Baby Sleep2022-07-21T14:57:05+10:00

Baby Sleep

baby sleepOne of the most difficult challenges new parents face is broken sleep. New parenthood is challenging enough, without feeling as though you are constantly running on empty. Add to that the endless opinions and judgements from others about baby sleep and what you should do about it, and life can feel very hard.

Both you and your babe are going through a period of adjustment and the more gently you can approach sleep the kinder it is on all involved. The articles and stories on this page promote gentle parenting – practices which ensure your baby’s emotional, physical and psychological needs are met while also supporting yours.

On this page you can read about The Con of Controlled Crying, how to Read Your Baby’s Sleepy Signals, Five Co-Sleeping Myths Busted and much more. If you’re looking for a good book on the topic of baby sleep, consider reading our review of Helping Your Baby to Sleep!

Do you have a story to share? We are always looking for new content for this page and nothing supports a new parent more than the words of someone who has been there (or is there). If you have a story to share or would like to suggest a topic around baby sleep that you’d like to read more about, please email Pregnancy Birth and Beyond.

Baby sleep articles and stories

Co-sleeping, is it part of bonding?

When my own babies were small, neither social ideology nor wakeful babies caused me a lack of sleep. My babies slept snuggled up with me at night. My choice to co-sleep wasn’t based on research studies. This choice was simply ‘best practice’ for our family - or, where we all got the most sleep. Now there is a plethora of research about infant sleep and I find it fascinating to compare this to my own experience. Read – have

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Sweet Dreams – Pinky’s top tips to help your baby (and you!) sleep better

Just like us, babies are individuals –and this goes for sleep requirements too. It may help (or not, if you are suffering from sleep deprivation) to realise that in most infant sleep studies, ‘all night’ is defined as five hours. If you are thinking that even five hours of uninterrupted sleep would be a dream come true, there are some gentle strategies you can try to help your baby, and you, fall asleep and sleep better. Know the signs

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Revised Safe Sleeping Guidelines 2012

Learn the new campaign by SIDS and Kids - In preparing your home for the arrival of your new baby, one of the most important decisions you may make is where and how they will sleep. Apart from obvious factors like having easy access to your baby for those middle-of-the-night feeds, many parents revel in decorating the baby’s room and creating a delightful sleeping space. However, before establishing a sleep space for your baby it is important to consider

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Helping Your Baby to Sleep

Book review by Jane Palmer It was a pleasure reviewing this book. At first, I thought oh no not another book on baby sleeping - but this book is important. Anni and Beth explore the science behind baby sleep and attachment and the development of a baby's brain. Many books explore sleep training without exploring the implications of this practice on the developing brain of a baby. But not 'Helping your Baby to Sleep'. Inside you'll find out about

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Read Your Baby’s Sleepy Signals

From The No-Cry Sleep Solution (McGraw-Hill) by Elizabeth Pantley A good way to encourage good sleep is to get familiar with your baby’s sleepy signals, and put her down to sleep as soon as she seems tired. A baby cannot put herself to sleep, nor can she understand her own sleepy signs. A baby who is encouraged to stay awake when her body is craving sleep is typically an unhappy, fussy baby. Over time, the pattern develops into sleep

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The Con of Controlled Crying

  Although many baby sleep trainers claim there is no evidence of harm from practices such as controlled crying. It is worth noting that there is a vast difference between ‘no evidence of harm’ and ‘evidence of no harm’. A policy statement on controlled crying issued by the Australian Association of Infant Mental Health (AAIMHI) advises, ‘Controlled crying is not consistent with what infants need for their optimal emotional and psychological health, and may have unintended negative consequences.’ According

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Getting a Good Night’s Sleep- another perspective

Published in Playtimes, the magazine of the Queensland Playgroup Association, May 2002 As a GP, writer and currently full-time mother to four children, I have many concerns about the standard advice that mothers are being given about young children and sleep. ‘How does your child sleep’ in the Oct Playtimes, endorsed by Queensland Health, and the U.S. ‘Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems” by Richard Ferber are two examples of this approach. These sources suggest methods such as leaving a

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How to get your child to beg to go to bed

As you know, it is not always easy getting your child to go to bed during bedtime, let alone staying there and then falling asleep.  Your child may be the “stay up late, no matter what” type.  You know, it's ten o’clock and you’re bleary-eyed but he is wide awake and bushy-tailed.  Or it's 3 a.m. and it’s the fifth time your angel has woken up and called for you from her bed.  Perhaps it is seven-thirty, bedtime and

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Five Co-Sleeping Myths Busted!

We all want a good night’s sleep but when it comes to where your baby sleeps you are certain to get bombarded with advice. If you dare admit to co-sleeping you will be an especially vulnerable target. Of course, wherever your baby sleeps is your choice and as long as you provide a safe sleeping environment, it’s nobody else’s business. This doesn’t mean though, that annoying critics won’t undermine you and have you second-guessing yourself. So, just in case

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