Of all the topics parents love to discuss, one of the most
popular has to be around the issue of when their baby is "sleeping
through". This is generally seen as such a milestone of development
that all efforts in working towards it are worthwhile.
However, it is worth asking why it is so important and if
sleeping through the night is all it is cracked up to be.
The real benefits of having a baby who sleeps well are not
always about the child, though they are a good place to start. The
ultimate goal is, really, more sleep for exhausted parents. It is
impossible to imagine just how tired you can be and still function.
Many parents feel as if they are just operating on some form of
auto pilot, going through the motions of their day without any real
connection to it. But, there is hope - read on.
What exactly is sleeping through the night?
This depends on the age of the child and what their usual
nocturnal sleeping habits are. Sleeping through the night is really
open to individual interpretation -
- For parents of newborns, sleeping through can mean not feeding
as regularly overnight as during the day. It can also mean the baby
is having a longer period of continuous sleep during the
night.
- It may mean the baby is dropping one feed overnight and
sleeping through the usual feed time until later on. Parents are
usually advised to demand feed their baby overnight and encourage
them to follow their own hunger signals.
- Babies from around three months of age will often have a 6 hour
or more continuous sleep during the night. Many parents look
forward to this time when they may have an opportunity to get more
sleep themselves.
- For babies from six months of age who have started solid food,
this may be the start of them not be waking overnight for
milk.
- From six months old, some babies will be happy to have their
last feed for the evening at around 6-7 pm or even later, and then
sleep until 5-6 am the following morning.
Sleep cannot be made to happen by a parent, no matter how hard
you may try. It's worth remembering that your baby is a completely
separate individual to you and not an extension or smaller version
of yourself and your partner.
What is a Circadian Rhythm?
This is our inner clock which helps our body's cycle and flow
through a 24 hour day. Our Circadian Rhythms help us to regulate a
number of biological and physiological processes which ebb and peak
at different times of the day. As adults we do most of our alert,
active functions through the day and at night we wind down to
restore and sleep. Unless of course, you are a baby and aren't old
enough for your Circadian Rhythm to have developed. Experts say
this usually starts happening from around six months on, though
like everything, is dependent on individual makeup.
When should a baby sleep through the night?
There is no definite time or stage of development for this to
happen. It really depends, again, on the individual baby and their
parent's expectations. Some babies are naturally more passive and
like sleeping and others are more resistant. Temperament and
personality play a big role in how babies function, including their
sleeping behaviours.
Most parents see a longer night time sleeping pattern developing
from around 3 months onwards. By then, there is more structure
around a baby's daytime routines with shorter sleeps, more
predictable feeding times and a longer, continuous sleep
overnight.
Remember:
- Waking up during the night is normal for all of us, especially
for babies who have much shorter sleep cycles than older children
and adults.
- A baby's sleep is a series of complex cycles where they
progress every 50 minutes through stages of deep sleep and light
sleep.
- Night waking is necessary for a young baby's general health and
there is nothing parents can do to stop it from happening. Try to
keep your expectations realistic and work with what you can. Your
responses to their waking are under your control.
- How you settle your baby to sleep through the day and evening
will impact on how they go back to sleep overnight. Try to be
consistent with your settling techniques.
- A regular pre-settling routine is always useful. Feeding, a
warm bath, cuddles and little rituals of reassurance before placing
your baby into their cot awake, will help hem feel secure.
Why do some babies wake frequently overnight?
- Because they are young enough to still need frequent feeding
and reminders that their parents are close to them. Night waking is
normal for young babies who need to wake in 3-4 hourly cycles over
24 hours.
- Because of physical discomfort. Simple solutions such as making
sure your baby is warm enough, fed enough, tired enough and
comfortable enough to sleep are simple enough to fix. Look for the
basics first.
- Due to habit. Babies who are in a pattern of dependence and who
need their parents to help them go to sleep will cry out for them
overnight. Sleep behaviour through the day impacts on night time
sleep. Young babies cannot adapt their behaviour to suit the time
of day.
- Babies who have reached a new developmental stage will often
practice these new skills in their sleep. Rolling, crawling,
standing and chatting don't switch off during the night.
- When there has been a change in the regular family routine, a
house or room move, start at child care or graduating from a
bassinette to a cot. It does not take long for a baby to develop a
habit of night waking. Just because they have slept through before
does not mean they will continue to do so.
- A baby who is sick or incubating an illness will often sleep
differently to how they were previously. Be flexible with your
settling management when your baby is unwell. They will need lots
of extra cuddles, attention and feeds to support their immune
systems to recover and to feel less miserable.
- Some studies have shown that babies, whose mothers have post
natal depression or mental health illnesses, are more prone to
night waking. Professional and practical support with baby care is
important for every new parent.
What you can do
- Avoid seeing your baby's waking as your fault. Babies change
all the time and there is often no definite reason why babies do
what they do. Be flexible, do your best and ask for help from some
trusted sources of support if you need to.
- Get as much rest and sleep through the day as you can. Expect
to be tired and be woken overnight for at least a few months. Don't
neglect the basics of looking after your own health.
- Rocking, patting, soothing, wrapping, cuddling and walking all
help young babies to calm and settle. If your baby is very
unsettled try putting them in a sling, pushing them in a pram,
giving a deep warm bath and then a massage.
- Extra feeds, offering a dummy or handing them to someone else
to nurse for a while can all help. Small babies like to be wrapped
or swaddled until they get to the stage when they start to roll.
This happens from around 3-4 months of age.
- Try not to always interpret your baby's cries overnight as due
to hunger. Aim to feed them as much as they need to during the day
and evenings and try not to wake them overnight for feeds unless
you've been advised to.
- Try not to let your baby go for more than four hours or so
between feeds through the day and evening. Otherwise, they may try
to make up for missed feeds overnight.
- For more strategies on how to settle your baby, see Baby
settling.
References:
- Sleep
Review - Circadian rhythms in infants - Cited August 2009
-
University of Michigan Health System - Mom's mood, baby's sleep:
What's the connection? - Cited August 2009
- Baby
sleeping habits