7 Sleepy Secrets

Sleep is an elusive state when you’re the parent of a baby and – let’s be honest – even a toddler. No matter what you do, you can expect an amount of sleep deprivation when you’re raising a young family. There are, however, certain pitfalls you should avoid that may make the nights a little easier.

SECRET 1

Be Realistic

You can realistically expect your baby to wake at night until three months, says Megan Faure and Ann Richardson in their popular book, Baby Sense (Metz Press, 2002). In fact, many experts don’t recommend sleep training until a baby is six months old, and then you have to be sure to rule out any physical, medical or emotional reasons for why your baby would be waking frequently.

In his book Toddler Taming (Vermillion, 2006), Dr Christopher Green is determined that parents set realistic expectations for themselves, especially considering his research which found that 27% of 1/2-year-olds and 14% of 3-year olds still woke at night. The point is that when the going gets tough, it is helpful to remember that sleep is a challenge for many parents and children often don’t sleep through the night until after their third birthdays.

SECRET 2

Start Out The Way You'd Like To Finish Off