Unfortunately it all rolls in together. If a baby isn’t getting enough sleep during the day this will generally lead to a baby that frequently waked overnight. The foundation for good night sleep habits definitely happens during the day.

There is a belief that just a little top up before sleep will help increase their sleep time sleep. We advocate following Feed-Play-Sleep routine. Little babies don't need extra to help stretch them out. It’s also not particularly comfortable to lie down for sleep with an overfull tummy. Trying to add extra little top ups can set up a pattern of frequent little feeds.

This is an understandable concern for many parents. Have a look at your baby over the day. If they have happy settled periods during the day or do have periods of settled sleep it is unlikely that they are in pain. But of course if you are concerned have them checked out. It still doesn’t mean that if they have long unsettled periods it’s because of pain. Just remember babies do cry and it can be quite a bit more than parents expected.

Babies sleep cycles are approx 45 minutes. They often wake at this time but it can be transient and then they will go back to sleep. This is the key time that many well intentioned people see the baby is awake and interact with them which interferes with this process.

Sleep is one of the things a lot of parents to be know will be an issue but don’t often realise that good sleep habits begin early on. They often learn that when it’s too late and they are in a pattern that they're not sure how to get out of. As this same pattern emerges over and over we wanted to provide this information in an easy to comprehend and access program to have parents well prepared. How you then adopt that is up to you but at least you are able to make decisions from an informed place.

The sleep optimisation program is a series of videos that will let you know everything you need to help prevent sleep problems. We would love for you to know all the steps needed to keep your baby sleeping as much as possible. Unfortunately we can’t promise a perfect sleeping baby (not sure these exist) bu we can set you up with the knowledge you need in regards to baby sleep. 

We always respect a parents belief in how they want to raise their baby. Sleep training does sound a little tough.  But at the same time we need to acknowledge how important sleep is for babies (and parents!) We only think a situation needs changing if it’s not working for your family. This point will be different for everyone.
This is why the sleep optimisation program was developed to  help prevent situations that require fixing further down the track.

If you have identified that you need to change some of the sleep habits your baby has as it’s not working for your family we are able to help with home visits. Unfortunately these currently are only available in Melbourne Australia. We are happy to speak to you to help you work out a plan. This may involve a video chat or a referral to another service depending on each situation.

You are absolutely right they do. It’s others in their world that interrupt the process that can lead to problems. It’s also understanding what is normal behaviour and when to intervene that can cause some uncertainty for caregivers. So in effect the program is to help caregivers learn to read what is happening and how to help in a way to minimise interfering with the baby's natural instincts.