Night waking: helping a baby settle back to sleep
Night waking and settling to sleep: drowsy but awake, quiet night feeds, letting a baby resettle
Reviewed against its source, listed below
At a glance
- Babies don't have regular sleep cycles until about 4 months; before then, waking often at night is expected.
- From about 4 months, put the baby down drowsy but still awake, so they learn to fall asleep on their own.
- Night feeds and changes: keep them calm, quiet and dim; speak softly, and avoid play or bright light.
- Don't rush in at every sound: babies need a moment to resettle, and by 6 months waking and falling back asleep within a few minutes is normal. Go to them for a feed, a dirty diaper, or comfort when they're sick.
- Keeping a baby awake more during the day can help longer stretches at night.
- Every sleep stays on the back, in their own safe sleep space, until 1 year (see safe sleep).
In Livia
Log the night's wake-ups for a couple of weeks: the pattern shows past the one bad night, and Livia counts each night whole, in the morning it ends.
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Education from the sources listed, not medical advice. If you're worried about your child, call your pediatrician; in an emergency, call 911.