How to Help Your Baby Sleep

Help your baby’s sleep by helping their circadian rhythm develop.

Our circadian rhythm is our internal body clock which tells our body when it’s day or night- it helps us to stay awake in the day and stay asleep at night. It is regulated by melatonin and other hormones and chemicals produced in our bodies, in response to sunlight and darkness. 

When babies are born, their circadian rhythm is immature (as they have been living in the dark environment of the womb until they were born! ) which is why they might be awake all night and asleep all day in their early weeks of life. Babies start to develop a circadian rhythm at about 2-4 months of age. 

You can help your baby’s circadian rhythm to mature by 

1. Breastfeeding! 

Breast milk in the late evening and overnight is higher in melatonin and will help your babies to feel sleepy overnight until they produce higher levels of their own melatonin 

2. Keep daytime naps and sleeps in bright, noisier “daytime” environments 

It seems logical to encourage your baby to nap in their bassinet or cot in the day in a dark, quiet room with all of the “night time” kit and caboodle like white noise and black out curtains. In fact, this puts their body into “night time mode” and can be very disruptive to their circadian rhythm. 

So let them nap in the day in the pram/ carrier/ car/ on you; out where the light and action is. It is normal for young babies to want to “contact nap” (ie to wake the second you put them down!)- this will pass. In the meantime, accept offers for others to hold your baby while they sleep. And a baby carrier will be your new best friend. 

3. Keep night time sleeps and feeds in a dark, quiet “night time” environment 

Even if your newborn thinks it’s party time in the middle of the night, if you keep them in a low- light and low- stimulation environment, it will help their body to learn the difference between day and night. 

Limit or avoid overnight nappy changes- they may only be necessary for poo nappies, as your baby’s gut evolves with their circadian rhythm. Obviously this needs to be balanced with leaking or nappy rash, but worth experimenting with!