Expect sleep routines visitor or the staff at your local children’s centre will help improve the sleep to change of most children, but occasionally additional support is required if your As your baby grows and enters different child’s sleep difficulties are persistent or stages be prepared to change your linked to their condition, medication or if routines. Babies sleep patterns can also they are in pain. This additional support change and teething and illness can can be accessed through your health affect how they sleep. visitor or your local children’s centre. SLEEP Getting the sleep Need more advice? WELL you need If your child is still having problems sleeping, or you would like more Being a new parent can be exhausting advice about establishing a routine, and you may wonder if you’ll ever get speak to your health visitor or a a good night’s sleep again. It’s worth member of staff at your local children’s remembering no matter how tough centre who are able to advise and things seem right now, it will not always offer tailored support. be like this because as baby grows they sleep for longer. In the meantime, try to Find contact details for your local rest or sleep when your baby rests or children’s centre online: sleeps and don’t be afraid to ask for help. www.knowsleychildrenscentres.co.uk

Special Educational Contact your local health visiting Needs and Disabilities team on: Kirkby Team Tel: 0151 244 3066 (SEND) Manor Farm Team Tel: 0151 290 4990 The advice in this leaflet applies to all North Huyton Team Tel: 0151 480 4066 children, but children with SEND are Whiston Team Tel: 0151 426 0611 more likely to have sleep difficulties. The advice available from your health Halewood Team Tel: 0151 486 4011

www.healthyknowsley.co.uk Helping your baby to sleep well @healthyknowsley @HealthyKnowsley (0 - 12 months) Sleep is essential for your baby’s growth Babies from three to and development. Growth hormone is released more easily when your baby six months old is asleep which is why they appear to As your baby grows they’ll need fewer Six steps to sleep so much, particularly in those night feeds and will be able to sleep early weeks. for longer. By four months, they may be spending around twice as long safer sleep sleeping at night as they do during the day. 1. Keep baby away from smoke, before and How much sleep does after birth Co-sleeping your baby need? Babies from six to 2. Put baby in a cot, crib or moses basket to sleep - never fall asleep with them on a Some parents choose 12 months old sofa or chair to bed share with their Newborn babies Your six month to one year old 3. Never fall asleep with baby after drinking or baby. While this can Newborn babies sleep a lot, but not for baby may no longer need night taking drugs / medication be done to support very long at any one time. In the first few feeds and some babies will sleep breastfeeding, sharing weeks your baby will have their own for up to 12 hours a night. It is not 4. Put baby to sleep on their back with their feet to the bottom of the cot a bed can be dangerous pattern of waking and sleeping. unusual for some babies to wake and is associated with an during the night due to teething 5. Keep baby’s head and face uncovered increased risk of SIDS. There Your baby will show discomfort or hunger. and make sure they don’t get too hot are some circumstances signs of being 6. Breastfeed your baby when it should never be sleepy; some Getting baby used to done. Ask your health visitor babies become or breastfeeding supporter for fussy or cry day and night information if you are considering when they get co-sleeping so you are aware how to tired, while It can be helpful to get your baby used reduce the risks. others will rub to the difference between day time their eyes or and night time. When your baby sleeps Where should my Creating a bedtime pull on their during the day open the curtains and baby sleep? ears. Others don’t worry about everyday noises. routine will have their At night, keep the lights low or turn Your baby should be in the same room own unique way them off, feed and change your baby as you when they’re asleep, night and When your baby is around three months of letting you know as quietly as possible and put them day, for the first six months with the old you may feel ready to introduce a they’re sleepy. down to sleep. Soon your baby will room temperature between 16 to 20oC. bedtime routine. Getting them into a learn that night time is for sleeping. Once your baby is a few weeks old it simple bedtime routine can help prevent Most newborns are asleep may help to get them used to going to sleep problems later on as well as giving more than they are awake and will sleep Safer sleep sleep by putting them down in the crib you one-to-one time with your baby. on and off throughout the day and night. when they’re sleepy but still awake. It You could try giving your baby a warm The average amounts of sleep they need Sadly, although rare, some babies die helps babies to be able to fall asleep bath and putting them into nightwear. is between 14 and 17 hours during the from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome independently so they can self-soothe Settle baby into their crib, you could read 24-hour day. (SIDS). While sometimes there is no when they wake in the middle of the a bedtime story, and dim the lights in explanation why this happens, there are night (unless they’ve woken for a feed or the room to create a calm atmosphere, six steps you can take to reduce the risk. discomfort). which can help your baby relax ready to go to sleep.