If your baby is waking in the night, your sleep will be disturbed too. Being constantly tired can make you feel moody and irritable and less able to function. There are also links between lack of sleep and postnatal depression, so making sure both you and your baby are getting enough sleep is important.

Why doesn’t my baby sleep through the night?

There are all sorts of reasons why your baby may be waking through the night. For example:

• She may need a feed. Newborn and young babies have a small tummy, which can’t hold much. It’s normal for a newborn to only sleep for two or three hours before needing a feed again.
• She may want your comfort and reassurance during the night.
• She may need some help to settle and know that it’s time for sleep. Having a consistent bedtime routine each night can help.
• She may be ill, teething or having a growth spurt – all of these can disturb her sleep.

Many babies carry on waking through the night for many months, even when they’re not hungry. But most babies are sleeping regularly through the night by the time they’re a year old. If you can cope with the night-time interruptions, then you may wish to wait and let your baby sleep through the night in her own time. But if you’re finding it hard to cope with the lack of sleep, and it’s affecting how you parent your baby, it may be time to try something new.

What can I do to help my baby settle?

These tactics may help your baby to sleep better and settle herself back to sleep.

Help your baby get to know the difference between day and night.

During the day keep things light and bright and active – open the curtains, play games and make lots of noise. At night, dim the lights, keep things quiet and give your baby soothing cuddles instead of playing with her. This will help her to set her body clock and learn the difference between day and night.

Give your baby the chance to fall asleep on her own

Your baby’s natural sleep-wake cycle (circadian rhythm) starts to develop when she is about six weeks old. That means she’ll start to sleep more at night and less during the day. When your baby is around three months old, she may be able to start settling herself and going to sleep, but not all babies will! You can encourage your baby to do this by putting her down on her back after a feed when she’s sleepy, but still awake and seeing whether she can go to sleep with you close by. You could also try using a soothing phrase, sound or word, such as “Ssh” or “It’s sleepy time”. Repeat this to your baby as she gently drifts off, so she begins to associate it with bedtime, and feelings of drowsiness.

Set a simple bedtime routine.

You can introduce a soothing bedtime routine from around three months. Start your routine about an hour before you plan to turn put your baby down to sleep. Turning off the television, dimming the lights and winding down activities will set the scene and help your baby to relax.