Baby Sleep Help - Natalie's Response

Mum Zone's resident Sleep Expert Natalie of Sleep and Settle is available to answer some of your questions about settling your baby and more.

Topics include: Sleeping and settling, moving from bassinette to cot, cot to bed, breastfeeding/formula, solids, floorplay for babies and play for toddlers/children, wrapping/sleeping bags/dressing baby, behaviour/tantrums, what's normal? bedroom environments, music, lights, entertainment, mattresses, mattress protectors, sheets, unsettled babies and the 0-12 week afternoon arsenic hours, reflux/colic, teething, worms, toilet training, night terrors/nightmares, the older child issues 5-10 years and single parenting/separation/divorce.

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Reader's Question

I can't seem to get my 18 month old to sleep in her own bed without waking up 4-5 times a night, yet when she is in my bed she sleeps fine. How do I get her to sleep through the night in her own bed?

Natalie's Response

Hi,

I appreciate that you may be tired and puzzled about your daughter's inability to sleep in her own bed.

The simple answer to your puzzle is in your question- she likes being in your bed.

Consider the following:

• Rewards for waking.
  There is a lovely reward for waking if your daughter is brought into your bed when she wakes at night. Therefore she has established a pattern or sleep association at night when she wakes expecting to end up in your bed. The process of a pick up, a cuddle, communication and then sleeping next to mum would be a lovely reward for waking.
  
  
• She needs a self-settling strategy.
  If you are ready to encourage your daughter sleeping all night in her bed (she is capable of sleeping 7pm-7am) I suggest you find a self-settling sleep strategy that you are comfortable with and start it for her day sleep and then stick with it from then on, only settling in her bed, in her bedroom. I like to use a strategy that reassures the toddler when they are upset day or night but doesn't stimulate or reward them for waking.
  
  
• How quick will she sleep 7pm-7am?
  The speed of your success with your new strategy depends on your consistency and persistency. Everyone who puts your daughter to bed needs to be doing the same thing and not go back to old habits, day and night. As the parents we establish the habits in our children's routines with our consistency. The good ones and not so good ones. Girls usually take 0-7 days to be sleeping all night without waking using my strategy.

Happy Sleeping,

Natalie

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The opinions expressed on these pages are of a general nature and are by no means a substitute for professional advice. Therefore neither Mum Zone or Natalie Ebrill of Sleep and Settle are liable for any actions pertaining to the use of the supplied information.