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Sweet Dreams

In the early weeks, your baby will wake and sleep during the day and night. Because your own sleep will be broken, you may feel tired and irritable. Things will get better. We pass on some sleeping tips and show you how to keep your baby safe when sleeping, too.

• Sleep and new babies
• Sleeping bags
• Night and day
• Where should a baby sleep?
• Sleep safety
• Mattress matters
• The right temperature
• Room temperature
• Further information

Sleep and new babies
Some new babies sleep much more than others; some will regularly sleep for 21 out of 24 hours, others will sleep for as little as 10 hours on some days. You may find that in the early days your baby feeds then sleeps, feeds then sleeps, feeds then sleeps. This will go on throughout the day and night because a newborn has a small stomach and can’t go through a whole night without a feed.

Newborn babies sleep as much as they need, and fall asleep when they need to. However, your baby’s sleep pattern will gradually change as she grows. Your baby will be able to sleep for longer, and you will notice more time spent awake, as well. The pattern will look more like: feeds, stays awake a while, then sleeps, feeds, stays awake a while, then sleeps... A baby who needs to sleep won’t be disturbed by household noise, so you don’t have to tiptoe around quietly while your baby sleeps. In fact, if your baby gets used to sleeping through noise, it will help you later on as she won’t wake for every loud sound.

Sleeping bags
Baby sleeping bags can solve the problem of baby kicking off his covers overnight. However, choose a good make which offers a wide choice of sizes and tog ratings. The bag must not have a hood. Buying the right size and fit is also very important, as your baby mustn’t be able to slide down into the bag. The tog rating will depend on the temperature of your baby’s room and the season, but should be no higher than 2.5. (The higher the tog, the warmer the sleeping bag.) He’ll need little or no bedding, maybe only a sheet, so make sure he doesn’t get too hot.

Night and day
By the time your baby is six months old, she may well sleep for 10 to 12 hours at night, and two to three hours during the day in morning and afternoon naps. But if your baby’s going to do most of her sleeping at night, you have to help her to do this. First of all, you need to teach your baby that the night time is different from the daytime. During night feeds:

• Keep the lights dim.
• Speak quietly, but don’t talk much.
• Don’t change your baby unless she is soiled.
• Put your baby straight back down to sleep after the feed.

Where should a baby sleep?
The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths, the Department of Health and UNICEF advise that the safest place for a baby to sleep is in a cot by your bed for the first six months.

If you are breastfeeding you might like your baby to share your bed at night as this can make breastfeeding easier. But for your baby’s safety, you must follow these guidelines:

• Don’t share your bed with your baby in the early months if she was born prematurely, had a low birth weight or has a temperature.
• Don’t sleep with your baby in bed with you if you or your partner ever smoke.
• Don’t share your bed with your baby if you have drunk alcohol, have been taking medicine which would make you sleepy or drugs of any kind, or you are very tired, or if you are ill or have any condition which may make it difficult to respond to your baby.
• Don’t sleep with your baby on a sofa, armchair or waterbed.
• Put your newborn under sheets and blankets, not under your duvet, so that she doesn’t get too hot; don’t let her head touch the pillow.
• Don’t cover your baby’s head
• Don’t dress her in a sleeping bag as well as being under sheets and blankets
• The mattress should be firm, flat and clean.
• Make sure your baby can't fall out of bed or get trapped between the bed and the wall.
• Don’t allow toddlers, children or pets to sleep in bed with the baby.
• Your baby must not be left alone in or on the bed as even very young babies can wriggle into dangerous positions.

Sleep safety
Some babies die suddenly and for no apparent reason from what is called ‘cot death’ or ‘Sudden Infant Death Syndrome’ (SIDS). We still don’t know why it happens, but we do know that there are things you can do that will reduce the risk. One of the most important things you can do is always put your baby to sleep on her back, not on her tummy. Since the ‘Back to Sleep’ campaign started, the numbers of cot deaths have fallen dramatically. Other important things to do are:

• Place your baby in the ‘feet to foot’ position, feet at the foot of the cot, blankets made up to the shoulders and tucked in; this will stop your baby wriggling down under the covers.
• Don’t smoke during pregnancy or let anyone smoke in the same room as your baby.
• Don’t let your baby get too hot.
• Don’t use cot bumpers once your baby can get up on her hands and knees – she may climb up and out!
• Watch for ribbons and bits of string from mobiles; she could get tangled in them
• Make sure your baby is never put to sleep on a pillow, cushion, beanbag or waterbed.
• If your baby is unwell, seek medical advice straightaway.

Mattress matters
If you replace your baby’s cot mattress, make sure there’s no gap between the cot mattress and the sides of the cot through which her body could slip. Ideally you should get a new mattress for each child, but if this isn’t possible, make sure it was made with a completely waterproof cover (eg PVC) and has no tears, cracks or holes. Clean it thoroughly and dry it. Check the mattress is in good condition, doesn’t sag, is firm (not soft) and fits the cot without any gaps. Ventilated mattresses (with holes) aren’t recommended, as it isn’t possible to keep the inside clean.

The right temperature
Babies can’t control their own temperature very well. It’s just as important to stop your baby getting too hot as too cold, because overheating is known to be a factor in cot death. Here’s how you can keep your baby ‘just right’:

• Keep the room where she sleeps at a temperature of between 16°C and 20°C (61°F and 68°F). If you’re comfortable in the room wearing light clothes, it’s warm enough for a sleeping baby
• Don’t cover your baby’s head when she is indoors and don’t put your baby to sleep in a hat
• It’s not safe to use a duvet, quilt or pillow for your baby until she’s a year old; use sheets and blankets instead, that way you can add and remove layers more easily
• If the room is hot, keep her clothes or bed covering light.
• Don’t put your baby to sleep in front of a fire, by a radiator or heater, or by a very sunny window
• Keep the room in which she sleeps at an even temperature so that you can put the right number of blankets on when she goes to bed and be confident that she will remain comfortably warm all night

Room temperature
The ideal room temperature for your baby is between 16°C and 20°C. Below this temperature he will be too cold and above it, he will be too hot. Room thermometers are available post-free for £2.75 from the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths on 0207 233 2090.

• To check if your baby is too hot, look for sweating or touch the baby; don’t worry if her hands or feet feel a little cooler than her body, that’s normal.
• Never use a hot water bottle or electric blanket for a baby.
• Never place baby’s cot near a radiator or in direct sunlight – he could overheat.

Further information
For more information on sleep safety, contact the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths on www.sids.org.uk or log onto the website www.babyfriendly.org.uk where you can view their leaflet

For the next chapter, Your One Week Old, Click here