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 have a 3 year old who is getting up with the sparrows. Some mornings it has been as early as before 5am. Then the fight is on to go back to sleep. What sort of techniques can I use to ensure we all get a good night's sleep and not up too early? Her night time routine has not changed recently and even if we put her later to bed she is up at the same time each day. Just does not seem to need as much sleep as the rest of us.

Natalie's Response

Hi,

I appreciate that your early mornings are not welcome and you would appreciate a sleep in especially as the mornings are getting darker and colder.

Things to consider: There are a few aspects of your daughter's day that contribute to early waking. Light, the day sleep, the bedtime and the day of the week.

• The first is the amount of light coming into your daughter's bedroom. A room that allows a lot of daylight in is going to contribute to early waking. For humans the sun tells our brains to wake up and be active, dusk has us yawning and getting ready for bed. Consider the window furnishings on your daughter's bedroom window. I suggest blockout (3 pass fabric) that surrounds the window and doesn't allow any peripheral light in to bounce off the ceiling or out the sides of the window. Curtains are better than blinds. If necessary thumb tack something dark over the whole window.
  
  
• The timing of your daughter's day sleep may influence the time she wakes in the morning. Try putting her down for her day sleep 30-60 minutes later than usual. Allow a week or so for her body clock to adjust and enable the sleep in. Try for a sleep at 12.30pm at the earliest.
  
  
• Try limiting your daughter's day sleep to 2-3 hours to make sure her day sleep isn't interfering with her night sleep.
  
  
• Try to ensure no tv in the mornings and very active outside play before her morning sleep and if necessary the night sleep as well.
  
  
• If the above doesn't change anything after a few weeks, try a clock radio on music to come on at an acceptable time when you are happy to get up and start your day. Tell your daughter she can play in her room until the music comes on and then leave her room. Return her to the bedroom with little conversation until the music comes on. Don't make this about the time on the clock eg: 6.45am, otherwise any numeral on the clock will be the right time eg; 4.45am! "There was a four and a five mummy!"
  
  
• In my experience sleep grows more sleep. So delaying your daughter's bedtime will make her overtired and encourage early waking. I would aim for a 7-7.30pm bedtime.
  
  
• Sometimes we allow an early wake time on weekdays if we or our partner are getting up early for work and then wonder why our children don't sleep in on the weekends and holidays! I recommend planning every day as a Sunday for your child's wake time and encouraging a sleep in for your child until the time you are happy to start your day. (unless it's 10am!, seek miracle support for this one)

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.