What all Babies Need to Sleep Well
By Heather Boyd for Everyday Heroes Kids — www.ehkidshealth.com
Almost every new parent experiences the sleep deprivation that comes with parenthood. We soon discover that “sleeping like a baby” means waking up often and needing support to fall back asleep again.
All of the pieces that need to work together for sleep are pretty astounding. And yet it may also be reassuring to know that sleep development takes time: babies aren’t meant to sleep through the night for quite a number of months. And even when babies do start sleeping through, there are periods of time where sleep is typically interrupted. At these times, your child may need more support from you, regardless of their age. Are there times when you also need more support to fall asleep? Do you fall asleep more easily with someone nearby, or after a soothing bedtime routine, or with a particular pillow?
Understanding your baby’s sleep can help you focus your energy on what you can do to support sleep rather than on trying to fix something that may not be broken.
BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND HORMONES
There are important hormonal and brain changes that go into being able to sleep longer stretches. Melatonin, the hormone that helps us fall asleep in the evening, is passed to infants through breast milk but the levels are not very high at first. By 4 or 5 months old, babies are making enough of their own melatonin to help them fall asleep at bedtime. Cortisol, the stress hormone, helps your baby by acting as a “wake up” hormone: it’s levels are lowest in the evening as bedtime approaches.
The natural rhythm of these and several other “sleep ingredients” promote sleepiness at night and naps during the day, or help babies feel awake and energetic in the daytime.
PREDICTABILITY
Predictable routines and rhythms don’t just help a baby know what’s coming next. Routines, rather than rigid schedules, honour a child’s natural sleep cycles and support feelings of safety: no one can sleep if they don’t feel safe and relaxed! Familiar bedtime steps, and a familiar environment (key loving adults, and some key familiar components such as smell, hugs, songs, and the set-up of the room) can support a relaxed nervous system which invites sleep.
THE SENSES
Tuning out environmental “noise” (sights, sounds, smells, movement, textures) is important for sleep. However, babies were never intended to be in a sensory-deprived space: loud noises may interrupt sleep, but daily noises and familiar voices may actually help a baby feel safe and fall asleep. Likewise, blackout curtains may be necessary for highly sensitive children or for rooms that face streetlamps, but generally, natural light during the day, and natural darkness at night help sleep rhythms. Some types of sensory input are relaxing (rocking or swinging work for many babies; a car ride as a passenger works for me!). Other sensory input can interfere with sleep. Exploring what kind of sensations (shushing, touch, massage, hugs, bouncing, horseplay, lots of heavy physical movement during the day, sensory bins for toddlers) help your baby relax can be part of getting to know your baby’s sensory “personality” and sleep needs!
TEMPERATURE
Our core body temperature naturally drops in the evening, and is part of our circadian rhythm. It means that overheating through wrapping, clothing layers, or high room temperature can make sleep come less easily (all of which are also risk factors for SIDS) . It is also why warm baths may be best away from the bedtime routine. Generally, a room temperature of 20–22 degrees Celsius is recommended.
SELF-SOOTHING
A baby’s ability to calm their nervous system down by themselves, such as sucking, wiggling, turning one’s head, humming, or rubbing a blanket, is a helpful component to sleep development. However, this is a developmental process just like circadian rhythm, with some babies naturally developing self-soothing by six months, and many not developing it until after 12 months of age. If your 12 month old needs help falling asleep, they are in good company: half of 12 month olds have not yet developed self-soothing skills. Just like with other milestones, some babies master this skill later than others, and some babies need more help with it than others.
CO-REGULATION
Even after developing self-soothing, babies and young children (and adults too!) continue to need support from a calm and loving person to feel relaxed: this is co-regulation. By being a calm and relaxed presence, we as parents can help regulate our baby’s nervous system, a necessity for welcoming sleep. We know that babies have “mirror neurons”, neurons that act the way ours do: if we are stressed and flustered, our babies may be too. It is why parenting a baby to sleep includes also caring for ourselves. Exploring our feelings around sleep, our triggers for stress, and strategies for self-care can be a game changer. Reaching out for support for your mental health can go a long way in helping your baby sleep.
SAFETY AND SECURITY
Our nervous systems protect us by revving up when we are in danger, and remaining calm so we can learn, problem solve, and rest when we are not. Since sleep is a vulnerable state, we need our environment to feel safe and secure in order for sleep to happen. Being close to our babies through room sharing and, if chosen by a family, safe, evidence-based bedsharing (Academy of Breastfeeding Science, 2019; Moreno, 2013) can help keep a nervous system well regulated to promote sleep.
Here are five things that you can do to support your baby’s sleep development:
- Get out in the sunshine or play by a sunny window during the day. Natural daylight and darkness help strengthen hormonal changes that support sleepiness at night and wakefulness during the day.
- Avoid exposure to screens in the 2 hours before bedtime. Blue light from cell phones and computer screens can lower melatonin, the evening sleepy hormone.
- Follow your baby’s sleep and wake rhythms for the first 6 months (and beyond). Look for cues and be curious about patterns. Develop simple bedtime routines based on these rhythms, and adjust these as your baby grows.
- Be close by. Babies feel safest with a caring adult nearby, and this is as true at night as during the day. Room share for the first 6–12 months, and set up a safe sleep environment that makes it easier for you to support your baby when they wake through the night.
- Take care of your own needs! A calm and rested parent will have more success soothing their baby (and be less frustrated doing it!). Finding creative ways to top up your own reserve (including asking for help) makes a big difference in supporting your baby’s sleep. Although baby’s needs often take an immediate front seat, it is not an either or: both your needs matter.
Heather Boyd, B.Sc., B.H.Sc.(OT), M.Sc., O.T. Reg. (Ont.)
Occupational Therapist
Sleep, Infant Development, and Indoor Environmental Health
Download the Roots of Attachment for Sleep here.
Client Portal (messaging, booking, financial documents, video link for sessions)
phone: 905–749–8254
sleep website: www.heatherboyd.ca
environmental health website: www.ahealthyhome.ca
facebook: www.facebook.com/heatherboyd.ot
instagram: www.instagram.com/heatherboyd.ot
A Little More About Heather:
Heather is a Registered Occupational Therapist in Ontario, a spouse, and a mom to three young boys. She has worked with families of babies from birth to three for her entire O.T. career.
Heather is on a mission to help families navigate their baby’s sleep and development through family-centred therapy, evidence, attachment theory, and empathy. When you have the information and tools you need to help your baby thrive, your confidence increases, and you can thrive as a parent, too!
As a regulated healthcare provider in Ontario, she provides receipts to those with extended health benefits that include Occupational Therapy.
Resources
Barry, E. S. (2020). What Is “Normal” Infant Sleep? Why We Still Do Not Know. Psychological Reports, 003329412090944. doi:10.1177/0033294120909447
Bathory, E., & Tomopoulos, S. (2017). Sleep Regulation, Physiology and Development, Sleep Duration and Patterns, and Sleep Hygiene in Infants, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 47(2), 29–42. doi:10.1016/j.cppeds.2016.12.001 Available at https://sci-hub.tw/10.1016/j.cppeds.2016.12.001
Burnham, M. M., Goodlin-Jones, B. L., Gaylor, E. E., & Anders, T. F. (2002). Nighttime sleep-wake patterns and self-soothing from birth to one year of age: a longitudinal intervention study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 43(6), 713–725. doi:10.1111/1469–7610.00076 Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1201415/
Goodlin-Jones BL, Burnham MM, Gaylor EE, Anders TF. (2001). Night waking, sleep-wake organization, and self-soothing in the first year of life. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. 2001;22:226–233. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1201414/
National Sleep Foundation. How Your Baby’s Sleep Cycle Differs From Your Own. Available at: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/how-your-babys-sleep-cycle-differs-your-own
