Baby Sleep Tips: 5 Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Better
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When your baby will not settle, you want something you can try tonight. Below are five changes worth trying, and what the NHS and The Lullaby Trust say about each one.
None of them make a baby sleep to order. Waking in the night stays normal for a long time. What they do is make settling easier and make the hard nights less frequent.
Start With Your Baby's Current Sleep Pattern
Before you change anything, write down when your baby actually sleeps for three or four days.
Note the time each nap starts and ends, the time your baby goes down at night, and every night waking. After a few days you will see which naps come easily, which ones are a fight, and how much sleep your baby is really getting. A baby sleep tracker makes the recording quick, which matters at 3am when you will not remember any of it by morning.
Once the pattern is in front of you, nudge naps and bedtime towards the same times each day. Move things by fifteen or twenty minutes at a time rather than all at once.
It also helps to make the days and nights feel different. The NHS suggests opening the curtains and playing games during the day, then at night keeping the lights low, keeping your voice quiet, and not playing or changing your baby unless you need to.
Keep The Same Bedtime Routine Every Night
Do the same few calming things in the same order every night, ending with lights out.
The NHS suggests a bath, a change into night clothes and a fresh nappy, into bed, then a story, with the lights dimmed. Skip anything exciting in the last stretch before bed, including TV and lively play.
There is real evidence behind this. In a study reported by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, mothers who started a set routine of bath, massage or lotion, then a quiet activity such as cuddling or singing, with lights out shortly afterwards, reported fewer night wakings and better-consolidated sleep. They were less likely to describe their child's sleep as a problem, and their own mood improved. The children in that study were 7 months and older, so it tells you nothing about newborns.
If you are building a routine from scratch, our step-by-step bedtime routine guide walks through the order and the timings.
Use Wake Windows To Time Naps And Bedtime
A wake window is how long your baby can comfortably stay awake between sleeps. Time it well and settling is easier. Leave it too long and settling can get harder.
Wake Window Chart By Age
Suggested wake-window starting ranges from 1 to 12 months
Use this as a practical starting point, then adjust for your baby's cues, feeding patterns, and how naps are actually going.
| Age | Suggested starting range | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | 30-90 min (30 min to 1 h 30 min) | |
| 2 month | 45-105 min (45 min to 1 h 45 min) | |
| 3 month | 75-120 min (1 h 15 min to 2 h) | |
| 4 month | 90-150 min (1 h 30 min to 2 h 30 min) | |
| 5 month | 90-150 min (1 h 30 min to 2 h 30 min) | |
| 6 month | 120-180 min (2 h to 3 h) | |
| 7 month | 120-210 min (2 h to 3 h 30 min) | |
| 8 month | 120-210 min (2 h to 3 h 30 min) | |
| 9 month | 160-210 min (2 h 40 min to 3 h 30 min) | |
| 10 month | 180-210 min (3 h to 3 h 30 min) | |
| 11 month | 180-225 min (3 h to 3 h 45 min) | |
| 12 month | 195-240 min (3 h 15 min to 4 h) |
Selected age
4 month old
90-150 min
That usually works out to about 1 h 30 min to 2 h 30 min of awake time before the next nap or bedtime as a starting point.
If your baby starts fighting naps, taking very short naps, or seems wide awake at the usual time, they may be ready for a small adjustment.
4-month old guideTreat the chart as a starting range, not a rule. Around one month, the range is 30 to 90 minutes. By six months, it is two to three hours between naps.
Then watch your baby rather than the clock. Yawning, rubbing their eyes, going quiet or losing interest in play usually come before the crying does, and that is the moment to start winding down.
Should I Feed My Baby To Sleep?
Yes, and in the early weeks it is what usually happens. The NHS says that if you are breastfeeding, your baby is likely to doze off during a feed in the first weeks, and that you should carry on feeding until your baby has finished or is fully asleep.
A feed close to bedtime leaves your baby full and settled, which makes going down easier. If you later want your baby to fall asleep without feeding, you do not have to stop the feed. Move it earlier in the routine, so the story or the cuddle is the last thing that happens.
When you are ready to change what happens overnight, our night weaning guide covers how to do it gradually.
Make The Sleep Space Safe
Follow The Lullaby Trust's safer sleep advice for every sleep, day and night, until your baby is 12 months old:
- Lie your baby on their back.
- Use a firm, flat, waterproof mattress.
- Keep the cot clear: no pillows, duvets, cot bumpers, soft toys, pods or nests.
- Sleep your baby in the same room as you for at least the first six months.
- Keep the room between 16 and 20°C.
- Keep your baby smoke-free.
None of the tips above override this. If a sleep suggestion you read anywhere conflicts with safer sleep advice, the safer sleep advice wins.
When To Speak To A Health Visitor Or GP
Speak to your health visitor or GP if you are worried about your baby's sleep, breathing or feeding, or if your baby's sleep changes suddenly and you cannot work out why.
Babies vary, so a change that transforms one baby's bedtime may do nothing for yours. Track what you try in Wake Wise and give each change several days before you judge it.