What All Babies Need to Sleep Well
I had the pleasure last month of guest blogging for Everyday Heroes, an amazing paediatric resource website for parents. Founder Tammany Petrie started Everyday Heroes to give parents and professionals a solid and reputable place to find the right support for the concerns they have.
I am proud to be part of the community at Everyday Heroes, and invite you to visit their site and explore.
My blog on What All Babies Need to Sleep Well explores the attachment needs that babies require to develop independent sleep, and the directory of practitioners provides an amazing and broad list of professionals to meet your needs as parents. I am beginning to use it as my source too when seeking out additional supports for the families I work with.
For a short peak at what babies need to sleep well, here are the basics of what babies need:
Time: development of sleep, like all developmental skills, needs time. The brain is making amazing connections (millions every second) but the process can’t be rushed.
Safety: Sleep doesn’t happen when a baby feels fear or uncertainty. (Nor do we!). Helping a baby feel safe and secure is a foundation of supporting sleep. Helping a baby be safe during sleep is critical too. Plan ahead for safe bedsharing, even if you don’t plan to bedshare: many parents end up bedsharing as a last resort, and planning ahead means a safer environment when you’re overtired. See La Leche League’s Safe Sleep Seven, or James McKenna’s guidelines.
Consistency: This one can feel like it’s all on you, but it’s not! Consistency develops in part from circadian rhythm and maturing of sleep-wake cycles. And that takes time (see point 1!). However, gradually establishing a rhythm to your baby’s day in response to their naturallly emerging rhythm, and creating a simple and enjoyable bedtime routine over time can also support feelings of safety. Most babies thrive on knowing what’s happening next.
Comfy Environments: Temperature plays a role in circadian rhythm: our bodies naturally drop in temperature in the evening, and begin to rise in the morning. This temperature shift is part of our sleep/wake rhythm. Temperatures in the bedroom between 18 and 22 degrees Celcius is recommended, and keeping humidity between 30 and 50% is ideal.
Co-Regulation: When we get upset, we can walk around, squeeze our fists, scream into a pillow, talk it out with a friend, jump up and down, or take a deeeeeeep breath. Babies can’t do that. They rely on US to regulate for them. That means that finding ways to take care of our own big feelings can help calm our babies so that sleep can ensue. Babies will respond to how regulated our nervous system is. So when babe is upset, it can be helpful to focus on your own level of calmness, and let that spill over into calming your baby.
Wishing you a good night’s sleep.
Warmly,
Heather
(PS If this approach to supporting your baby’s sleep is sounding like an approach that aligns with your parenting, let’s talk.)