Some babies sleep much more than others. Some sleep for long periods, others in short bursts. Some soon sleep through the night, while some don't for a long time.

To help your baby sleep at night, you might find it helpful to:

• keep the lights down low
• not talk much and keep your voice quiet
• put your baby down as soon as they've been fed and changed
• not change your baby unless they need it
• not play with your baby

Your baby will gradually learn that night-time is for sleeping.

Useful resources

• Helping your baby to sleep - NHS
• Caring for your baby at night and when sleeping
• Baby and toddler sleep advice - routines and not sleeping

Following safer sleep advice can significantly reduce the chances of sudden infant death syndrome (sometimes called SIDS or cot death) occurring. You should follow this advice until your child is 12 months old ( the advice is adjusted for premature babies).

How to reduce the risk of SIDS for your baby - The Lullaby Trust

The Lullaby Trust provides guidance and support on creating a safe sleeping environment and routine. The video below outlines all the safer sleep essentials.

It's always safer to let your baby sleep in their own cot or Moses basket in the same room as you.

However, there may be times when you do share the bed with your baby, so it's important to know how to do it safely and when to avoid co-sleeping with your baby.

When is co-sleeping not safe?

You should never co-sleep with your baby if you are extremely tired, or your baby has a fever or any signs of illness.

It is not recommended to co-sleep with your baby if they were born premature (before 37 weeks) or had a low birthweight (less than 2.5kg or 5.5lb).

Falling asleep on a sofa or chair with your baby can increase the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death) substantially.

Co-sleeping is not safe if you (or your partner) have been:

• smoking
• drinking alcohol
• taking recreational drugs
• taking any medication that causes drowsiness

Tips on co-sleeping more safely

If you do share the bed with your baby, it's recommended to:

• make sure your baby cannot fall out of bed, or become trapped between the mattress and wall
• keep pillows, sheets and blankets away from your baby (baby sleeping bags are safer)
• not let other children or pets in the bed at the same time
• always put your baby to sleep on their back

Read more here: Co-sleeping with your baby: advice from The Lullaby Trust

The Solihull Approach to sleep

The Solihull Approach is an early intervention framework of support that aims to increase the emotional health and well-being of both children and families.

Sleep is important for our body and mind. From birth, sleep helps our brains grow and stay healthy.

Even though sleep is something natural, it's also a skill we need to learn, like how to relax before bed and how much sleep we need. The Solihull Approach helps parents connect with their babies to help them learn and grow.

Each child is different and different factors such as age and environment, can affect their thoughts about sleep.

To Solihull Approach has a collection of short films with helpful advice for common sleep problems.
 

As our children get older, it’s still important to make sure they are getting enough sleep, to help keep them well, thrive and reach their potential. Sleep is important for their physical and mental wellbeing. 

Find out more here: Sleep and young children - NHS

If you’d like to talk about your sleep, you can call The National Sleep Helpline on: 03303 530 541 between 9:00am and 11:00am on Mondays and Wednesdays, and between 7:00pm and 9:00pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

National Sleep Helpline

The Sleep charity have some great resources on routines and tips for creating the best environment for sleeping well.

Useful Resources - The Sleep Charity