Wake up to the importance of sleep!

Sleep is vital to babies and the average newborn spends about 16 hours asleep each day. Those early months with your newborn can be very tiring and it’s important that parents also try to get enough ‘shut-eye’. New parents can lose between 400-750 hours sleep in their baby’s first year. Ouch! The good news is there are a few things you can do to help make life a bit more restful, for everyone.

Most new parents like to keep their baby close by in the early weeks and a Moses basket or similar small crib is ideal, as it can be moved around the house so baby can be where you are.

While it is recommended that babies sleep in their parent’s room (in a separate cot) for the first 6 months, after the first few weeks you might begin to feel a bit more relaxed about letting them out of your sight from time to time, to give them a bit of extra peace and quiet. Staying connected with your baby when he is not in the same room is very important though. And that’s where a good baby monitor can help.

Keeping an eye on them – even when you can’t see them
Baby monitors allow you to keep an eye on your baby even when you can’t see him. There’s a brand new range of monitors that have just come out from Philips AVENT that provide parents with extra peace of mind. Not only do they inform you when baby is crying, and allow you to talk back so you can reassure him with your own voice, but they also remotely notify you of the temperature and humidity of your baby’s room. Your baby’s sleep and relaxation can be easily affected by even the slightest variations in climate, as babies aren’t capable of regulating their own body temperatures. These latest DECT monitors mean you can keep an eye on temperature and humidity levels from anywhere in your home and check your baby’s room is comfortable and healthy.

Some babies find it easier than others to settle. Introducing a sleep-time routine such as a darkened room, a certain song or lullaby, and a baby sleeping bag (instead of sheets and blankets) can really help. A soother may also help to settle him – babies have a strong instinct to suck and that simple sucking action may naturally relax him.

So try and get baby in the mood for sleep, but encourage him to do the ‘going to sleep’ bit by himself by saying good night and leaving the room quietly. Return to soothe him if he needs it but leave before he’s completely asleep. Gradually he’ll find it easier to settle himself on his own. A baby who knows how to go to sleep by himself nearly always sleeps through the night earlier, as he can put himself back to sleep when he comes into a light sleep at night. Most babies are able to sleep the whole 10-12 hour night once they are on solids around 6-7 months.

It can take a bit of time to learn good sleep habits – but persevere. If you keep at it, before long it should work like a dream!

To find our more about the new Digitally Enhanced Cordless Technology (DECT) baby monitors range from Philips AVENT, visit www.philips.co.uk/AVENT.