For exhausted parents, getting a baby to sleep through the night can feel like the ultimate achievement.
But a leading safer sleep charity has warned trying out “parenting hacks” to reach the dream goal of sleeping through could actually be dangerous. As part of its annual Safer Sleep Week campaign, which starts today, The Lullaby Trust is reminding parents that one third of babies will never sleep all night without waking by 12 months – and that that’s perfectly normal.
“Many have come to associate a ‘good’ or ‘contented’ baby with one that sleeps uninterrupted,” said the charity’s chief executive Jenny Ward. “But it is vitally important for families to understand that it is usual and expected for babies under one (or sometimes older) to wake during the night.”
The Lullaby Trust wants to raise awareness of what baby sleep patterns should look like and educate families that babies are meant to wake through the night to lower rates of sudden infant death syndrome, known as SIDS. Babies’ sleep cycles differ to those of adults, with more than half of a newborn baby’s one hour sleep cycle being in Active Sleep, which means they can wake up more easily. Adults, by contrast, experience 75-80 per cent of their one-long sleep cycles in Quiet Sleep, a deeper level of sleep.
Over the first year of their child’s life, parents should expect:
Newborn babies to sleep for anywhere between eight to 18 hours a day, but only for two to three hours at a time.
Babies of 3-6 months to sleep for longer periods now as they need fewer night feeds. Some babies may sleep for eight hours or longer at night, but not all will.
At 6-12 months, a baby may sleep for up to 12 hours at night but factors like teething, illness or hunger may mean they wake more frequently again.
“There is a concern that well-meaning advice and the idea that certain products or practices can help a baby to sleep for longer is putting pressure on families – making them feel they should try to help their baby to sleep through the night as young as possible,” said Jenny. “However, encouraging babies to sleep for longer or more deeply than is usual for their age can be harmful, and increases the risk of SIDS if the baby can’t arouse themself if something is wrong.”
The charity also wants to raise awareness of their safer sleep guidance, which sees babies offered a separate sleep space. “We know that greater awareness of safer sleep leads to a decrease in the numbers of babies dying,” said the charity’s chief exec. “Sadly, around four babies a week still die from SIDS and if all families were aware of safer sleep advice, many lives could be saved.”
Visit The Lullaby Trust website for more information on safer sleeping.
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