By Emily Drake RN, MSN

Sleep. Every new parent dreams about it. Researchers have found that on average infants take 20 minutes to fall asleep, they wake up 2-3 times a night--once every 11/2 to two hours--and sleep a total of 9-10 hours each night. Often babies will wake up during the night and fall back to sleep without any assistance at all. Actively breastfeeding babies may want to feed during the night because breastmilk is so easily digested; also prolactin levels, the mother’s hormone that helps produce milk, are naturally higher at night. The good news is that many babies can sleep through without a nighttime feeding by 6 months of age.

Growing children need both nighttime sleep and daytime sleep. In fact, better napping means better sleeping at night. At 6 months old, most babies will take 2 naps per day (2-4 hours long). A one-year-old may need only one nap but even 5 year olds benefit from a short nap during the day (and so do parents!).

There are two common strategies used to help babies sleep better, these are co-sleeping and sleep training.

Cosleeping, having the baby sleep near the parents, is gaining in popularity in this country and is commonly practiced throughout the world. Parents will sleep with the baby in bed with them, or in a nearby bassinette for easy access and security. However, parents may not sleep as well for fear that the baby will suffer a suffocation or rolling accident, or that the baby may never want to leave the bed. These fears are generally unfounded and many attachment parenting groups recommend this practice.

Sleep training is often called the Ferber method after Dr Ferber who first published on this approach. To help them fall asleep on his/her own, the baby is put to bed while drowsy. When the baby cries, parents go in for brief checks and reassurance but not to turn on the light or pick up the baby. Parents give a few gentle pats on the back and leave. The time to wait before checking on the baby is gradually increased, starting with 2-5 minutes and increased by 2 minutes each time. It can be difficult to listen to the baby cry and this is generally not recommended for infants less than 3-6 months old. But at the right time and under the right conditions, sleep training can be very effective.

Bedtime routines are important in that they communicate to the child that bedtime is coming. Often a soothing bath, pajamas, and a quiet story will signal that it’s time to go to sleep. Some parents use a swing or rocking chair, white noise like a soft vacuum cleaner, or even family sounds (you can reverse the baby monitor so that the baby hears you). One word of caution--some parents develop long and complicated bedtime routines and avoid giving up the closeness that can occur near bedtime and thus never let their child learn self-soothing bedtime behaviors. Remember that there are many wonderful moments of closeness during the day time too.

Sleep patterns change and sleep challenges will come and go throughout your child’s lifetime. Something that works now may not work later and vise versa. Every baby is different so try to be flexible in your approach and do whatever works for you and your baby.

Emily E. Drake, RN, MSN is an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia School of Nursing and regularly teaches sleep workshops for families through Partnership.