A baby sleep schedule is easy to set up at
any age and
it is
very effective
at getting your baby into an all important healthy sleep rhythm. Tuning
into the circadian rhythm makes it easier
to fall
asleep, take better
naps and helps
baby
sleep through the night.
What
is a baby sleep schedule?
A sleep schedule is a day-night planning you set
up for your baby. It's like a daily agenda for sleeping times,
set around the baby feeding schedule, playing, bathing and other baby
activities (like
giving mummy the cutest smile ever ...).
Of course - and lucky for us! - babies are no
machines so do not think of this schedule as a rigid time regime. The
sleep schedule, while providing your baby with a predictable sleep
rhythm, will always be flexible enough to adapt to her, and your (!)
needs of the day.
A sleep schedule may
involve timed moments (like 1.15pm is bed time), or it may just be built on a regular
set of cyclic events (eat, play, then sleep). Which option
you choose depends on your own personality and on what feels best for
your baby.
Why
a sleep schedule?
The circadian rhythm
We are all on a
given daily
cycle, the circadian rhythm. That means that,
naturally, we have "high points" and "low points" of activity in each
day. At the low points (night time and siesta time) our body will be
very happy to sleep.
A well suited
regular sleep schedule helps reinforce this
process.
Newborn
babies do not have this well established
circadian rhythm yet. Their true day (= active) and night (= quiet)
rhythm
usually does not develop until the age of three or four months.
Developing this day/night rhythm similar to ours is one of the crucial early baby milestones.
A baby
sleep schedule helps support this baby development. See the newborn
sleep schedule page for how-to info.
Regular
sleep is vital for good sleep, not just for babies but for
older childrens and adults too.
Regular
bedtimes are very recognisable and therefore comfortable for our
body.
As we get used to sleeping at these given times,
we will feel drowsy at
these times and find sleep easily.
This is true as much for babies and
children as for adults.
Three good reasons why an
infant sleep schedule helps your baby sleep well:
Regular nap and night bed times make it easier
for your baby to settle
and start a good sleep.
Well chosen bedtimes help her take longer
naps, sleep longer stretches at night and eventually, help baby sleepthrough
the night.
Last but not least, regular naps during the
day have shown to have a good effect on the nights. Rather than
"resting her too much so she's not tired enough at night", regular naps
ensure that your baby is not overtired by night time. And that leads to
easier
settling into longer nights.
Although
most babies thrive on a schedule, some do
not seem to need any. They will simply sleep at any time,
usually also
in any place. If that is your baby, and it suits you well, by all means
there is no need to install a schedule.
But if sleep does become an issue
at some point, then more regularity can help.
How
to set up a good sleep schedule for your baby?
The best
baby sleep schedules suit both you and your baby
well. That means you combine her needs - when does she feel sleepy,
when is she active and enjoying her surroundings - with your own - your
activities, older children to be taken to school, ...
Typically,
the younger the baby, the more the schedule
comes from her. As she gets older, you set the timing more
also, many parents find that a first baby has
quite a lot of "influence" on her own schedule. Once there are older
children, baby's sleep schedule will just fit into the family's day.
In any case, how to find the best sleep schedule
depends on your baby's age.
