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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 INTRODUCTION

5 7 FOUNDATIONS

6 FOUNDATION 1:

7 Avoid Over Stimulation

8 FOUNDATION 2:

9 Provide your baby when possible with opportunities to fall asleep without props

11 FOUNDATION 3:

12 Use Eat > Play > Sleep pattern for newborns

13 FOUNDATION 4:

14 The perfect sleep environment

17 FOUNDATION 5:

18 Awake Times

20 FOUNDATION 6:

21 Day vs. night confusion

23 FOUNDATION 7:

24 Consistent bedtime routine

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 INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on becoming a parent! You are entering the exciting (yet exhausting!) world of
parenthood where you will have the most rewarding yet at the same time challenging ex-
perience of being responsible for raising children!

One of the most talked about, hotly debated topics among fellow parents is sleep. As you’re
navigating through learning about the personality and temperament of your little one, you
may want to establish a healthy sleep foundation for your newborn in order for your
household to get as much sleep as you can.

Know that you are certainly not alone in wanting/needing more sleep. Every single child also
responds differently to sleep programs. Whilst every parent will have a different experience
based on their child in how they respond to any form of sleep training/setting up sleep foun-
dations, there are a few key tips that will help you set up your little one with good sleep habits.

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 What you do one day, may not get the
same result the next day. There is also
not a single formula that works perfectly
for every child so don’t feel as though
you should be putting so much pressure
on yourself to make everything perfect.
Parents put enough pressure on
themselves already!

We have compiled this guide simply to

provide you with some tools to give you
the confidence around sleep for your lit-
tle one. Sleep is developmental and it is
a journey of learning for your little one
which will require patience.

We wish you all the success in

establishing a great sleep environment in
your family.

Good luck!

Love the Baby Sleep team

.................................

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 7 FOUNDATIONS
There are 7 foundations that can build up to establishing healthy sleep habits for your
child. These should become easier over time when implemented consistently:

Foundation 1:
Avoid Over Stimulation

Foundation 2:
Provide your baby when possible with opportunities to fall asleep without props

Foundation 3:
Use Eat > Play > Sleep pattern for newborns

Foundation 4:
The perfect sleep environment

Foundation 5:
Awake Times

Foundation 6:
Day vs. night confusion

Foundation 7:
Consistent bedtime routine

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FOUNDATION ONE

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 AVOID OVER STIMULATION
Most specifically related to newborns, newborn babies can become over-stimulated extremely
quickly which can as a result create significant challenges for them to sleep.

When you bring a newborn baby home, there is much excitement and anticipation from eager
family and friends. They have the best intentions in coming over to visit and holding the new
baby however it may cause your little one to become overwhelmed and over stimulated.

Your baby has been in a calm, safe environment for the past 9 months and their 4th trimester is
a huge transition for them outside of the womb so take the time to get to know your baby and
provide them with a period of adjustment in their new world.

Over-stimulation is the nemesis of sleep!

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FOUNDATION TWO

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 PROVIDE YOUR
BABY WHEN
POSSIBLE WITH
OPPORTUNI- TIES TO
FALL ASLEEP
WITHOUT PROPS
The goal here is to ultimately get your baby to
fall asleep on their own without any props.
Once this skill can be mastered, it will help
your child immensely as they get older to get
back to sleep on their own and connect sleep
cycles.

Self-settling is a learned skill that babies take

time to develop. They need a process of coach-
ing, consistency and the chance to do it them-
selves. If you continue to settle your baby, it
means that they are denied the chance to work
on this new skill.

Self-settling and removing parent-controlled

sleep associations only really starts to become
an issue from when the baby is around 4
months of age and heads into the 4 month sleep
regression.

Props: This could be breastfeeding, bottles,

pacifiers, patting, rocking, shushing...or any-
thing that gets your little one to sleep. Any of
these factors may build up a reliance to fall
asleep with which may become more chal-
lenging such as times when sleep regressions
occur if your little one cannot fall back to sleep
on their own.

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One of the most crucial elements for
teaching children to go to sleep and
stay asleep is helping them develop
self-soothing strategies.

Many new parents are not aware ba-

bies can be placed down awake and
fall asleep. We feel as though we have
to put them to sleep. Newborns need
more support but if they are placed
down with the right timing and
circumstances they can be capable to
fall asleep on their own.

Try giving your baby an opportunity

1-2 times a day to fall asleep inde-
pendently without props…especially
feeding to sleep. The best times to try
this are for the first nap of the day
and when they go down for the
evening.
We know this cannot be achieved all
of the time. We are going to give them
opportunities to practice this skill.

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FOUNDATION THREE

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 USE EAT > PLAY > SLEEP
PATTERN FOR NEWBORNS
EAT

Timing: If you feed your baby as soon as they wake, not only does it improve adequate feeding
(because your baby is hungry) but it also reduces the risk of sleepiness and the natural
occurrence of feeding to sleep.

Duration: For newborns it is recommended to be between 20-30 minutes. For most newborns,
feeds will be every 2-3 hours

PLAY

For a newborn, ‘play’ can be any activity such as a diaper change, talking and engaging with
your baby, reading a book (or picture book) – all of these are stimulation.

SLEEP

Between 0-6 weeks, most newborns should only be awake for 45-60 mins before they will
need to take another nap. By the time your little one reaches 3 months, the time will increase
to anywhere between 90-120 minutes, depending on your baby.

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FOUNDATION FOUR

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 THE PERFECT SLEEP
ENVIRONMENT
Every sleep environment will be different
based on where your baby is sleeping and
what they sleep in and on, however a good
first step is to create a great environment to
encourage sleep. Having your baby in a good
nap pattern for their day sleep will help them
immensely with their night sleep.

DARK ROOM

This can be done using blackout blinds or by

putting a dark sheet over existing curtains.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a
night light.

To ensure no day/night confusion, make sure

your baby gets the majority of their calorie
intake during the day and light exposure
during their awake times.

Once your baby has no day vs. night

confusion, you can have a dark room for naps.
This is commonly sometime between 8-12
weeks. You want plenty of exposure to
natural light during your baby's wake
windows throughout the day.

WHITE NOISE

A great sleep tool for your baby. White noise

replicates the loud noises that babies were
used to hearing when in the womb. It also
helps to trigger babies’ calming response.

Additionally, white noise can block out or

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mask household noises that could wake, or
startle your baby. Play no louder than 50
decibels and place 7 feet from your baby.
When babies wake between their sleep cycles,
the consistent white noise helps them to link
their cycles.

SWADDLING

Newborns have been swaddled for years and

years. It’s a simple, proven way to ensure your
baby feels safe and warm as they adjust to life
outside the womb. It also helps combat over-
stimulation and prevents the newborn startle
reflex from waking baby from restful sleep.

When to stop swaddling? Most babies will let

you know when it’s time to stop being swad-
dled which is usually between 3-4 months of
age. They can then transition to a sleep sack.

Stop swaddling your baby immediately if they

show any signs of rolling.

SLEEP SACK

A sleeping bag ensures that there is no need to

stress over loose blankets in the crib. Impossible
for little legs to kick off, wearable blankets slip
over your baby’s pajamas and they keep your
little one warm throughout the night.

Make sure to choose a sleeping bag that is made

from natural fibers –cotton, wool, bamboo,
merino, etc as these are much safer for your
baby and will reduce your little one over heating.

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ROOM TEMPERATURE

Many experts recommend that the temperature in the room where a baby sleeps is kept
between 65-72°F (18-22°C). Although most bedrooms don’t have their own thermostats, an
indoor thermometer can help you track the room temperature. If this temperature doesn't
feel right, use your own judgement with what feels comfortable for you.

TAKING BABY TO BED

Spend 5-10 minutes in the room with your baby with the curtains drawn, white noise on and in
their swaddle blanket and just cuddle and talk and/or sing to them so that they know that it is
bed time. This is a crucial step so that every time you do this, they know that it is bed time and
that it is not rushed, or forced.

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FOUNDATION FIVE

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 AWAKE TIMES

We’d argue that this is one of the most important areas to focus on to avoid over-tiredness and
to put your baby down to bed when they are tired. Rather than trying to set up your day at
specific times, focus on awake times (which means you need to be flexible!) and your day will
revolve around how long your baby has been awake!

Awake times are your biggest guide to what your day will look like and is a critical element of
‘routine’ that should be focused on.

SPECIFICALLY FOR NEWBORNS:

A newborn should not be awake any longer than 60 minutes between 0-6 weeks. At 2 months
of age, the awake time will increase to between 75-90 minutes and increase again from 90- 120
minutes by the time they reach 3 months old depending on your baby.

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FOUNDATION SIX

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 DAY VS. NIGHT CONFUSION

Newborns are born with an immature circadian rhythm which means that they don't really
know the difference between day and night. i.e. Their internal body clock hasn't developed yet.
Around 3 months is when your baby will start to produce melatonin (the sleepy hormone that
helps them to fall asleep and stay asleep) and by the time they are 5-6 months of age, their
internal clock will be fully developed.

This ultimately means that they will sleep longer during the night and less during the day. Until
they establish the difference between day vs. night, they can be really sleepy during the day
and awake for long periods during the evening.

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The good news is that there are 3 cues
that will help your newborn with their
biological clock
1 Light
2 Food
3 Social interactions

LIGHT

Light is one of the primary things that

helps ‘set’ our internal clocks, so exposure
to sunlight (along with having some awake
time) will help your newborn understand
that daytime is for being awake.

In contrast, nights are to be dark with very

limited stimulation and dim lighting.

FOOD

Newborns have tiny tummies and require

lots of feeding -especially during the day!
The common frequency that newborns
require feeding is every 2-3 hours. So if
they are still sleeping and it's time for a
feed, wake them up for a feed.

SOCIAL INTERACTION

Try to have plenty of social interaction and

play time during your newborn's awake
times during the daytime.

In the evenings, if you are going in to feed

them, keep social interactions to a minimum
so you're encouraging more sleep at night
time.

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FOUNDATION SEVEN

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 CONSISTENT SLEEP
ROUTINES
Establishing a good bedtime routine right
from day one is a great way to help your
baby learn that it’s time to go to sleep! It
can not only help improve your baby’s
sleep, it will also give you a more relaxing
night!
Putting your baby to sleep is not always easy,
however a good night’s sleep starts before
you even put your baby in their crib. Having a
predictable bedtime routine helps babies
learn, through actions, that it’s time to go to
sleep.

The routine should only take between 20-30

minutes from the start to the time you put
your baby into their bed.

Once you start the bedtime routine, your baby

will soon learn that bed is not far away ☺

Here's an example of a bedtime routine:

30mins before sleep: Bath baby in a nice

warm bath
25 minutes before sleep: Give baby a
massage
20 minutes before sleep: Go to your baby’s
room to put baby into their pajamas and
swaddle
15 minutes before sleep: Start bed time milk
feed in nursery
5 minutes before sleep: Snuggle and sing to
your baby in their room with the lights out

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and white noise on (this is the best part of the routine). You get to have some beautiful,
quiet time with your baby as they start to get drowsy.
Bedtime: Put baby down in their crib while they are drowsy and leave the room.

It is important that the bedtime routine isn’t too rushed. You can replicate a much shorter
version of the example bedtime routine when applying it to your baby’s daytime naps.

We would love nothing more than for you and your family to achieve a better night’s sleep!

We wish you all the best.

Love the Baby Sleep Team

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