I feel like Iโve been banging on about this for years. Little B will be two at the end of this month and he still doesnโt sleep through the night.
This got me thinking about his bedtime routine and what will give us the best chances of him actually going a full eight hours. Or even six. Iโll take six.
We established a bath-book-bed bedtime routine very early on with both BB and Little B, so they have their wind-down time and they know when itโs time for bed and I donโt think thatโs the problem.
So Iโve been looking at what else might be causing him to stir, and hereโs what Iโve come up with:
5 tricks to help your baby sleep through the night
1. Make sure theyโre wearing a nappy thatโs going to keep them comfortable for as long as possible. You donโt want a wet nappy interrupting what might otherwise be a night when they actually sleep through. There are all sorts of clever innovations out there, from nappies with channels to distribute wetness evenly to ones with 12-hour leak protection. Find the ones which work for you.
2. Prevent nappy rash. Like a wet nappy, you donโt want nappy rash disturbing their sleep either, and prevention is better than a cure. Weโve tried lots of different brands over the years and at the moment weโre using Bepanthen nappy care ointmentย (ยฃ3.65), which forms a breathable and transparent layer to protect the skin against nappy rash. I like it because itโs not as thick and paste-like as some of the other brands (so no whiteย bumsย or fingers!)ย and itย goes on beautifully. It’s alsoย got pro-vitamin B5 for skin recovery so really nips any irritation in the bud.
3. Make sure theyโre warm/cool enough. We live in a really warm flat so Little B never has covers in the summer months. After waking up consistently during the night recently though it occurred to me he might be getting chilly, and one pair of winter jim jams later he slept for longer without waking than he had for the previous week. I feel really guilty but I think he was waking up cold! Similarly, make sure itโs not the other way around and theyโre not waking up because theyโre too hot.
4. Make sure theyโre not hungry. Thereโs nothing worse than waking up in the night with a growling tummy, so make sure theyโve had a really good tea or feed. Iโve got a friend who gives her baby porridge before bedtime for this exact reason, and it seems to work.
5. Make sure theyโre actually tired. I know it sounds obvious, but a nap too late in the day can wreak havoc with the bedtime routine. Even when Little B is hanging (and by that I mean falling asleep in his high chair) itโs better to keep him awake and do bath-book-bed as quickly as possible than let him nod off.
Do you have any tips for getting your little one to sleep through the night? I’d love to hearย them – with baby number three due inย four monthsย I’m getting rather desperate!
This post is an entry for BritMums’ย #BepanthenBedtimeChallenge, sponsored by Bepanthen. Learn more at Bepanthen’s Facebook page or by visiting Bepanthen.
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Fab post, and anything giving tips for little ones to sleep is a winner in my books!
#marvmondays
Fab tips! I am big believer in the saying that sleeps breeds sleep. So making sure they have their naps when needed during the day ๐ #MarvMondays
We found that over tiredness caused more problems with sleep. We also used a vaporiser that we put water and lavender oil into helps. Can be used for cold too with eucalyptus oil to help them breathe at night. It is tough. Best of luck #bigpinklink
Oh my, I’m so glad I’m not the only one with a two-year old who doesn’t always sleep through the night. I’ve also got a five month old who keeps waking every 5 hours for milk (yup, two night feeds) so I’m constantly exhausted at the moment. Sometimes I don’t have a clue why my daughter wakes up. I think she sometimes has a bad dream (the worst nights are Friday nights after her one day at nursery. She’s super exhausted and processing everything from the day I think. We also speak French at home so she has English ALL day). Who knows what must go on in their little heads eh? I am just hoping that my baby will start sleeping through when I start weaning him next month. I live in hope! #marvmondays
Oh, good tips here. I’m very lucky that Parker is good at bedtime. We introduced a bedtime routine VERY early on, getting him to self settle was the best thing I ever did. We use a babasac, which is a 2 in 1 tog, so you can add an extra layer in for winter. Well worth the money!
#MarvMondays
Some great tips! Getting their temperature right is really hard. Also, you’re right about naps. I think it’s important to adapt to your child. When my daughter has had a bad nap, I prepare myself to get her to bed early if she looks tired or like she’ll get overtired (the worst outcome!). My LO regularly wakes needing a drink but I don’t trust her to have a beaker in her cot yet… #MarvMondays
Great tips, I would definitely agree with making sure they’ve eaten lots and haven’t napped too late..nothing worse thsn your little one being wide awake and hungry at 3am! Also, using a gro bag really helped when Leo was little as it stopped him kicking his covers off and getting cold xx \twinklytuesday
great tips, good luck with getting that sleep!
Number 5 is a big one for us these days. My daughter is 2 and sort of in the process of dropping her nap. If she naps at all after about 3pm we really struggle with getting her to sleep at bedtime! x #TwinklyTuesday
Some great tips here, I often think it’s not just one thing but making sure everything is set up to induce sleep from a comfy bum to a quiet room. #MarvMondays & #Twinklytuesday
Oh I’d do anything for more sleep!!!
Edith’s slept through the night once. I loved that day haha! Hopefully she’ll sort herself out eventually as we’ve tried everything we could.
#TwinklyTuesdays
I think the naps make a massive difference!! Also a full tummy. My daughter used to have a good glug of cow’s milk but then occasionally her nappy would burst! Good luck – hope he cracks it soon xx #twinklytuesday
Great tips here! So far Oscar is a dream but I’m not expecting that to last. Zach was a nightmare sleeper and still wakes up sometimes now and he’s 4. It’s not every night but a week doesn’t tend to go by without him waking! Thanks for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday
Great tips!! We switched from the really thick, gooey bum creams, to bepanthen, when my two were smaller, and I much preferred it for every day use! I had to be really careful with afternoon nap timing too, to make sure that bedtime was when I wanted it to be! I think, apart from establishing a similar bath, book, bed routine, I was just very lucky to have two good sleepers…!
#bigpinklink
Good to hear how you are getting on and lovely pics. Commenting for myself and on behalf of BritMums and thanking you for taking part
I agree with all of these, but like you my eldest was a terrible sleeper and I think that despite having a great bed time routine and doing all these things which definitely help, sometimes you just have a little night owl on your hands! Thanks for sharing this on #MarvMondays. Emily
Sleep is one of the toughest baby challenges. We find it changes every couple of months to make it even tougher to get a good routine. Great tips! #MarvMondays
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