NEED 

TO KNOW 

At 12 months, your baby 

will still be having two naps 

a day. The first should be a 

short morning nap of 20 to 

30 minutes, and the second 

a longer nap of two to 

two-and-a-half hours, 

starting around 12.30pm. 

‘Don’t miss this short 

morning nap. It’s necessary 

to help your baby get 

through to his lunchtime nap,’ 

says Nicola Watson, founder 

of Child Sleep Solutions, 

a child sleep consultancy. 

‘Without it, he’ll struggle to 


12 to 24 months 

get past lunchtime without 

getting over-tired. He’ll then 

struggle to relax, which 

could mean his lunchtime 

nap is shorter than he 

needs. And then he’ll be 

exhausted by bedtime.’ 

The other 

common sleep 

trap parents 

fall into at 

this stage 

is letting 

the 

morning 

nap go on 

too long. ‘If 

your baby 

sleeps for too long in the 

morning, it can be harder 

for him to have a long nap 

at lunchtime,’ says Nicola. 

‘This, again, leads to 

over-tiredness at bedtime.’ 

Around the age of 16 

months, babies 

start to drop 

ESSENTIAL! 

Many mums are pregnant 

with their second child during 

this period, and toddlers can be 

unsettled as they sense change. 

Stick to normal sleep routines and 

don’t make any big changes, such 

as potty training, during the 

three month period either 

side of the birth. 

the morning 

nap. ‘This 

is the 

average 

age, but 

it can 

happen 

earlier or 

later. Be aware

of the signs your baby doesn’t 

need this nap any more. It 

may be harder to settle him 

for his lunchtime nap, or 

trickier to settle him at night 

as he’s getting too much 

daytime sleep,’ says Nicola. 

When your baby first drops 

his morning nap, you may 

notice him getting over-tired 

before his lunchtime one. If 

this is the case, bring the 

lunchtime sleep forward, 

starting it at 11am. Then, 

every few days, push it five 

minutes later. ‘Keep doing 

this until you’ve got a start 

time between midday and 

1pm,’ says Nicola. ‘This 

nap still needs to be around 

two hours long.’ 

KEEP A LUNCHTIME NAP 

By the time your baby’s two, 

the length of his lunchtime 

nap may have naturally 

dropped to an hour, although 

some babies still need 

longer. Most children will 

need this nap until they’re 

three – so why do some 

babies drop their final nap 

before they are two? 

‘Your baby changes into a 

toddler during these months,’ 

says Nicola. ‘There are a lot 

of developmental changes 

– he walks, he talks, and he 

learns. One of the things he 

learns is that he can influence 

the way you behave. So he 

tests boundaries and may 

resist his nap.’ At this age, 

children have a lot of 

staying power, so the tussle 

of ‘to nap or not to nap?’ 

can be prolonged. 

‘Your tot may resist his 

lunchtime sleep for a period 

of two to three weeks,’ says 

Nicola. ‘However, persevere 

with putting him down 

for this nap somewhere 

comfortable, dark and quiet. 

He will, eventually, go back 

to having it.’ 

If your baby is one of 

the rare children who really 

does need less sleep, you’ll 

be able to tell because 

he’ll be fussing – over a 

period of a few weeks 

– at bedtime as well as at 

nap-time. And, when he 

misses his lunchtime sleep, 

it won’t affect his behaviour. 

If this is the case, drop the 

lunchtime nap. 

Be aware that by the age 

of 18 months, the amount 

of sleep toddlers need varies 

hugely from child to child. 

Some will still need a 

lunchtime nap that lasts up 

to two hours. Others will 

only need an hour. 

Don’t compare your little 

one with his friends. Instead, 

think about how he seems 

when he’s awake. Is he alert, 

interested and refreshed? Is 

he settling well at bedtime? 

Is he waking up at a good 

time in the morning? 

If he is, then he’s getting 

all the sleep he needs. 

12 t0 24 months 

❤ 

What your 



7am - 7.30am 

7.30am - 8am 


8.30am - 9.30am 

9.30-10am (drop at 16 mths) 

10am - 11am 

11am - 11.15am (snack) 



12.30pm - 1pm 

1pm - 3pm 

3pm - 5pm 


5.30pm - 6.30pm 

KEY 


6.30pm – 7pm 

7pm - 7.30pm 

7.30pm - 7am 

Awake 

Feed 


12 TO 24 MONTHS 

Sleep easy away from home 

No sane parent expects a 

holiday with a toddler to be 

as relaxing as a holiday 

pre-children. But how well 

your little one sleeps can 

make or break a trip away. 

‘A little preparation really 

makes a difference to how 

your baby settles,’ says 

Nicola. ‘If you’re planning 

to use a travel cot, use it for 

naps before you go so it’s a 

familiar environment, and 

take slept-in rather than 

clean bedding as the smell 

will help her relax. 

‘Aim to arrive wherever 

you’re staying before your 

baby’s bedtime routine 

starts. It helps your baby 

settle if she’s had a chance 

to get used to the room. 

‘Open doors (including 

cupboard doors) and show 

her what’s inside. If you’re 

staying in a house, show her 

around the whole house, so 

she gets a sense of where 

she is and where you’ll be. 

‘The key thing is to stick 

to routines. Don’t change 

her bedtime routine just 

because you’re in a new 

place. And if she wakes in 

the night, stick to your usual 

way of settling her. This shows 

her that you’re not worried, 

so she doesn’t need to be.’ 


DEALING WITH JET LAG 

‘To help your baby get used 

to a new time zone, start 

adjusting your baby’s body 

clock to the new zone 

before you leave,’ says 

Nicola. A baby’s body clock 

can cope with being moved 

about an hour a day. So if 

you’re going to a time zone 

that’s two hours’ ahead of 

the UK, start two days before 

you leave. Shift your baby’s 

routine forward by one hour 

each day. Coming home, 

do the same in reverse.’ 

If you’re off on a 

long-haul adventure, this 

technique becomes 

impractical. The quickest 

way to adjust to new times 

in this scenario is to shift 

your baby’s routine to fit in 

with the local time at your 

destination from the 

moment you board the 

plane. Then, when you 

arrive, get out and about 

as much as possible during 

daylight hours. ‘Daylight 

regulates our body clocks,’ 

says Nicola. ‘But stay out 

of direct sunlight to protect 

delicate skin.’ 

ADJUST TO NEW CLIMES 

Your baby may well be 

thirstier if you’re going 

somewhere hot, so she may 

need extra milk or water at 

night. Air-conditioning can 

make babies thirstier too, so 

even if the room is a good 

temperature, the drier air 

might make her want a 

drink. And all the excitement 

may mean your baby is 

more tired than normal. So 

if you think she needs an 

extra nap, let her have it. 

Q 

My 18-month old keeps asking for 

things at bedtime. Any tips? 

A: ‘Your baby has realised she can have an impact on the 

way you behave,’ says Nicola. ‘At bedtime, this usually 

becomes the “just one more” request – just one more kiss, 

one more drink, one more story. If you indulge her requests, 

she’ll keep making them. To help yourself stay firm, make 

sure all her needs are being met at bedtime: that she’s 

hydrated, she’s comfy, she’s got her bedtime comforter, 

the room is the right temperature, and her nappy is clean. 

This makes it far easier to resist giving in to her demands.’

BUY THIS! 

Baby’s Night-Night Storybook, by Sam Taplin, £12.99, 

www.usborne.com 

WHY IT HELPS: A bedtime 

story is an important part of 

the routine, but choose your 

book carefully. One that’s too 

interactive with lift-up flaps or 

tactile surfaces will stimulate 

your baby and make her alert 

rather than sleepy. Instead 

opt for gentle, soothing short 

stories to help her unwind. 


For more 

sleep advice, visit 

motherandbaby.co.uk

Mother&Baby Sleep Booklet 2015

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