Tips to help your baby sleep better

Walking around like a zombie, because your baby is not sleeping makes for an irritable and unhealthy home environment. Get your sleep cycle back on track with these easy tips to help your baby sleep through the night:

Happy tummies make for sleepy eyes

A new-born’s sleep pattern is partly regulated by hunger, according to paediatrician and CEO of Paed-IQ BabyLine, Dr Iqbal Karbanee. If a baby is feeding well and has no other medical issues, they should be sleeping well too.

Colic

If your baby is suffering from abdominal pain and colic, try introducing probiotic drops to assist the gut and book a feeding assessment at a clinic. A comforting factor is that colic generally peaks at about 2-3 months, and then starts subsiding by 16 weeks.

Iron

While milk should be the primary nutrient source until 12 months, it is important to slowly start introducing solids from about 6 months, as a baby’s iron reserves start depleting from this age. Iron is essential for growth and development.

Create a minimalist, sleep environment 

Toys and blankets look cute, but only cause distraction in a baby’s cot. A proper, fitted mattress and a fitted sheet is all your baby needs. Keep the room as dark as possible during the night and try to maintain the room temperature at about 21°C. Thanks to their high metabolic rate, babies don’t feel the cold the way adults do.

Get into a routine and stick to it.

Planned, regular naps and bedtimes are crucial to creating a healthy sleeping routine and will prevent babies and children feeling overstimulated and over-tired.

A 3-month-old baby should only have 1.5 hours of awake time, a 6-month-old can stay awake for 2.5 hours, and a 10-month-old can manage 3.5 hours before they start getting into a state of agitation and need a nap. A sleep-feed-play cycle can be introduced from 4 months of age. Playtime after feeding helps the baby relieve gas and feel more comfortable for its next nap.