How to Help Baby & Mum Get a Good Night’s Sleep

One of the most important things for a new-born baby is getting a good night’s sleep. It’s said that as infants, we do most of our growing during sleep. Our minds also process and remember the things we’ve learnt during the day at night. So getting your child into the proper routine is crucial.

And it’s not just infants that need good sleep patterns. Sleep is also very important to new mothers also. The stress of being a new parent, coupled with the fact that many women suffer from varying degrees of depression after giving birth, means that a good night of rest is just as important for mum as it is for the baby.

So how do you make sure both baby and mum get a good night’s sleep? The most important thing is routine. You need to set up a bedtime routine almost from the start. Choose a time to put your baby to bed and stick to it. Also, make sure the routine just before bed stays the same. This will often include a bath and a story, but the exact details are really up to you. Just make sure you stick to whatever routine you put in place.



Once you have your routine in place, how can you make sure your baby gets the best night sleep possible? One of the main concerns parents have at night is the safety of their baby, particularly that they may suffocate during the night. The best way to prevent this is to restrict the movement of your baby so they can’t move anything over their mouths. Swaddling is used to wrap a baby so that their arms are close to their bodies. Not only does this keep them warm, but it stops them moving their baby blankets over their mouths.

As your child gets a little older, it’s best to use a baby sleeping bag at night. The benefit of the sleeping bag is that it can’t come off, so the baby stays warm, but it’s armless, so your baby can’t pull it over their face in their sleep.

So once you’ve made sure your baby is getting a good night’s sleep, it’s time to focus on mum. This is where dad comes in. Obviously, being a new parent is stressful for both men and women, but it tends to be women who suffer the most, which can often lead to depression. Therefore, it’s important that dad does everything he can to make sure mum gets a good night sleep.

Some of the things he can do are; taking responsibility for the bedtime routine, so that mum can start to relax. Dad can also take the first turn of getting up to see the baby if they cry in the night, leaving mum to sleep.

There are also important things that mum can do to make sure she gets the rest she needs. If you’re a new mum, it’s important that you take the time after your baby is in bed to relax. This time may seem perfect to get some housework done or do other chores. But it is crucial that for the first few months at least, that you get all the rest you need, for the baby’s sake as much as your own.