One of the most important things for your baby, and you as a parent is ensuring that your baby gets enough sleep to help them grow and develop. Babies need sleep and a lot of it. According to the NHS, newborns need around 16 hours of sleep a day, albeit this will mostly be small little naps where they just drop off, especially when you take them out in the chair or the stroller. All too often though, babies love to be awake and with their mums and dads, so it can be hard sometimes to wrap them up in a quilt blanket and get them to sleep. Here are some tips for helping your baby sleep well. Keep Them Close By For the first six months, though ideally up to a year, the baby should sleep in your room, in a bassinet or a cot. As a newborn is likely to wake up early anyway due to how they feed, it’s important to be nearby to help comfort them and help them to feed regularly. Create A Calming Routine Helping your child to sleep is often a case of helping them recognise that it’s time to start settling down. The best way to do this is to create a routine of relaxing activities that aren’t as stimulating as daytime play. This can take whichever form works best for you and your child, but bathing, lots of cuddles, singing, reading and dimming the lights will make it clear that it is time to settle down. It may not work overnight, but keep maintaining that routine and your child will start to understand the difference between awake-time and sleep-time. Make Sure They’re Not Overtired Sometimes if your baby is particularly fussy or upset, it is not because they are awake but more that they are already overtired. A bedtime routine should start fairly early, as soon as they start looking a little tired. If they are still awake but drowsy when you put them to bed they will associate bed with sleeping. Also Read: Five Baby Sleep Hacks
