8 Ways To Help Your Baby Sleep All Night

Have your little ones actually sleeping like a baby with these 8 expert tips.

Parenting is exhausting work there’s no doubt about that. But having a baby doesn’t have to mean no sleep for us as parents, you can get some much-needed shut eye too!

1) Find your baby’s own bedtime

According to sleep expert Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., late bedtimes cause many childhood sleep problems, because overtiredness makes it harder for children to get to sleep and stay asleep. But figuring out when to put your baby to bed can be tough.

To find your baby’s perfect bedtime, first you need to know how many hours of sleep they need in a 24-hour period and from there work out how many hours they can comfortably stay awake per day. This will be determined by mostly by their age but also by their activity level. Some babies are happy sitting and cuddling most of the day but others may be moving back and forth all day, which will drain their energy faster. Set your baby’s bedtime so that he is not awake longer than that, and you’ll prevent overtiredness that can wreck night time sleep.

For example, a 10-month-old who needs 14 hours of daily sleep can stay awake for 10 hours per day. If he gets up at 6 a.m. and naps for three hours each day, he needs a standing 7 p.m. date with his bed. (newborns need between 14 and 16 hours of shut-eye per day; toddlers 1–3 years old need 12–14 hours; and kids 3–6 years old need 10–12 hours).

2) A dark room is best

Melatonin production is needed for a good night sleep and this is triggered by darkness. Baby lights or nightlights may make us parents feel like our babies are a little safer but when it comes to setting optimal sleep conditions, no light is best. Nightlights disrupt melatonin production, and even the light from a baby monitor can be enough to prevent deep, restful sleep. As dark triggers melatonin for sleep, light obviously has the opposite effect, therefore to get just a little more sleep in the mornings try out window blackouts to keep that morning light out and get an hour or two more sleep yourself.  

3) Routine, routine, routine….

Sleep experts agree that an effective bedtime routine is one that is consistent: the same things, in the same order, every night. “Our bodies love routine, and this is especially so with children and bedtime,” says Teitelbaum. Cues for sleep are an excellent way to get your baby ready to sleep. One excellent cue is putting on our baby sleep bag. It lets them know it is bed time. It works like a charm!

4) Practice using the dummy

The journal Paediatrics reports that nearly 70 percent of parents give dummies to their newborn babies. However, how many times have we as parents been woken up in the middle of the night to find our baby crying because he has lost his dummy? The sooner babies learn to manage their own dummy, the better everyone sleeps. To help your baby re-plug their dummy into their mouths alone, incorporate the lost dummy scenario into tummy time and playtime, and your baby will be finding and self-plugging in no time.

If you are asking yourself, ‘why not remove the dummy completely’? There is evidence suggesting dummies reduce the incidence of SIDS and it is therefore recommended to put your baby to sleep with a dummy. However, never force the dummy into your baby’s mouth if they have spat it out and never use a cord on the dummy.

5) Set their internal clock with morning light

For an easier bedtime, start your baby’s day off in a bright way. Strong morning light helps set your child’s internal body clock, so they’ll fall asleep more easily at night. When you are ready for them to wake up, open their curtains and blackouts to let the light shine in, and serve breakfast in a sunny spot. When weather permits, take a quick stroll around the block.

6) Avoid too many or excessively long naps

Naps are important to babies; they avoid over-tiredness and promote healthy night’s sleep, and research shows that naps help babies learn and retain information. However, napping all day will have the opposite effect and cause them to have too much energy at night to be able to fall asleep. To promote healthy naps while preserving night-time sleep, don’t allow naps to last longer than three hours. For most babies and young children, naps of an hour or two are long enough to be revitalising without disrupting night-time sleep.

7) Promote physical activity

Moving and physical activity can help your baby sleep all night. Exercise helps children burn energy, falling asleep faster and sleep more deeply. So, let your little one move as often as they can handle. Aim for at least 60 minutes per day of vigorous activity by encouraging regular playtimes. Toddlers and young children need to be walking and running; babies need lots of tummy time to wiggle, stretch and work their core and back muscles.

8) Invest in a Mintnyte Sleeping Bag

Our Sleep bags not only act as a cue for your baby to know it is time to go to sleep, they are also ultra-soft, breathable and moisture wicking meaning they will keep your baby’s body temperature under control keeping them comfortable, dry and safe. The use of a sleep bag also means no quilts or blankets that get entangled on your baby’s legs making them wake up or even worse coming off them making them very cold at night.

See our range of sleeping bags in a range of modern earthy colours here.

Disclaimer: All content, including medical opinion and any other health-related information, is for informational purposes only and should not be considered to be a specific diagnosis or treatment plan for any individual situation. The information contained herein does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.