Along with our friends at Chicco, we are going to bring you a comprehensive guide with everything you need to know about babies and sleeping! in this sleep guide for babies. Chicco have their very own research centre based in Italy which focuses on the needs of children and encourages the direct involvement of parents. It also draws on the expertise of medical professionals and academics so you can be sure the advice given is backed by actual research!
Where should babies sleep?
Let’s start with co-sleeping. There are two types of co-sleeping; everyone in their own sleeping area or everyone sharing a bed. While it might seem lovely to sleep in the same bed as mummy and daddy so you can have cuddles all night. In reality, it’s uncomfortable and can be dangerous. Sleeping in the same bed can increase the risk of SIDS – you can get more information on SIDS from the Lullaby Trust. The best rules to follow for newborn sleep is the Feet to Foot rule where your baby’s feet should be close to the foot of the cot with the covers arranged so they can shuffle below the covers and the ABC method – this is putting your baby to sleep ALONE, on their BACK and in a CRIB.
Babies should sleep close to their parents for at least the first 6 months of their life and the Chicco Next2Me Range offers a great way to do this safely. Using the Next2Me Magic 2 bundle or the Next2Me Pop-Up bundle will allow you to keep them sleeping next to your bed until they reach 6 months old. Then, it’s time to decide what to do next – some children will happily move to their own room at this age but some parents wait until 9 months, a year or sometimes even older – this is totally up to you, your child and what’s best for your family. Another option when looking at a bedside crib is the Next2Me Forever – this is a Montessorian bed. It starts life as a bedside cot, can be moved away from your bed as a traditional cot allowing your little one to get used to not being right next to you and then once they move to their own room it becomes a floor bed for toddlers giving you excellent value for money!
How much should a baby sleep?
Check our the following sleep guide for babies:
In the first month, your little one will sleep for 16-18 hours a day in 3-4 hour bursts – take advantage and sleep while they do!
From around the second month or so, they tend to increase their sleep and sleep in 5-6 hour bursts, waking when they are hungry!
As they reach 6 months old, they should be sleeping more during the night and less in the day and once they reach between 1 and 2 years old, they should be sleeping between 11 and 14 hours, distributed between night and day.
Pre-schoolers should sleep around 10 to 12 hours a day and it is advisable to maintain the habit of taking an afternoon nap – grumpy toddlers are not fun to be around!!
From around 5, when they start school, they need between 9-11 hours sleep and they should get no less than 9 hours until they are at least 13!
Despite all of this guidance on how long they should sleep, the most important thing to remember is to do what’s best for you and your family and if that’s slightly different, that’s fine!
Found this helpful? Read more Uber Kids news:
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