One of the toughest parts of new parenthood is the sleep deprivation side of the business. What can make things even more difficult is if you have a baby who's not yet sleeping through the night, and all you're hearing are stories from friends who have babies of the same age who are getting twelve hours of unbroken slumber.
There are lots of reasons that your baby's not yet sleeping through the night, and we cover the most common ones below. It's vital, however, to let your intuition guide you: if your instincts are pinging, speak with your doctor or healthcare practitioner to check there's not an underlying issue that's disturbing your baby's sleep.
Sleep Regressions
Not all babies experience sleep regressions, but many do - and this can be a key reason why babies may or may not be sleeping through the night. Sleep regressions tie in with important brain developments and tend to occur in conjunction with milestones such as learning to roll over or beginning to verbalize. These regressions crop up at the approximate four, eight, and twelve-month marks.
Teething
Babies teethe at different times: one baby may cut their first tooth at just a few months old, while others may not teethe until later, and this is another reason that some babies sleep through the night while others don't. Teething can cause significant discomfort to little ones, but there are things you can do to provide some relief. Teething gels and chews (some of which can be cooled in the fridge) are widely available - though it's vital to ensure that these are age-appropriate. And extra cuddles and love are a must.
Every Baby is Different
Just as every grown person is an individual with unique traits and quirks, so is every baby. While there is general guidance regarding how much sleep babies need at various ages, there's a wide variance. For example, newborns typically require between eight to eighteen hours of sleep during a twenty-four-hour period - between which times there's a big difference. Even once they hit the twelve-month mark, some babies will need around twelve hours of total daily sleep, while others will need fifteen.
It's important to remember, too, that babies develop at different rates, so try not to compare what your baby is doing to others, as understandable as this is.
Helping Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night
Differentiating Night and Day
As babies grow older, they will naturally fall into a pattern of sleeping for longer and longer periods at night and being awake for prolonged periods during the day - however, it's important to be aware that all babies are different, and some will fall into this pattern quicker than others.
There may be a couple of things you can do to help things along, though. Keeping the room in which your baby sleeps as dark as possible during the night is a good idea (blackout blinds can be a good idea) to help differentiate night and day - and ensure lots of natural light can enter in the morning. A bedtime routine can also help signal to your baby that nighttime has arrived and it's time to sleep.
Ensure Baby is Eating Enough During the Day
Some babies may not sleep through the night due to hunger if they're not taking in enough food during the day. As babies get older, they can get so interested in and distracted by the world around them that, at feed times, they stop before they're full simply because their attention has been captured by a fascinating sound or an interesting object.
How about Sleep Training?
Sleep training can be a contentious issue; it may not be best for all families, but for some, it's proved an important way of helping their babies get the sleep they need. Sleep training isn't recommended for very young babies, but for little ones that have reached the six-month mark and are still struggling to sleep at night or are waking up frequently, it may be a useful tool.
Baby sleep training involves helping your baby to drift off without the need to feed or rock them to sleep. The idea of this technique is to gently support little ones to self-soothe. So, when your baby is sleepy, and it's time for them to settle for the night, or if they wake frequently, parents are often advised to give the baby a short time to settle themselves before intervening. If they don't drift off - or back - to sleep, either sit beside the crib and comfort baby or pick them up for a brief period before settling them back.
This process may need to initially be repeated multiple times, but it could quickly result in your baby being able to consistently self-soothe.
Baby Sleep: The Takeaway
A baby sleeping for a long, unbroken period during the night is like the Holy Grail of early parenthood - but the pressure to achieve this can be tough. It's vital to remember that all babies develop differently and have different personalities and temperaments. However challenging and intense this period can be, it is a short-lived one - and the tips in the guide above may help you navigate it.
