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Children's Health

  Sleeping

All babies are different in many ways, especially in how much sleep they require. Your new baby sleeps most of the time, usually 17 hours out of 24 during the first month.  They have different stages of sleep. By the time your baby is three months old, he may well be sleeping about 10 hours a night, with another five hours during the day, often in two distinct naps, morning and afternoon.  

If you wrap him up snugly in a blanket, it makes him feel safe and secure and stops his limbs from jerking and twitching as he drops off to sleep. Lay him down on his side, smoothing his rear flat under him and for the first three months put a rolled -up blanket along his back so he can't roll over. During this time he is safest sleeping like this- If he sleeps on his back and brings up any milk or formula  he might choke, and if he sleeps on his stomach he may accidentally get his mouth and nose buried in the mattress. 

Some babies always cry before going to sleep, while others slip off to sleep easily, especially if they are allowed to do so in their mother's arms.  Listen to your baby, when he is crying, you'll be able to tell the difference between some whimpering during a nap and intense sobbing which needs attention. For some babies, sleeping may be difficult without some background noise. Try the hum of a fan or the soft strains of soothing music.  

Rituals such as rocking your baby back and forth in your arms or rubbing her back or stomach rhythmically or patting her legs rhythmically, often work to soothe your baby into sleep, but remember babies often get used to such attention and want you to do this each time before they fall asleep. 

Many women are happiest fitting in with their baby's pattern, feeling that sleeping together - as mothers and babies do all over the world - is best.