Sleeping through the night

This is the much longed for holy grail of parenthood. Pacing the corridors at 2am with a crying baby is nobody’s idea of fun and it’s natural that you yearn for a more mature approach to sleep from your infant!

In the beginning, sleeping through the night will probably mean about seven hours of interrupted and not particularly restful sleep for all concerned. It is important to remember that your newborn has a tiny stomach and part of the short sleeping cycles are due to the fact that he’s hungry and needs to feed. This is perfectly normal and as he grows, so will his stomach and his digestive abilities – allowing you a bit more respite from the seemingly endless demands for food all day and night. A much-touted approach to this problem of feeding at night has been to go about your task in the quietest, most business-like way you can – keeping the lights dim, speaking in a whisper (if at all) and trying not to engage with your baby. The idea behind this is that he’ll soon cotton on to the fact that it isn’t playtime. It’ll help him to differentiate between night and day and make him realize it’s time to go back to sleep.

After the age of around six months, you may wish to try and wean your baby off his night feed. This can be tackled by offering a bigger feed before he hits the hay and by gradually offering him less when he wakes up. It won’t take him long to establish that the trickle of milk you’re offering isn’t worth waking up for. If you’re bottlefeeding, it might be worth watering down the night-time milk feed once you can be sure your baby is getting enough milk and solids during the day. This means gradually reducing the amount of milk scoops you put in your baby’s bottle over the course of a week or so. That way, the withdrawal isn’t such a shock. By one year of age, your baby will probably be able to sleep for a much longer, uninterrupted chunks of time.

Of course, the bedtime routine is another important way of helping your child to differentiate between the daytime and the nighttime. Try not to stay with your child as he drifts off to sleep or he may begin to associate you with sleep and will start to need (read: demand!) you there as he goes to sleep. Some experts recommend you encourage him to focus on a ‘lovey’ – a blanket or a toy – that he can fall asleep with. This is much better than relying on you as his sleep prop and in the long run it’ll make your life easier. You can still go to him and show him you’re around, but make sure you leave the room after comforting him.

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The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.