04/03/2024
Scenario: “My little one is waking up for long stretches during the night. When they have a long wake, I try everything, but they are wide awake and no matter what I try, they are ready to party all night. I have tried giving her long naps, shorter naps, no naps, later bedtime, earlier bedtime".
Does that sound familiar? Tearing your hair out trying to find what the right formula is for a good night of sleep?”
Children’s sleep is very fickle. But there are some things to keep in mind about the way their sleep works, which hopefully will be helpful for you:
1. Day Naps: There are recommended amounts of day sleep that children should be having during the day time, and this will change in length and number of naps depending on the age of your child. If they are having too much day sleep then they might not be tired enough for an early bedtime, and so will only fall asleep late at night, and then they will be overtired which often results in multiple wake ups during the night time. If they are having too much day sleep, this can also mean long wakes during the night.
Tip for day naps: if your child is under 7 months old, then make sure that they are having the correct amount and length of naps through out their day. Ensure that they are on the correct wake window so that they are not overtired going to sleep. Give them an early bedtime - 7pm is a suitable bedtime for children.
If your child is over 7 months old, then they do not need to be on a wake window anymore, and can be on a fixed nap schedule. This means that you are giving them naps at the same time each day. They need evenly spread sleep through the day so that their sleep pressure is not too much, avoiding overtiredness. Number of naps and length of naps will vary depending on your Childs age.
2. Developmentals: it is no secret that children go through A LOT of growing, teething, catching first bugs and developmentals, especially in their first year of life. When they are learning new skills, like crawling, standing up, walking, new words etc, this can have an affect on their sleep. They might wake up during the night time and be so excited by what they are learning that they start practising these new skills during the night.
Tip: There are some lovely Apps like “Wonder Weeks”, that can help inform you of when your little one might be going through developmentals. This means that you’re more aware and can feel a bit more prepared and expect their sleep to be a bit off. Continue with day naps, consistent bedtime routine and once they are finished with their developmental their sleep should go back to normal.
Have a look at my recommended day naps for children at the different ages.
DM me if you would like help with your child's sleep.