How to help my baby to sleep through the night?

When you become a mother, sleeping becomes a rather abstract concept, especially in the first year. We don't even know what it is anymore, unless of course you're one of the lucky ones who has a baby that sleeps and sleeps fast. I envy those parents who brag about their little ones sleeping since they were 3 months old. As far as we are concerned, our 1 year old baby is still not sleeping all night and the other 3 year old boy is getting up early - what a bad luck! 😊

At what age does the child sleep well?

• Only 10% of babies do not sleep well after the 10th month

• Normally 3 babies out of 4 sleep well starting from the 6th month

• And only 1 baby out of 4 sleeps well from the age of 2 months

The baby continues to sleep when his need to drink occurs, which for some is around 4-5 months but for others only around 6-8 months. Starting food diversification can help your baby get more regular sleep. There are those who also speak of the 5 kg threshold. A weight threshold after which the child should be able to last a whole night without eating.

How long does the baby sleep at night once he sleeps?

• Between 3 and 6 months: from 5 to 6 consecutive hours

• Between 6 and 12 months: 10 to 12 consecutive hours

Tips to help my baby to sleep through the night

• Help the baby distinguish between day and night

• Do not wake the baby so as not to interrupt his sleep cycle, both day and night

• Adopt rhythms at set times (meals, bathroom, sleep, etc.)

• Organize a sleep ritual

• Teach the child to fall asleep alone

• Do not rush at the first sign of awakening at night

• Do not respond to baby crying at night with a bottle (if obviously old enough to last all night without eating)

Mom's experience

In bed at 8:00pm, our 1 year old baby still woke regularly at night. However, we had followed the advice mentioned above and in particular:

• Do not react right away to give him the opportunity to fall asleep on his own

• Reassure him without picking him up

• And sing soothing lullabies or make him listen to white noises

But none of the above calmed him down. And when we saw on the alarm clock that it was 4:30am, we finally surrendered to the night bottle that calmed him and allowed him to go back to sleep (and we as well with him ...). The following evenings we also tended to give the bottle directly ... However, we knew very well that this was not the solution. At his age, he should have been able to go all night without eating ...

Seeing the baby swallow a 300ml bottle in one gulp at night, we figured his nocturnal awakenings might just be because he was just hungry. So we made him more consistent meals in the evening by adding more starches. It worked for a few nights but didn't completely solve our problem. There was always something that prevented him from having a full night's sleep: teething, a cold, an overflowing diaper, sometimes being too cold, too hot. It was only when he was about 18 months old that he took a more normal rhythm: a wake up around 6:00 am to take his bottle and then another little sleep of two hours.

Sleep is not the same for all babies. Some will take a regular cycle faster than others, but at least put all the possibilities on your side and above all listen to the little one.