Lucy Wolfe is a Sleep Consultant, Post-Graduate Researcher (PhD) and Mum of four children. She is also the author of the bestselling book- The Baby Sleep Solution and All About Baby Sleep- Your Questions Answered.
Lucy has shared with Pampers some of her most frequently asked questions and top tips, so if you are struggling with your baby’s sleep and would like some expert help, read on to discover more!
While all babies develop at different rates, there’s no doubt that the first six months of a baby’s life are a period of enormous and rapid growth and development. You only have to compare a six-month old to a newborn to see the huge leaps which have taken place during this time, in both physical and cognitive terms.
A baby’s brain and body will obviously continue to develop for many years to come and their sleep progression carries on until they are between the ages of 5 and 7. There is nothing that compares to the period from birth to six months in terms of how monumentally their sleep matures.
This is largely due to the emergence of two biological processes that regulate sleep: (the circadian rhythm and the homeostatic drive[1]) alongside their sleep/wake being influenced by hormones (melatonin and cortisol), body temperature and the establishment of formal sleep cycles. From six months onwards, less interrupted sleep phases are developmentally, physiologically, and psychologically more possible for baby, which of course is welcome news for tired parents!
Over the first decade of their lives, children spend more time sleeping than awake[2] although for parents it won’t necessarily feel like that! Sleep is associated with important aspects of your child’s development, including brain development, learning and memory, academic achievement, behaviour, physical growth, temperament and health. That said, sleep for young babies and consequently their parents can be hard to come by, with sleep challenges among parents’ leading concerns and a main reason for seeking professional help in early childhood.
There are so many factors impacting how well your baby experiences their sleep. They can include what time they wake up, what time and how long they nap for, together with when they go to bed, where they sleep and what they wear.
Other factors can include the physical and emotional environment your baby is in – so for example if they are comfortable and warm enough. If they are hungry or even too full. If their nappy is full or has even leaked.
Consequently, it is a lot to try to account for,
especially when you may be feeling very tired too!
It is considered typical for babies to wake throughout the nighttime period and to struggle with aspects of their sleep by day and night. As they get older, specifically in the second half of their first year, the number of times they wake up at night does have the potential to decrease[3], more positive news for parents who aren’t getting consolidated blocks of sleep and can feel the effects spilling over into the next day such as feeling tired or groggy.
Studies confirm that adequate sleep is correlated with your health and wellbeing [4] alongside appropriate growth and development in children. During a time of extreme tiredness, it’s a good idea to ask for help if it’s available and say yes to help that is offered. It can sometimes be hard to ask for support, as many of us feel like we ‘should’ be able to manage solo and that we ‘should’ be enjoying every moment of what can be both an intense and draining, while simultaneously brilliant and joyful experience. It’s OK to find parts of parenthood difficult and exhausting and sometimes not much fun… that’s absolutely how we all feel at times! But this is when help is most welcomed!
It may be helpful to share night-time parenting between parents and caregivers. This could include going to bed early and dividing some overnight duties. This can be less easy to maneuver for a breastfeeding mum, but you could consider pumping and going to bed afterwards and letting the other parent offer the next feed. If that doesn’t feel achievable yet, try to factor in some nourishing practices by day, a moment to pause and gather your thoughts, deep breaths outside in nature, a relaxing bath. Allow the household chores and standards to slip for a bit, just as you get through this. Take a walk, even when you don’t feel up to it. This can be good for your mental health and for your baby’s sleeping pattern as well!
You can also support your child’s sleep by making other small changes that initiate an amazing chain reaction towards longer stretches of sleep. Consider having a regular wake time with exposure to bright light and a feed that anchors the start of the day. Work on figuring out the best time for your child to nap by learning their sleep language: watch for brief eye rubs, yawns and moments of quiet. Acknowledge that obvious signs such as intense eye rubbing or crying means baby might be over tired, which can make getting and staying asleep more challenging. By understanding that your child’s body is deeply rhythmic- develop a pattern of waking, exposure to light, feeding, meaningful engagement such as chatting and cuddling and then when preparing for sleep- dimming lights, beginning to wind down, whilst connecting with physical and eye contact and dialogue, initiating relaxing practices, to underpin the cyclical nature of their sleep needs.
Create a sleep environment at bedtime that encourages sleep to come with ease: a room which is dark enough, warm enough (16-20 degrees) and without unnecessary stimulation. Establish a bedtime routine that occurs in the bedroom and includes 2-4 activities that help to relax your baby. This might include dressing, massage, stories, cuddles, songs and stories. Use the bedtime routine to act as the link to sleep-this process can be enhanced if the bed-timing is regular and ideally before your child is too tired to process the ritual. Understand that your child won’t sleep well if they are too hot or too cold, or if they are uncomfortable.
Once babies are rolling, trying to sit up and are generally more mobile by day, they are also more mobile at night as they ‘practice’ their new found skills while asleep. Increased movement can obviously have an adverse effect on a nappy, so to avoid leaking and the obvious discomfort and disturbance this can bring, I recommend using Pampers ‘poonami proof ‘nappy pants with the revolutionary Stop and Protect Pocket to help prevent those messy nappy-related accidents from leaking up the back of your baby’s nappy. The 360-degree fit stretches to ensure there are no gaps for unwanted seepage, with up to 12 hours of all round leakage protection that reduces the chance of major leakage and consequently unnecessary wake-ups helping to preserve your baby’s sleep and of course your own!
If you are finding sleep challenges difficult, don’t think that you are alone! It is extremely common in the first few years. Continue do your best and so will your baby. Often parents can feel overwhelmed by the sheer responsibility and unrelenting nature of early parenting. Take time to appreciate what a great job you are doing, teaching your baby to feel loved, safe, secure, and belonging to your family. Don’t lose sight of the fact that more restful nights are only ever just around the corner. High performing nappies such as Pampers Poonami Proof pants can be one of your bedtime allies, helping your little one and ultimately you in your quest for rest and with your understanding and support, alongside the appropriate changes, you’ll all feel the benefit.
If you’d like more expert guidance,
why not click the links below and check out our videos of Lucy’s most frequently asked questions?
To chat with Chris Ramsey & Co. on top tips for poonami-proof night
REFERENCES
Bathory, E. & Tompoulos, S., 2017. Sleep regulation, physiology and development: sleep duration and patterns, and sleep hygiene in infants, toddlers and pre-school age children. Current Porblems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 47(2), pp. 29-42.
Borb, A. & Achermann, P., 1999. Sleep homeostasis and models of sleep regulation. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 4(6), pp. 559-570.
Borbely, A., 2022. The two-process model of sleep regulation: Beginnings and outlook. Journal of Sleep Research, p. e13598.
Coon, S., 1987. Developmental of sleep and wakefulness during the first 6 months of life. In: C. Guileminault, ed. Sleep and its disorders in children. New York: Raven Press.
El Sheikh, M. & Sadeh, A., 2015. Sleep and development: introduction to the monograph. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, pp. 1-14.
Hiscock, H., Bayer, J. & Hampton, A., 2008. Long term mother and chlld mental health effects of a populaion-based infant sleep intervention; cluster randomised, controlled trial. Pediatrics, Volume 122, pp. 621-7.
Jenni, O., Borbelly, A. & Acherman, P., 2004. Development of the nocturnal sleep electroencephalogram in human infants. American Journal of Physiology, Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, p. 14630625.
Mindell, J., Telofski, L., Wiegand, B. & LS, K., 2009. A nightly bedtime routine impact on sleep in young children and maternal mood. Sleep, 32(5), pp. 599-606.
[1] (Borb & Achermann, 1999; Borbely, 2022)
[2] (El Sheikh & Sadeh, 2015)
[3] (Coon, 1987; Jenni, et al., 2004; Borbely, 2022)
[4] (Hiscock, et al., 2008; Mindell, et al., 2009; Bathory & Tompoulos, 2017),