Nights with a new baby aren’t always easy! However, it’s safe to say that before a baby is 4 months old, he’ll feel more secure as the routine you adopt with him progresses. A routine that will enable him to develop healthy associations for falling asleep on his own.

Sleep problems in babies from 4 to 12 months are mostly associated with three things:

• Baby association problems (10–30%);
• Baby self-regulation problems (ex.: a diagnosed neurological problem);
• Parents that intervene too much or too fast.

A baby learns to go to sleep using sleep routines and rituals that you develop. If they wake up at night, they will want to reproduce the same thing to go back to sleep. Considering this, if you feed your baby or rock them in your arms to go to sleep every night, they’ve learned this ritual, and if they wake up, they will expect the same thing. That’s logical, right?

It’s normal for babies to wake up at night between 4 and 12 months, but do they really need to drink?

It is normal that a baby will still wake up at night between 4 and 12 months, but really, do they need to feed? That is THE question! A baby that is hungry sounds and cries differently, and you and only you can recognise your baby’s sound. At four months, many babies will still drink, but at 7 or 8? If you go and see them too quickly, they will not learn to go back to sleep and experience the next phase in their light sleep, which will be repeated many times during a night. They will demand your presence each time to fall back asleep and move on to their phase.

Sleep problems following a disturbance

Don’t be surprised if sleep problems reappear in your baby during important events or transitions in their lives. Certain psychological factors can influence sleep habits in your baby, even physical factors. For example, if a baby brother or sister arrives, starting daycare, moving from one home to another.

Repeated, consistent, supportive, caring and reassuring parental intervention, while encouraging independent sleep, can quickly restore the child’s positive sleep habits that were present before the change. However, if the parent intervenes differently from one day to the next, saying yes and saying no to the child’s growing demands, this can create insecurity and an even greater challenge to overcome in order to re-establish routine and good sleep habits.

It’s also not true that putting babies to bed later in the evening will make them sleep more in the morning. It’s better to put babies between 4 and 6 months to bed earlier in the evening (between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.), considering that they’ll take a little time to find sleep on their own.

Viruses and minor health problems

Frequently, a slight short-term health problem in a baby, such as an earache, cold or teething will lead to changes in the baby’s sleep habits. They may wake up at night, resist sleep, demand more of the parents’ presence. In these cases, you have to deal as much as possible with the baby’s symptoms by taking concrete actions. You can clear the airways with saline water and a nose pump, give them acetaminophen as required in case of fever, raise the head of their bed to improve their breathing.

Parents, be careful! Of course, you have to provide your baby with the necessary attention, but in moderation. A baby over four months will quickly understand that mom and dad are close, and it is comforting to see them at night, to be picked up and rocked. Don’t be surprised if they are more demanding at night, even if they have overcome their little infection. Once again, quickly return to the previous repeated routine, even if they object, as it will allow you to help them fall asleep alone again and develop the right sleep habits.

Separation Anxiety

It’s normal for a baby around 9 or 10 months of age to have short-term separation anxiety. At this age, a baby’s notion of time and memory is limited. This is why they will react strongly when they notice that their parents aren’t close by, often their mother who spends most of the time with them. Also, when they go to sleep, when their mother or father leaves the room, they want your reassuring presence. This is a normal part of the baby’s development. Putting them to bed with a comforting object will make them feel secure.

Moving to a new home can cause the same reaction. Their environment has changed, and they want to be reassured that you’re still with them. Don’t expect otherwise! If you try to meet every demand, it will increase their dependency on your presence when going to sleep.

Night Terrors

Night terrors affect 6% of children under 18 months up to 6 years of age. Boys are more affected. This phase isn’t dangerous for your child even if it seems horrible due to their reactions.

Children can wake up at night screaming, eyes wide open with a terrified look, sweating and are often agitated.

These terrors usually arrive during the latency phase of the sleep cycle, which is paradoxical (dreams and nightmares cycle), and disappear with the maintenance of their routine. They gradually feel safer.

Fear of the dark and nightmares can also occur in children from 18 to 24 months of age, but rarely before. Once again, it’s part of a stage in the child’s neurological development.

Naps

Napping needs vary based on the baby and their age. We can expect

• 3 to 4 naps per day for newborns;
• which will diminish to 2 naps around 6 months;
• and 1 nap a day after 1 to 2 years of age.
• Finally, 3 to 5 year old children may no longer nap at all.

Don’t forget that napping for too long, three hours or more, or too close to the nightly sleep routine, can hinder them sleeping by themselves at night. The length and quality of naps in the day can influence the baby’s sleep at night, and the inverse.

It’s good to stabilise your baby’s sleep at night before starting naps. The nap ritual should be different at night, so the baby can understand the difference (ex.: baths at night). When your baby shows signs of fatigue, you can apply techniques to get them to sleep by themselves.

To learn more about the topic, you can also watch the video about Baby Sleep.

Marie Fortier
The Baby Expert

Updated article on : October, 2024.

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