1. Follow an age appropriate routine
Day sleep and night sleep are closely related, plus sleep begets sleep!
If your baby or toddler is having too much or too little day sleep their night time sleep is disrupted, they may wake frequently or stay awake for long periods in the night.
Making sure your baby and toddler is having age appropriate naps with one long nap during the middle of the day will help prevent them from becoming over tired. The biggest contributor to night wakes and early morning wake ups is your child being overtired.
Click here for my Baby Sleep & Routines E-Guide.
2. Get outside
Exposing your little one to plenty of natural light throughout the day helps set their circadian rhythm (biological clock). Sunlight promotes the production of serotonin. In the evening, serotonin is converted into melatonin, our sleep hormone.
Toddlers need to be active too, so letting them have a good run around outside should help too.
3. Bedtime Routine
This is lovely time to relax and unwind with your baby or toddler after a long day. Having a consistent routine which you do with them every night allows them to know that sleep is coming and helps them to prepare for a good night’s sleep. The bedtime routine doesn’t need to be long. Depending on the age of your baby or toddler 20-30 minutes is all you need to have a bath, milk feed, story time and a cuddle before putting them down to bed awake but ready for sleep.
4. Sleep environment
Creating a good sleep environment for your baby and toddler is one of the simplest things you can do to help them sleep well at night. Use some white noise, make sure the room is dark and doesn’t let any light in from the light spring/summer mornings and warm too. Around 18-20c is an ideal room temperature.
Click here to read more about creating the perfect sleep environment for your little one.
5. Keep night feeds dark and calm
If your baby is having feeds at night, keep the lights dim and create a calm environment. Too much light or interaction will overstimulate your baby and can make it harder to settle back to sleep after their feed, not what you want in the middle of the night!
If you are struggling with frequent night wakes and feel like you need some help, I would love to help you with this! I offer a FREE 15 mins discovery call to get started, click here to book.